Lew's Tournament Pro

[Chief Grey Bear]

I must say I don't get the animosity towards Bass Pro. They are looked down on for making a decent product and charging a fair market price?

To my knowledge, no other company in the Industry gives more donations or does more for tournament fishing and I will always shop there because of it.

Just because guides and professional fisherman drive or use certain products is absolutely no reason for the most part for the guy that HAS TO PAY RETAIL for thing to buy them. Alot of times we use products that are provided to us or sold to us for next to nothing. We have the ability to buy most anything associated with fishing at manufactors cost or even below, for advertising pruposes. What a better way to advertise to have your butt in it or have your hands or eyes on it. In the case of large ticket items, that most guides change out every year or even twice a year, the price does matter. In the last 4 years, Bill has had 8 new boats from 4 different manufactors. He has the ability to buy very reasonable and sell at a profit or completely use an item for no cost. I'm going to guess the majority of you all out there do not have this luxury.

I'd say this is why. You have to promote your sponsor.

[Feathers and Fins]

_{This has been an interesting read for certain. People tend to bash products for no reason most times other than they prefer another one and probably have never even used the one they are actually bashing ( ford vs chevy ) old argument. When it comes to fishing I believe most start out the same way, fishing for whatever will bite their line from the bank or in a friend or families boat with a bobber.}

_{As people age and mature they seem to fall into a crowd just like in school that has a clique for certain music or dress style with fishermen its a certain brand of rod, reel or boat etc. Its silly to comment on products you do not use or have not used just because its not in your clique. Each product I comment on I have used and ones I like I am honest about as are the ones I DO NOT like.}

_{I have been hearing a lot of Lews recently and even had the chance to be in their office in Springfield awhile back and though I have not used the product yet I was impressed by the feel of the rods and smoothness of the reel and more so how neat and clean the facility was. I have been to other shops and one thing over the years I have discovered is that manufactures no matter the business that do not maintain a clean environment tend to have inferior products.}

_{It is no secret I am a Shimano reel and St Croix rod user, however I have been looking more and more and Lews products based off what I witnessed in the shop and the feel of the rods. The ones I handled were prototypes and if they become available to the public I will purchase them. As a consumer I am finicky about the products I use ( Brand) has nothing to do with my purchasing but ( usefulness )certainly does! The products I was able to feel / handle were comparable to St Croix and Cal Star rods and that is hard to do no matter who you are.}

_{just my 2 cents.}

[denjac]

Bill didn't say Nitros were bad boats, just that they don't compare to a Phoenix, and they don't. Like comparing a Kia to a Infinity.Nothing wrong with a Kia just that an Infinity is better. That old saying you get what you pay for holds true. Like most if you cant afford top of the line we settle for what we can afford and nothing in the world wrong with that. As far as Lews reels go, I am a fan. Changed out all my Shimonos to Lews several years ago.

[Champ188]

Central Pro-Am is now owned and operated by Mike Webb, one of Bass Pro Shops' top pro staffers. If BPS does so much for tournament fishing, what are they doing to help get CPA back on track? And don't say they're paying Nitro Tournament Rewards money ... they were doing that long before Mike took over.

Back last fall, I was interested in buying a new Nitro. I contacted three dealers, two of them in person. In all three cases, I encountered unprofessional salespeople. One knew so little about his product that he could hardly open the lids on the storage lockers. All three immediately lost interest when I mentioned trading my Champion rather than selling it outright.

Eventually got online and priced out a Nitro Z8 rigged out like I wanted it vs. a comparably equipped Ranger. The difference was surprisingly minimal. Seems everything but the steering wheel is optional on the Nitro.

Long story short, I went with the Ranger and I sleep like a baby at night.

As for other BPS products, I have bought two Johnny Morris top-of-the-line spinning reels and two JM top-shelf baitcasters. Been very disappointed in all of them, both in terms of performance and durability.

In my opinion, BPS is out to make a quick buck any way they can. They won't get any more of my money except in case of dire emergency.

