Audiobarry

I have visited your site recently to research different products and techniques. I am just now joining into the discussion. I have been a Lew's user since the late Seventies. I took a break from tournament fishing for about 8 years, but am now back fishing now for recreation only. I have discovered that the tech in fishing has really changed a lot in the past 8 years. When I started back, I wanted to upgrade some of my tackle a bit. I have since purchase a Lew's Tournament MG and a BB1 Pro. I am using the Tournament MG on my flipping stick (seems really strong). My purchase of the BB1 Pro was specifically to cast lite topwaters (modified Pop-Rs in particular). I have used a vintage BB1N for this task through the years. With the same length/action rod and line size (12 lb mono), I compared my casting distance with a hookless Pop-R. I was pleasantly surprised at the results. With my old rig I could consistanly cast the bait 60 feet (measured with a tape measure). With the new BB1 Pro I could cast 85 feet. I am now considering a Team Lews Pro for my next purchase. Can anyone speak to the comparison to the TLP1 compared to the BB1 Pro? Should I consider one of the Team Lite models? A couple of comments about my experience with Lew's reels in general. In regards to durability, other than replacing maybe one paw on a 1980's BB1N, all of my Lew's have original parts (about 12 reels in all). Regarding strength; I recently caught a 30 lb. blue cat on the Tennessee River on a deep crankbait with one of my old BB1N (35 year old reel) w/12 lb. line. Drag still smooth and still cast a big "crank" a mile.