Official ICAST 2022 Post...

[dragon1]

$500 for a Lew's? Cray-cray.

Shimano and Daiwa now have $700-$900 reels. Inflation is a b!tch.

Yeah, but Lew's reels suck

Hehehe..."suck" is a bit of a vacuum in defining terms, however it is well overpriced for the what it is as an OEM in my eyes. See what the resale prices of Abu's top tier spinners and BCs bring for reference.

[CFDoc]

IMO, a $350-$400 USDM Shimano or Daiwa will more than compete with this "$500" offering from Lew's. I would personally look for a clean used Steez or OG Zillion in the $250-$350 range all day.

I don’t knock anybody for their preferences. And if you follow my post history, you’ll see I’m just an all around enthusiast that spends way too much time/money/energy on all brands. I just enjoy tinkering and don’t really care what name is on the box.

Having said that, I do wish Shimano would step up their game in the braking system world. Daiwa’s offerings are incredible these days and I feel they’re about as close to the ‘holy grail’ as you can get. So if Lews is now trying to implement a system that is similar to what Daiwa is doing, I’m definitely going to try it out, regardless of price ha ha.

[Johnny A]

$500 for a Lew's? Cray-cray.

Back in the day, Lew’s was the cat’s pajamas. They were made by Shimano at the time but …

And even afterwards when Ryobi took over the OEM contract and Shimano fulfilled their contract...the product was still well regarded, although not to the same level as when Shimano held the contract.

$500 for a Doyo when the USD/Yen is offering incredibly strong values with the products from JDM Daiwa and Shimano currently...

"Does not compute Will Robinson..."

Yup, the same can be said about Revo MGXs and the like

[dragon1]

IMO, a $350-$400 USDM Shimano or Daiwa will more than compete with this "$500" offering from Lew's. I would personally look for a clean used Steez or OG Zillion in the $250-$350 range all day.

I don’t knock anybody for their preferences. And if you follow my post history, you’ll see I’m just an all around enthusiast that spends way too much time/money/energy on all brands. I just enjoy tinkering and don’t really care what name is on the box.

Having said that, I do wish Shimano would step up their game in the braking system world. Daiwa’s offerings are incredible these days and I feel they’re about as close to the ‘holy grail’ as you can get. So if Lews is now trying to implement a system that is similar to what Daiwa is doing, I’m definitely going to try it out, regardless of price ha ha.

I understand and appreciate your position...I was more along that spectrum before two sons and insanely high everyday life expenses brought me back to the "other side of the rainbow".

[Hobie-Wan Kenobi]

Idk about you all but, I don't think I have ever seen companies jumping on a trend such as BFS. Seems like every rod company has someone tripping over their words about BFS and how it is "the newest trend in fishing".

[LowRange]

One of my most expensive reels is a Doyo and... also a 3rd gen revo. I hardly have used it but its super smooth.
High end Doyos can be pretty nice.

[dragon1]

One of my most expensive reels is a Doyo and... also a 3rd gen revo. I hardly have used it but its super smooth.
High end Doyos can be pretty nice.

Not doubting the feel and smoothness part of the equation...rather the money/value/resale part which is directly correlated to longevity and viability in the market in the coming years - which is why venerable Abus from the 60s/70s are still modded, collectible/appreciating/have aftermarket/OEM parts support, and why certain 90s/2000s/2010s Daiwa and Shimanos also still have a demand as daily use reels and collectibles (and for parts).

And while the overall design/engineering and manufacturing gap is closing between OEM and the Two-Headed Dragon from the Land of The Rising Sun; Daiwa and Shimano still ultimately holds the crown for highest end product development in FW fishing IMO.

[BRONZEBACK32]

IMO, a $350-$400 USDM Shimano or Daiwa will more than compete with this "$500" offering from Lew's. I would personally look for a clean used Steez or OG Zillion in the $250-$350 range all day.

I do wish Shimano would step up their game in the braking system world.

I really enjoy Shimano's braking system, set it and forget it.

[CFDoc]

I really enjoy Shimano's braking system, set it and forget it.

I wish that were true for me. I fish a lot of baits where I want light brakes for a long cast one cast and then the very next cast I need heavier braking because I’m skipping that bait into a tight cover area.

For my Daiwas, it’s as easy as turning one dial. For my shimanos, it means removing the side plate and altering weights, putting the plate back on, then turning a dial.

I’ve pretty much completely stopped fishing jigs, chatterbaits, senkos, and frogs on my shimanos because of this.

