Overwhelmed with selecting a new rod this season? The Team Lew's Signature Series was developed with the best anglers in the world to bring you a technique-specific suite of performance rods.
Choosing what rod to use for a certain technique can be an overwhelming and daunting task, especially with so many different options in the market today. Everybody has a technique that they prefer to use over another. Lew’s Pro Any Montgomery designed two signature series rods for specifically what he does best. A Team Lew’s Signature Series Skipping Rod and a Team Lew’s Signature Series Bladed Jig Rod.
What makes a great skipping rod? For Andy, a skipping rod has to have the perfect tip to get the bait in while also having the backbone to get the fish out of cover. This is what he calls an 80/20 rod. “Most of the tip is in the last 20% of the rod which allows me to shoot the bait wherever I need to. I still have 80% of the rod that is backbone which allows me to get the fish out once he gets on,” Andy explains. He points out that you are typically skipping baits out of sight and into nasty cover, so having a rod with enough backbone is extremely important.
The Team Lew’s Signature Series Skipping Rod comes in two different lengths because matching the length of a rod to an angler’s height is important. A 6’9’’ length is available for people on the shorter side and a 7’1’’ length is available to taller people. “I am a taller guy, so I use the 7’1’’ length personally.” says Andy. He stresses that it’s important for shorter people to use the 6’9’’ version in order to be more accurate. “Sure, you can skip any rod length but in order to be deadly accurate, you need to use the correct length in direct proportion to your height. Don’t worry about shorter rods because some of the best anglers in the world use shorter rods. They know they can be more accurate with it,” explains Andy.
The second rod is a Team Lew’s Signature Series Bladed Jig Rod. Andy has been using bladed jigs since they were first introduced and prefers the Strike King Thunder Cricket . There are a lot of different rods that people prefer when throwing a bladed jig. Andy personally prefers a stiffer rod than most guys, so he categorizes his bladed jig rod as a 70/30. The last 30% of the rod is tip which is a little more parabolic. The other 70% is backbone which blends to a perfect action for this style of fishing. Andy notes that bladed jig hooks are similar to jig hooks. Rods that are more parabolic, especially on longer casts, can have trouble hooking the bass because there is too much bend in the rod. “I hear stories of how more parabolic rods allow the fish to eat the bait a little more before you hook them. Personally, I don’t buy into it. I have a big hook so when a fish bites at the end of long casts, I want the backbone to get the hook through the fish and land it. That’s why this rod is a little stiffer,” explains Andy. The 7’3’’ length allows you to fish around the bank or offshore making it the best of both worlds.
Both of Andy Montgomery Signature Series Rods have the right tip and backbone you need to make the right cast and catch more fish.
