Lew's Mach II Speed Spool Review

Basically the Mach i, But with big sexy grips

-Specifications-

Model: MH2SHL

Retrieve: Left

Ratio: 7.5:1

Christmas gift. Boom. Behold the Lew's Mach II in all of its green glory; truly a testament to the technological and aesthetic prowess of our American brothers and sisters at Lew's, a shimmering reel upon the hill, resting in a perfectly wrapped box nestled deep within the trembling bowels of a Douglass Fir, or whatever it was. December 25th brought this reel to me, and it proceeded to sit in its box until around March, when I finally had a bit of open water to work with. And, following in much the same pattern of its little brother, the Mach I, I didn't catch any fish on it until sometime in late May - not a great start.

I finally did start landing fish, and with around 40 hours on this reel as of 6/17/18, I think I'm ready to review it. It's pretty neat, but I have a few quarrels to settle somewhere later on in this review.

Usability:

As I've found typical with most Lew's products, the Mach II is about as usable as you could get. You have externally adjustable knobs for both drag and the magnetic brake, both of which sport an audible clicking noise for whatever you fancy in terms of tension adjustments. The side-plate for access to the spool features a quick release system, which makes removing your spool for cleaning and whatever else you need as easy as sliding a small lever out of position and sliding it back in place when you're finished.

Casting:

Casting is solid on this reel, but thus far it hasn't been extremely impressive. Don't get me wrong, you can make a bait get going pretty well, but the Lew's Mach II isn't the best casting reel I've ever used. I originally had it spooled with 17lb. fluorocarbon as I planned on using this reel as my all-around casting reel, but I didn't like that much thickness and rigidity. Frankly, after lining the spool to capacity, it only took one good cast that got stuck too far out for me to have to consider relining, which was disappointing. I didn't want to throw braid on the Mach II because I already had my Mach I spooled up with 65lb. Power Pro, so I switched over to a higher-end fluorocarbon at 15lb. test, and I noticed dramatic positive results from doing so. Casting distance and smoothness increased, and risk of back lashing dropped substantially as well. I'm able to loosen up the braking system now to where I can get a Texas-rigged stickbait about 30 yards quite consistently. The Mach II will get you there, make no mistake, but I have cheaper reels that can cast even further, with a smoother action and greater accuracy, like the Abu Garcia Revo X; it isn't entirely disappointing, but for the price it's a bit underwhelming.

Retrieve:

Whatever the Lew's Mach II lacks in casting prowess, it more than makes up for it when a fish is on the line. The gear ratio of 7.5:1 makes this thing bring in a fish like it's going out of style, and you feel great doing it. The enlarged Winn Grips, which are quite good to look at, provide the angler with an ergonomic platform with which to winch in a bass from 25 yards out like it's nothing. If you happen to tie into a donkey largemouth or a smallie that just won't stop sounding, you'll surely find the drag on the Mach II to be more than sufficiently pleasurable, fish after fish after fish. It's the retrieve on this reel that makes me as big of a fan as I am. It feels better than its little brother, and frankly feels about as good as any reel that I've gotten to try thus far, apart from the Shimano Curado 200K which is a different story altogether. It's smooth, efficient and stable for the duration of any fight.

Techniques:

What can't this reel be used for? There aren't too many techniques I'd count out. I have this reel on my all-around casting rod, the Dobyn's Fury 7' stickbait rod, and I use it primarily for stickbaits and some small swimbaits. It's a bit too fast for my liking at 7.5:1 for crankbaits, and I do have to reel slowly for my swimbaits, but I like being able to get fish into the boat in a hurry when that time comes. At the end of the day, power-fishing is probably the way to go with this reel, or at least I'd argue that you'll have the most success with those sort of techniques.

Pros:

Aesthetically speaking, it's a gem
Retrieve is fantastic and gives the angler confidence during the fight
Construction quality is as good as we expect from Lew's
Ease of maintenance cannot be overlooked

Cons

Casting with heavier line is less than excellent