It's not: Adorned with customized colored anodizing and graphics
It's not: The most powerful and most sealed drag system on the market
It's not: The most beautiful looking reel you can find. (or is it!)
What It is:
The
Lamson Litespeed is a workhorse of a reel in a lightweight, modern package with durable finish, reliable drag and most likely is what you need ninety plus percent of the time. I don't think the Litespeed is meant to be the best of everything a reel can be but instead just be a great fly fishing reel. Mission achieved beyond any reasonable doubt!
So if my first three statements are true than why buy a Lamson Litespeed!?
Personally I like that it is finished in a hard, non-flashy, durable Micralox anodize. It amazes me after a year of hard use when I finally get around to washing the dirt off I still can't hardly find a scratch.
Secondly I've never encountered a drag issue in any of my Litespeed fly reels. They always work smooth and consistent. Yeah, it's not the reel I'm going to take tarpon fishing but how often do we do that. If you need that super tough reel with mega drag then take a look at Waterworks Lamson's new
Cobalt Saltwater Reels. For ninety plus percent of my fishing needs the Litespeed drag is perfect.
And lastly I personally think the Litespeed is a great looking reel. I like that it's not flashy. I like when buying that I don't have to chose a color. I like that it doesn't have unnecessary clutter. Take for example the lack of counterbalance which instead balance is achieved by leaving a larger mass of aluminum on the spool rim opposite of the reel handle. Also take a look at the triangle shape cutouts near the reel foot that not only reduces weight but serves as a built in fly hooker.
But why a Litespeed
In addition to all those great features I just mentioned the real reason I own several litespeed's is performance. Performance comes in a few different forms.
First is the large arbor design. Litespeeds' possess great retrieve rates from a narrow spool, large arbor design.
Second is capacity. Take the Litespeed LS2 for example. While the #2 is designated as a 4/5/6 size reel it has a capacity of 100 yards backing even with a 6 weight line yet is as lightweight if not even lighter then most 4 weight reels available today.
Here's another example...I always find it difficult to match a reel to my 7 and 8 weight freshwater rods that I use for brown trout, bass and carp. Most 7/8 size reels are sized for saltwater use. Lamson has 2 different size reels in this range. The LS3 is perfect for freshwater stuff and if you need the greater backing capacity for marathon running saltwater species like bonefish then the LS3.5 is your answer.
Litespeed Micra 5 Specs:
| Model | Diameter | Width | Weight | Rod Size | Line | Backing |
|---|
| LS - 1.5 | 3.38″ | 0.95″ | 3.72 oz | 3,4,5 | WF 4 | 100 yds 20# |
| LS - 2 | 3.63″ | 0.98″ | 4.19 oz | 4,5,6 | WF6 | 100 yds 20# |
| LS - 3 | 3.88″ | 1.11″ | 5.08 oz | 6,7,8 | WF8 | 225 yds 20# |
| LS - 3.5 | 4 .13″ | 1.15″ | 5.72 oz | 8,9 | WF9 | 250 yds 20# |
| LS - 4 | 4 .63″ | 1.30″ | 8.06 oz | 10,11 | WF10 | 250 yds 30# |
Which brings me to my third reason and that is overall weight. It's hard to beat a Litespeed in the weight department. The modern lightweight rods today take full advantage of this lite weight reel design. I've never secured a Litespeed reel to a rod and said that's too heavy. It just doesn't happen. If you need lighter than a Litespeed you'll have to look at another WaterWorks Lamson reel known as
Force SL Series II Fly Reels.
I could go on with even more features like "Enhance 3D milling for better material distribution, Concave spool for increased capacity and Integrated Drag Housing which not only helps reduce weight but increases structural integrity. And the list goes on...
So instead of looking at what the Litespeed "Is Not", I prefer to look at what "It Is". It is a Fly reel worthy of ninety plus percent of the fishing I do!
Did I mention that Gorge Fly Shop includes a Free Fly Line with every Litespeed Reel Purchase. See
this listing for details.
Greg Darling
"My Passion For Fishing Is A Lifelong Pursuit Of Discovery"