[dtrs5kprs]

Central Pro-Am is now owned and operated by Mike Webb, one of Bass Pro Shops' top pro staffers. If BPS does so much for tournament fishing, what are they doing to help get CPA back on track? And don't say they're paying Nitro Tournament Rewards money ... they were doing that long before Mike took over.

Back last fall, I was interested in buying a new Nitro. I contacted three dealers, two of them in person. In all three cases, I encountered unprofessional salespeople. One knew so little about his product that he could hardly open the lids on the storage lockers. All three immediately lost interest when I mentioned trading my Champion rather than selling it outright.

Eventually got online and priced out a Nitro Z8 rigged out like I wanted it vs. a comparably equipped Ranger. The difference was surprisingly minimal. Seems everything but the steering wheel is optional on the Nitro.

Long story short, I went with the Ranger and I sleep like a baby at night.

...and expect you will keep it longer than the Nitro. That for me is the big difference on boats. If you only plan, or only need to own it for a couple of years then buy whatever you like. Most of them will be just fine for a couple of years of fishing, If you intend to own one longer...that narrows the choices a bit. When shopping for a new boat, look around the lake and the ramps and see which brands are still getting pulled and fished 10-15 years later. Jumps out at you. There are really only a handful, and one of those is not really in business any more.

And the Lew's reels are still nice. Even three pages of replies later. Kind of the same deal as boats, if they last some of my Curados will probably leave the house. If not, the greenies will still be ready to run, some as long as 12-13 years after the purchase.

[techo]

Must be a heck if a reel to get people to trade out those Curados.

[dtrs5kprs]

Must be a heck if a reel to get people to trade out those Curados.

Yes, and I am the worst about those. Still have some new in the box stashed away. If they will hold up, the Lew's are much smoother (not even comparable), cast farther (same), and have more drag power. The old greenies will throw a lighter bait a little better for me so far, but definitely need more stick time before feeling that is 100% correct.

If it bugs you, the cosmetics on the Lew's are not great. Stickers come off. Black coating on the frame is not super. I don't care about the stickers, and have a big old bottle of "quick-black" for use on AR rifles so not a big deal to me.

[Brett Groeteke]

Champ you might want to ask Mike Webb what Bass Pro has done for him and Central Pro-Am. Bass Pro is his #1 sponsor and they have donated thousands of dollars of Gift Cards to CPA this year. This has been a very entertaining thread. Funny that it started out about Lews reels (and I agree that they make a great product) and has started to include Nitro/BPS. Two of Lews' highest profile employees, Lovan and Eustler both run Nitro boats.

[Champ188]

Brett, gift cards don't equal cash when it comes to an angler paying his bills. Even prize boats can be sold for cash, but you don't see BPS kicking in one of those either.

Meanwhile, CPA continues to struggle mightily — drawing only 39 and 36 boater entries, respectively, in its last two tournaments.

I fished CPA for as long as I could afford it — made the championship every year and drew a lot of checks. But when it got to the point that I had to finish in the top 3 just to get my entry fee and trip expenses back, I had to bail. As for this year, we can only speculate about the payout since that information is never reported on the CPA website or elsewhere.

I live in Arkansas, so all of the tournaments are travel sites for me. Costs $1,500 any way you slice it for me and Donna to travel to an event, including a couple of practice days.

Bottom line: I couldn't give a hoot less about BPS gift cards. Can I use them to pay my CPA entry fee? Heck no. It's cash only. So why would I want them back as prizes? I have plenty of fishing gear and when I buy more, I prefer to do so elsewhere than BPS.

[Brett Groeteke]

One more reply and then I'm done. Stating that CPA does not announce its payback is complete ignorance. Go to the website, click on tournament info and then 2013 pro-am payback. It clearly states that there is an 80% payback and even goes so far as breaking down the payback based on how many people participate in the tournament. The idea that a person wouldnt welcome $1000 in gift cards on top of the 80% payback for winning the tournament is confusing to me. Of course I would prefer a boat but saying gift cards are worthless just doesn't make much sense to me. You can buy clothing, line, tackle, oil, marine accessories, hunting products, or use it for a dinner at Hemingways.