Lew's SuperDuty Baitcast Reel

Description

Some reels are built for finesse, some for speed, and the Lew's Super Duty 300 is built for one thing only: not losing when a genuinely big fish is on the other end. Lew's is explicit about the brief here — big bait, heavy line, big fish — and everything about this reel follows from it, right down to the oversized 39mm spool that holds 190 yards of 14lb mono or 150 yards of 65lb braid, capacity most bass-focused reels in the range don't come close to matching. That capacity, paired with a 24lb carbon fibre drag — the strongest in this batch of reels — is exactly what makes the Super Duty 300 worth a look for UK anglers working outside standard bass tackle too, particularly those throwing big glidebaits and swimbaits at pike, or fishing heavy braid for catfish. A premium 7-bearing system backed by the ZRXtra anti-reverse setup (Zero Reverse plus a mechanical multi-stop back-up) means the hookset stays solid even under real load, while the 100mm bowed handle — longer than the 95mm found elsewhere in the range — gives you genuine extra leverage once a big fish turns and pulls back. The Combat Grip thumb bar is a small but deliberate detail: a firmer, more secure point of contact for palming the reel through a fight where the drag is actually working, rather than a stock thumb rest borrowed from a lighter reel. - Retrieve: Right Hand - Gear ratio: 7.2:1 - Line recovery: 35in per turn - Bearings: Premium 7-bearing system with ZRXtra (Zero Reverse plus multi-stop back-up) - Frame: One-piece aluminium with drain ports - Spool: 39mm U-shape, double anodised, braid-ready, oversized - Braking: Multi-Setting Brake (MSB) — magnetic and centrifugal - Drag: Carbon fibre, up to 24lb max - Line capacity: 190yd/14lb mono, 150yd/65lb braid - Handle: 100mm bowed anodised aluminium, Winn Dri-Tac oversized knob - Extras: Combat Grip thumb bar, Speed Keeper hook keeper Where to use it: - Big swimbaits and glidebaits fished for pike-class predators - Heavy braid work for catfish and other outsized freshwater species - Flipping heavy jigs and umbrella rigs where drag headroom matters - Any big-bait, heavy-line situation a standard bass reel isn't built for With 24lb of drag on tap, resist the temptation to fish near the top of it. Set your working drag well below max and let the rod's action absorb the first run — that headroom is there for insurance against a genuinely oversized fish doing something unexpected, not for you to lean on as your everyday setting. Q: Is this reel really suitable for pike or catfish, not just big bass? A: Yes — Lew's built the Super Duty 300 specifically for big bait, heavy line, big fish situations, and the capacity and drag figures here (190yd/14lb mono, 24lb max drag) are genuinely in line with what UK predator anglers running big glidebaits or braid for catfish would want. Q: What's the difference between this and the SD3SHL left-hand version? A: This is the right-hand model at a 7.2:1 gear ratio. The left-hand version in the range is listed at a slightly different 7.1:1 ratio — otherwise they share the same heavy-duty platform. Q: Why is the handle longer than other Lew's reels? A: At 100mm rather than the 95mm used across most of the range, it gives extra leverage specifically for cranking against sustained heavy drag pressure — useful when a big fish is testing the reel rather than just running. Q: What's the Combat Grip thumb bar for? A: It's shaped to give a firmer, more secure point of contact for palming the reel through a hard fight, rather than the standard thumb rest found on lighter bass-focused reels.