Lew’s Custom Lite SS Reel

There’s a specific kind of frustration that comes from trying to cast a genuinely light bait – a small crankbait, a wacky-rigged worm, a finesse popper – on a reel that wasn’t built for it: the spool’s own weight fights you before the lure’s even left the rod tip. The Custom Lite SS exists to remove that fight entirely, built around an ultra-shallow 30mm Duralumin spool that needs far less energy to spin up than a standard-depth spool, which is exactly what lets genuinely light lures fly rather than stall.

It shares its Tanso Tech one-piece frame and C45 carbon sideplates with the standard Custom Lite, but the spool tells the real story: where the standard Custom Lite holds 90 yards of 12lb mono, the SS is cut shallower and holds a genuinely finesse-sized 54 yards of 8lb mono or 64 yards of 8lb braid – less capacity by design, in exchange for the low-mass spool that makes light baits behave properly. Lew’s own use-case list for this reel reads like a finesse angler’s technique sheet rather than marketing copy: drop-shotting over deep ledges, ned rigging across rocky flats, working small poppers and wacky rigs tight to shallow vegetation. An 11-bearing system, Zero Reverse clutch, and hardened Speed Gears with the P2 Super Pinion mean none of that finesse focus comes at the cost of durability, and the 6-pin QuietCast brake gives genuinely fine adjustment for baits this light rather than one compromise setting.

Detailed Specifications

• Retrieve: Left Hand
• Gear ratio: 7.5:1
• Line recovery: 28in per turn
• Bearings: 11 stainless steel double-shielded with Zero Reverse one-way clutch
• Frame: One-piece Tanso Tech
• Sideplates: C45 carbon
• Gears: Hardened aluminium alloy Speed Gears with P2 Super Pinion
• Braking: QuietCast 6-pin externally adjustable centrifugal brake (ACB)
• Spool: Duralumin 30mm, ultra-shallow
• Drag: Carbon fibre, up to 20lb max
• Line capacity: 54yd/8lb mono, 64yd/8lb braid
• Extras: Speed Knot quick line attachment, one-year limited warranty

Where to Use It

• Drop-shotting over deep ledges
• Ned rigging across rocky flats
• Casting light poppers and wacky rigs into shallow vegetation
• Small crankbaits and other finesse-weight baits generally

Gerry’s Pro Tip

The low-inertia benefit of an ultra-shallow spool comes specifically from keeping the spool’s total mass down, so resist filling it right to the rim out of habit – a properly (not maximally) loaded spool on this reel casts noticeably better than an overfilled one, especially with the very light baits it’s designed for.

FAQs

Q: How is this different from the standard Custom Lite (CL1SHL)?
A: Both use a 30mm Duralumin spool, but the SS’s is cut shallower for less inertia, holding a genuinely finesse-sized 54 yards of 8lb mono or 64 yards of 8lb braid versus the standard Custom Lite’s 90 yards of 12lb. Less capacity, but exactly the low-mass spool finesse baits need to cast well.

Q: Is this a good first baitcaster?
A: Not really – casting genuinely light baits on a baitcaster is one of the harder skills to learn, and this reel is tuned specifically for that challenge. Most anglers are better served building baitcast fundamentals on a standard-spool reel like the Speed Spool RX first.

Q: Is 20lb max drag more than a finesse reel needs?
A: In day-to-day use, yes, but it’s genuinely useful headroom for the moments a bigger bass than expected eats a small bait on light line – better to have it and not need it.

Q: What line capacity does the spool actually hold?
A: 54 yards of 8lb-test mono, or 64 yards of 8lb-test braid – a deliberately finesse-sized capacity rather than an all-round one.