NYWayfarer

I like a split grip and in order of preference, cork, EVA foam or Winn Grip handle. Black or grey blank to match most reels.

I have this and it is excellent. Comes in a nice sturdy rod tube travel case. I also recommend the St Croix 4 piece Triumph travel rod and the Shimano Convergence 4 piece travel rods.

I always have a pack of Senko’s in my tackle bag. 4” Senko rigged weightless on a 2/0 work hook is one of my go to presentations.

The scissors on my Gerber handle almost anything. I have a backup pair of cuda scissors for braid.

I use lots of different mono line. My favorites are: Berkley Big Game Vicious Fishing Ultimate Mono Cajun Mono abrasion resistant gator green Berkley Trilene XT Sufix Siege

1/8 oz in-line spinner test was a success. 4 Fish during my lunchtime fishing session today. The ultralight casting rod performed better than expected for $18

My new ultralight casting rod arrived in the mail today. The Goture Fire Phoenix. For the reels next test I switched to 6# mono and tied on a 1/8oz Panther Martin in-line spinner. Can’t wait to try this out.

I took my new setup to the river this morning to see what I could catch. Shimano Curado BFS XG spooled with 8# Stren and mounted on a 6’,8” Powell Max 682C medium ex-fast action rod. I tried a weightless 4” watermelon Senko on a 2/0 worm hook. I set the brakes to 3 and was able to get some nice distance on my casts. First fish was a Pickerel Next was a dink Smallmouth Bass. Then a solid 2# Smallmouth slammed my bait. A nice fight to land it which highlighted the clicking drag on this reel. I tied on a beetle spin next and caught about half a dozen Smallies under a pound. I had a blast with the new BFS reel. It performed as good as I hoped with lighter lures I usually throw on a spinning reel. Can’t wait to get it out on the water again.

I picked up the hedgehog medium light oil. Meant to get the ultralight oops ? I also purchased Lew’s hyperspeed bearing oil. From the reviews I see it is a lighter oil and seems like it will work for BFS reels.

Thanks! Just what I was looking for.

Black Velvet. It’s basically Crown Royal without the fancy glass bottle and velvet bag. Half the price. Definitely a mixer, I like it over Diet Pepsi with a twist of lime juice.

No. Since Covid my company has had a hybrid work from home schedule. It has done wonders for my fishing time. I can go before work and at lunch.

I took the Curado BFS XG out for a spin at lunchtime today. Was able to cast it for about 40 minutes to get a feel for it. I am impressed. So far it is everything I hoped it would be. Need to hook and land a fish to complete the test. I had some bites but failed to set the hook.

My new Shimano Curado BFS reel was delivered this week from Tackle Warehouse. I was surprised to find no oil in the box. I thought I saw an unboxing video where it came with a tube of Shimano BFS oil (green cap) as opposed to the Bantam oil (blue cap) I went online to order some and to my surprise it is out of stock for US sellers. The cost to get it shipped from overseas is criminal. Are there any other options for BFS oil that I can purchase without have to pay $20+ in shipping? What oil are you guys using on your BFS reels?

The Shimano Curado BFS XG has arrived. I spooled it with some 8lb Stren and mounted it on a 6’8’ Powel Max medium ex-fast action casting rod. To start I am going throw some 4” weightless Senko’s this weekend. Once I get used to it I will go lighter. I have a 6’ ultralight casting rod from Temu on the way. The Goture Fire Phoenix, gotta love those names. $18 and free shipping. If I like that I have my eye on the Mavllos Plume ultralight casting rod next. Eventually I will spring for a Dobyn’s Sierra ultra finesse rod.

I have the Kastking Blackhawk 2 casting and Bass Pro Shops Ventur1 casting and spinning telescopic rods. I usually bring one of them in my Kayak so I have another setup. They are all nice for the price. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the floating guides but they have grown on me. My OCD can’t handle adjusting they when they get twisted and make my rod look like one of those spirales.

I have come to realize that the majority of river Smallmouth fishing I do would be ideal for a BFS baitcaster. Things like a weightless 4” worm on a 2/0 worm hook, small Ned rigs, 1/16oz jighead with those micro finesse Z-Man baits. I bought a shallow spool for my Abu Garcia Revo X spooled it with 8lb line and it works great on a medium casting rod for the worm and Ned. I want to go smaller… I bit the bullet and purchased a Shimano Curado BFS XG reel. It’s on the way and should be here for the weekend.

It’s been a minute since I caught a decent River Smallmouth. Life has kept me busy with a new dog and aging parents. It’s been hard to find time to fish. It was one of those days where I thought I was going to get skunked then this beauty showed up.

The Bass are on beds right now. At least the pond Bass. I caught one while panfishing.

My Dad has had Tinnitus for a long time. Working a printing press for years with no ear protection contributed for sure. At 84 he can barely hear anything over the constant hissing in his ears. Scares me to death. I wear ear protection for all loud activities. Mine is barely noticeable but it is there in quiet times. Probably from the screeching NYC subway trains I road from my 20’s to near 40 years old before I got out of dodge.

I work a hybrid schedule. 3 days in office, 2 at home, 2 days off. On my work from home days my Dog gets a morning walk before I log on for work. She naps until noon. At Noon we take a 45 minute walk during my lunch hour. When we get back she naps again until it’s time for me to sign off. We have a great routine.

I am so sorry for your loss.

Lew’s Lazer HS rods from Walmart are surprisingly good for the price.

I have seen many combos on the racks at Dicks and Walmart with missing tension knobs. Consumers should examine any store bought rods and reels not in clamshell packs for damage and missing parts. in this case you say it was a gift. Hopefully it came with a gift receipt. If it didn’t you can hope the store will do an even exchange without a receipt. The unethical thing some folks would do is go to the store and take a cap from a combo off the shelf. That leaves the next person with the problem you’re experiencing…

Not a big fan of the bourbon taste. When I want some it’s usually Jim Beam or Evan Williams. I prefer blended whisky’s like Crown Royal and Black Velvet