Lew’s Team Pro SP Skipping and Pitching SLP 8.3:1 Baitcast Left Hand Reel

Most reels get designed to be good at everything, which usually means they’re not exceptional at any one thing. The Team Lew’s Pro SP takes the opposite approach – it exists to solve one specific, well-understood problem, because tour pro Andy Montgomery told Lew’s engineers exactly what was going wrong every time he tried to skip a bait under a dock with a standard-spool reel: too much backlash on start-up, not enough distance under the low, flat cast a skip demands. “This reel lets me skip a bait further and with less backlash than ever before,” is how Montgomery himself sums up what came out of that conversation, and it’s rare to get a manufacturer’s development story stated quite that plainly.

The engineering answer is a super shallow spool holding 40 yards of 20lb-test fluorocarbon, which spins up faster on start-up and dramatically cuts the deep-spool backlash that ruins a skip the instant the bait leaves your hand. The Knot Slot recesses your line knot so it doesn’t snag as it pays out on that low, flat trajectory, and the QuietCast brake system includes a dedicated Skipping Zone setting tuned specifically for that motion rather than general overhead casting. It’s worth being honest about what this reel isn’t, too: with only 40 yards of capacity on a shallow spool built for one job, it’s not the reel you reach for to bomb a crankbait across open water on a searching pattern – for that, a standard-spool Lew’s reel will serve you far better. But for working baits precisely into the tightest cover a boat dock, laydown or bridge piling can offer, this is a genuinely specialist tool built by someone who fishes that exact situation for a living.

Detailed Specifications

• Retrieve: Left Hand
• Gear ratio: 8.3:1
• Line recovery: 33in per turn
• Bearings: 9-bearing system with Zero Reverse one-way clutch
• Frame: One-piece aluminium
• Spool: Drilled and forged Duralumin 32mm shallow spool with Knot Slot
• Gears: Hard-anodised aluminium alloy Speed Gears with P2 SuperPinion
• Braking: QuietCast externally adjustable centrifugal brake with dedicated Skipping Zone
• Drag: Carbon fibre, up to 20lb max
• Line capacity: 40yd/20lb mono, 50lb braid
• Handle: 95mm bowed anodised aluminium
• Line guide: Zirconia
• Extras: External lube port, patented retractable Speed Keeper

Where to Use It

• Skipping baits tight under docks, overhangs and boat cover
• Pitching heavier baits at close range with precise control
• Tournament anglers targeting bass holding under structure other casts can’t reach
• Anglers already fishing 20lb-test fluorocarbon who want a reel matched to it

Gerry’s Pro Tip

Don’t fish this reel on your normal casting brake setting and expect skipping results – use the dedicated Skipping Zone every time you switch to that low, sidearm motion. It’s tuned for the specific physics of a skip, and leaving it on a general setting is the single most common reason anglers don’t get the backlash-free performance this reel is capable of.

FAQs

Q: Who actually designed this reel, and why does that matter?
A: Tour pro Andy Montgomery worked directly with Lew’s engineers to solve the specific backlash and distance problems he was hitting while skipping baits competitively – the Skipping Zone brake setting and shallow spool are a direct result of that collaboration, not a generic feature added afterwards.

Q: Can I use this as my everyday, all-purpose baitcaster?
A: You could, but we wouldn’t recommend it – the 40-yard shallow spool is purpose-built for skipping and pitching, and you’ll find yourself limited on capacity and distance for open-water techniques where a standard-spool reel like the Speed Spool RX or BB1 Pro would serve you far better.

Q: What line does the shallow spool suit?
A: It’s built specifically around 20lb-test fluorocarbon, the line most competitive skipping and pitching anglers already favour for its low stretch and abrasion resistance around cover.

Q: Is the Skipping Zone difficult to find on the brake dial?
A: No, it’s a clearly marked, dedicated setting within the QuietCast system – the adjustment itself is straightforward, it’s simply purpose-tuned rather than a general-use setting.