[BRONZEBACK32]

I really enjoy Shimano's braking system, set it and forget it.

I wish that were true for me. I fish a lot of baits where I want light brakes for a long cast one cast and then the very next cast I need heavier braking because I’m skipping that bait into a tight cover area.

For my Daiwas, it’s as easy as turning one dial. For my shimanos, it means removing the side plate and altering weights, putting the plate back on, then turning a dial.

I’ve pretty much completely stopped fishing jigs, chatterbaits, senkos, and frogs on my shimanos because of this.

I just adjust the outside dial, I will usually run 2 brakes on, but with the Metanium's I run 3 brakes on.

[DirtyD64]

I really enjoy Shimano's braking system, set it and forget it.

I wish that were true for me. I fish a lot of baits where I want light brakes for a long cast one cast and then the very next cast I need heavier braking because I’m skipping that bait into a tight cover area.

For my Daiwas, it’s as easy as turning one dial. For my shimanos, it means removing the side plate and altering weights, putting the plate back on, then turning a dial.

I’ve pretty much completely stopped fishing jigs, chatterbaits, senkos, and frogs on my shimanos because of this.

I just adjust the outside dial, I will usually run 2 brakes on, but with the Metanium's I run 3 brakes on.

I still have OCD about running uneven brakes on centrifugal systems. I know it doesn't seem to make a difference and plenty of people do it, but I always run either 2 or 4. If I was using a 6-pin system I would be okay with running 3 in the balanced configuration, just bothers me if uneven.

Still surprised we don't have more ICAST leaks, maybe there are not any big ones this year.

[Jason Penn]

Idk about you all but, I don't think I have ever seen companies jumping on a trend such as BFS. Seems like every rod company has someone tripping over their words about BFS and how it is "the newest trend in fishing".

i'm glad they are finally coming out with something!

[Johnny A]

One of my most expensive reels is a Doyo and... also a 3rd gen revo. I hardly have used it but its super smooth.
High end Doyos can be pretty nice.

Not doubting the feel and smoothness part of the equation...rather the money/value/resale part which is directly correlated to longevity and viability in the market in the coming years - which is why venerable Abus from the 60s/70s are still modded, collectible/appreciating/have aftermarket/OEM parts support, and why certain 90s/2000s/2010s Daiwa and Shimanos also still have a demand as daily use reels and collectibles (and for parts).

And while the overall design/engineering and manufacturing gap is closing between OEM and the Two-Headed Dragon from the Land of The Rising Sun; Daiwa and Shimano still ultimately holds the crown for highest end product development in FW fishing IMO.

“Any similarity to Abu reels, prior to 1976 is purely coincidental.”

[Cal]

Idk about you all but, I don't think I have ever seen companies jumping on a trend such as BFS. Seems like every rod company has someone tripping over their words about BFS and how it is "the newest trend in fishing".

Flipping rods and reels, split grip configs, open ended hook keepers, drop shot specific gear, swimbaits, low profile reels, technique specfic rod skus... any chance to jump on a trend it happens. You're just taking particular notice because you're immersed in it yourself

But also, now with OEM factories putting stuff out, there are just more players, so more options which makes it feel like heightened attention.

[hoohoorjoo]

Idk about you all but, I don't think I have ever seen companies jumping on a trend such as BFS. Seems like every rod company has someone tripping over their words about BFS and how it is "the newest trend in fishing".

Flipping rods and reels, split grip configs, open ended hook keepers, drop shot specific gear, swimbaits, low profile reels, technique specfic rod skus... any chance to jump on a trend it happens. You're just taking particular notice because you're immersed in it yourself

But also, now with OEM factories putting stuff out, there are just more players, so more options which makes it feel like heightened attention.

Yep, and they are once again slow on the uptake, as in all previous trends in the world market. For some reason, all the manufacturers here are late to the party, far behind the rest of the planet. For example, I was fishing a snagproof frog when I was 8 years old and wearing big fish out.....and that was in excess of 40 years ago. All of a sudden about 15 years ago, frogs came en vogue, mostly due to exposure by Dean Rojas. I just laughed to myself. Same story here. I was fishing a "purple people eater" Alphas 103 with 8# line way back in '06, right after finding TT forum. A lot of my fishing buddies thought I was weird, because everybody uses 20# line and locked down drags around here. They changed their tune quickly when I started spanking their tails fishing from the backs of their boats.