Upgrade A Ch50E Vs Buying A Bfs Reel

[kcdinkerz]

I'm want to hear your guys thoughts on wether a upgraded chronarch 50e (bearings, shallow spool, super tunning) can compete with let's say a stock pixy or alderbaran bfs xg, at casting light lures under 3/16 oz. I have the 50e all trying to decide if I want to upgrade or buy a new reel.

[tomustang]

I can throw under 3/16 on a stock ch51e and still using over 10lb line, the reel is very capable..

[bootytrain]

The stock 50 can do 1/8 decently with the right rod. If you want to go lower all you need is a shallow spool, the bearings and super tuning aren't necessary. Avail and zpi make really shallow spools for the 50 e platform.

[John G]

Yumeya, ZPI, KTF and Avail all make great spools. Before you buy, make sure that you research the spool or ask questions.

[shaggydog]

clean the bearings and lighten the brakes.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

The 50e is the best finesse casting reel you'll find without really opening your wallet.

[John G]

clean the bearings and lighten the brakes.

A shallow spool does sooooo much more than those two combined. Lightening up on the brakes makes you work on casting form to avoid backlashes from hell and a shallow spool takes just about all the headaches away.

My experience with the 50E shallow spools is with the Yumeya, the KTF and the Avail ALD0915RR. I just bought the KTF from Matt aka The Hooligan and I do not have any real time casting with it yet. I much prefer the Yumeya over the Avail ALD0915RR because it holds a lot more line and it still is able to cast lighter weight lures. If I were buying another shallow spool for the 50E platform, the spool that I would buy is the Avail Honeycomb ALD0936RR because of line capacity and the ability to cast lighter than I care to go. Check out Hedgehog Studios and Japan Tackle for shallow spools.

[bootytrain]

Contrary to what some may believe, throwing really light lures requires a lot of braking. I learned this through 2 years of hardcore bfs fishing. I mistakenly thought that you need the least amount of brakes to get the best distance. This only led to bad backlashes on every cast. Once I learned to turn up the brakes the backlashes stopped and the distance was much better.

[kcdinkerz]

Again thanks guys, one of my winter projects is to put together a light casting outfit. Can't wait to test it out next year on the water.

[PitchinJigz]

Contrary to what some may believe, throwing really light lures requires a lot of braking. I learned this through 2 years of hardcore bfs fishing. I mistakenly thought that you need the least amount of brakes to get the best distance. This only led to bad backlashes on every cast. Once I learned to turn up the brakes the backlashes stopped and the distance was much better.

I'd assume putting the lighter (smoke colored) brake pads in are more for lightening up the spool mostly? Thus if I put the lighter brakes in, I should use more of them? I have a project for next winter. Scorp 1000xt w/ Avail honeycomb spool, livre handle, hedgehog air bfs bearings so I've got a couple questions as well as the OP.

[I.rar]

I have the 915 avail spool in my curado and use 1 red brake with no problems. It doesn't hold much more than a long cast but it definitely transformed the reel.

[John G]

I'd assume putting the lighter (smoke colored) brake pads in are more for lightening up the spool mostly? Thus if I put the lighter brakes in, I should use more of them? I have a project for next winter. Scorp 1000xt w/ Avail honeycomb spool, livre handle, hedgehog air bfs bearings so I've got a couple questions as well as the OP.

What your other questions? You are going to find that the Avail spool is going to be a performer even by putting the regular XT1000 brakes on it.

[PitchinJigz]

What your other questions? You are going to find that the Avail spool is going to be a performer even by putting the regular XT1000 brakes on it.

Basically if the Avail spool is good compared to Yumeya, KTF, and ZPI. Also have you used the hedgehog air bfs bearings? Plus, how light could you get a Scorp 1000xt (estimate)?

[John G]

Never used the ZPI and I have not used the KTF enough to give an educated opinion. There are different Avail Spools for the Aldebaran MG7/MG, XT1000, Curado 50E, Core 50MG7 and Chronarch 50E reels. Japan Tackle has a description of how light each spool is capable of casting. I have the most experience with the Yumeya 32mm spool. It is a fine spool that is plenty capable (with the right rod). If you go to YouTube and watch the Shimano BFS Videos where they are using the Poison Glorious, Poison Ultima BFS rods etc, you will see that they are not using 1 gram jig heads with 1 gram plastics. Americans have a different definition of what BFS is as opposed to the Japanese that invented it. They are tossing 6" worms and hard baits that don't look BFS to me. My Shimano BFS rods are rated from 1/8 to 3/8 of an ounce and my Megabass BFS rod is rated from 1/8 to 1/2oz. 1/2oz is not very BFS is it? Well, that is what the rod is rated for and I think it even says BFS on it. I have evolved in my BFS fishing to when the conversation gets into casting a lure that weighs the lightest possible weight, I don't participate because that is not what I do. With my BFS combos, I am tossing Keitech 5/32 oz finesse jigs with a trailer that probably weigh a 1/4oz true weight and I use an 1/8 tungsten bullet weight with my light t rigs. I can easily cast 1/16 oz bullet weight with plastic but I am not happy with the distance. I am also using 1/16oz jig heads with the little 2.8 and 3" Keitech Swimbaits, Super Fluke Jr's and my Flick Shake Jig Heads are 1/16oz.

Do you how light in total reel weight or how light it will cast?

Other people can comment on the bearings.

The Avail spools are great. I have the CNQ5026R's in my Conquest 50's and one is mounted on an MSX-X Limited BFS rod. It casts a Super Fluke Jr. considerably farther than my KTF Spool equipped Aldebaran Mg7/Poison Ultima. I do have different lines on each reel but the difference in distance is very noticeable.

[bootytrain]

I'd assume putting the lighter (smoke colored) brake pads in are more for lightening up the spool mostly? Thus if I put the lighter brakes in, I should use more of them? I have a project for next winter. Scorp 1000xt w/ Avail honeycomb spool, livre handle, hedgehog air bfs bearings so I've got a couple questions as well as the OP.

I think in theory yes, the lighter the spool the easier the start up, but you have to take into account that a small lure is not going to travel as far so will spend less time in the air so you need more brake to slow the spool down sooner.

[Hogsticker]

My only experience us with the Yumeya spool. When I bought it, it came with all smoke colored brakes. Maybe they were clear, can't recall. At any rate I could literally rip a cast with pretty much any bait weighing an eighth of an ounce with absolutely no fluff, 20 pound braid,1 brake on. I got ballsy and turned that last brake off which ended in disaster. If you already have the 50 get this spool if you can source one is my advice.