Favorite mono for BFS?

[desmobob]

What is your favorite 4lb. mono for bait finesse use? Are there any that you've tried that were NOT a good choice?

[CrankFate]

Suffix 6lb braid.

[desmobob]

I was always a little leery of using braid because the typical BFS reel's spool is so weak.  I guess the drag would prevent any damage... unless you got spooled by a big fish.  And where I fish, that's a possibility.  

 

I've hooked some bruiser sheephead (freshwater drum) and big channel catfish while Ned Rig fishing, for example.  Another surprise bi-catch are bowfin, a larger one of which could easily spool you if hooked at the end of a cast.  The lake I usually fish is also full of big Northern Pike.

 

Slim odds, I know, but I'd rather be safe than sorry...

[Hulkster]

for my ultralight fishing (spinning gear though), I use 4 pound Sufix Siege. 

 

can't see why this wouldn't work well here. 

[JediAmoeba]

5 hours ago, desmobob said:

I was always a little leery of using braid because the typical BFS reel's spool is so weak.  I guess the drag would prevent any damage... unless you got spooled by a big fish.  And where I fish, that's a possibility.  

 

I've hooked some bruiser sheephead (freshwater drum) and big channel catfish while Ned Rig fishing, for example.  Another surprise bi-catch are bowfin, a larger one of which could easily spool you if hooked at the end of a cast.  The lake I usually fish is also full of big Northern Pike.

 

Slim odds, I know, but I'd rather be safe than sorry...

But 6lb braid is going to allow you to get quite a bit of line on the spool.

I have to ask, why fish BFS if it clearly isn't the best practice for landing fish?  

[JustJames]

6 hours ago, desmobob said:

I was always a little leery of using braid because the typical BFS reel's spool is so weak.  I guess the drag would prevent any damage... unless you got spooled by a big fish.  And where I fish, that's a possibility.  

 

I've hooked some bruiser sheephead (freshwater drum) and big channel catfish while Ned Rig fishing, for example.  Another surprise bi-catch are bowfin, a larger one of which could easily spool you if hooked at the end of a cast.  The lake I usually fish is also full of big Northern Pike.

 

Slim odds, I know, but I'd rather be safe than sorry...

The mono will damage the bfs spool more than braid. Mono can compress the spool, the line stretch while fighting fish or pull from snagged. I use 4lb izorline if not braid (4 of them on braid only 1 on izorline). 

[WRB]

22 hours ago, desmobob said:

What is your favorite 4lb. mono for bait finesse use? Are there any that you've tried that were NOT a good choice?

4 lb test Maxima Ultra Green is .007D.

Mono line isn't going to put as high of force on a spool arbor as braid will. The thinking mono stretches like a rubber band sqweezing the reel arbor is questionable. Mono is often used to prevent braid from spinning on a reel arbor do to it's high coeffient of friction and cold flow prevents core one from moving. Braid on the other hand is slick with Teflon or polyuerathane coating and does tighten down onto it's self like a Chinese finger gripper appealing force on the spool arbor.

Tom

P S, I caught a world record Yellowtail using 4 lb Max UG back in the 80's, strong line!

 

[FrogMann]

40 minutes ago, WRB said:

 

P S, I caught a world record Yellowtail using 4 lb Max UG back in the 80's, strong line!

 

I researched to see and I couldn't find a previous or current world record recorded.

[desmobob]

4 hours ago, JediAmoeba said:

 

I have to ask, why fish BFS if it clearly isn't the best practice for landing fish?  

If you have to ask, you'll never know...  

[JediAmoeba]

5 minutes ago, desmobob said:

If you have to ask, you'll never know...  

I am asking because I have a BFS setup but would never use it where a better application would be to use a spinning rod or heavier baitcaster.

 

For the most part I see people using BFS, because they can - and that is silly and irresponsible.  But thanks for answering my question.

[desmobob]

3 minutes ago, JediAmoeba said:

I am asking because I have a BFS setup but would never use it where a better application would be to use a spinning rod or heavier baitcaster.

 

For the most part I see people using BFS, because they can - and that is silly and irresponsible.  But thanks for answering my question.

You must have missed the "wink" emoticon...  lighten up.

 

Everyone fishes their own way for their own reason.  It's about having fun.

 

Why not use cast nets or gill nets to catch your fish?  Boil it all the way down... if you're fishing for any other reason than providing food for yourself and your family and you're doing it in any other way than in the most efficient way possible, you're being silly and irresponsible...

[WRB]

1 hour ago, FrogMann said:

I researched to see and I couldn't find a previous or current world record recorded.

IGFA 4 lb test line class 1983

Tom

Don Iovino was super tunning Abu 2500C reels in the 80's for finesse bass fishing before the term BSF was coined. Dick Trask and Iovino were winning bass tournaments using 5 lb Maxima UG Using tunned finesse reels in the 80's. This isn't new it's new to some bass anglers.

Tom

PS, I use 5 lb Max UG for finesse bass fishing, spinning tackle.

 

[FrogMann]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

IGFA 4 lb test line class 1983

Tom

Don Iovino was super tunning Abu 2500C reels in the 80's for finesse bass fishing before the term BSF was coined. Dick Trask and Iovino were winning bass tournaments using 5 lb Maxima UG Using tunned finesse reels in the 80's. This isn't new it's new to some bass anglers.

Tom

PS, I use 5 lb Max UG for finesse bass fishing, spinning tackle.

 

Can't find it anywhere. Did it get beat?

[WRB]

1 hour ago, FrogMann said:

Can't find it anywhere. Did it get beat?

Off topic.....Yes, 1984 a Yellowtail caught in New Zeland. I haven't looked up the current 4 lb line record, no longer a IGFA member. I was fishing a Balboa Angling Club 3 B tournament and caught the Yellowtail fishing for Bonita, Bass or Baracuda off island using 4 lb test line. The Yellowtail was verified by the tournament otherwise I wouldn't have known what the record was at that time.

Tom

[CrankFate]

On 3/19/2020 at 7:48 AM, desmobob said:

I was always a little leery of using braid because the typical BFS reel's spool is so weak.  I guess the drag would prevent any damage... unless you got spooled by a big fish.  And where I fish, that's a possibility.  

 

I've hooked some bruiser sheephead (freshwater drum) and big channel catfish while Ned Rig fishing, for example.  Another surprise bi-catch are bowfin, a larger one of which could easily spool you if hooked at the end of a cast.  The lake I usually fish is also full of big Northern Pike.

 

Slim odds, I know, but I'd rather be safe than sorry...

If you’re using a reel that can be damaged this way, throw it in the water and get a new one. No modern reel, at any price, will be damaged this way. Getting spooled is mostly a myth, too. Yes, I have hooked a cow nose ray on an ultralight BFS rig using 6lb braid and it was the same as hooking up with a car driving away with my line. I cut the line, but nothing broke.
 

If you are regularly getting spooled by big northerns on your BFS ———> I’d rather be sorry than safe just to know of a place with too many big northerns around.

[desmobob]

17 minutes ago, CrankFate said:

If you’re using a reel that can be damaged this way, throw it in the water and get a new one. No modern reel, at any price, will be damaged this way. Getting spooled is mostly a myth, too. Yes, I have hooked a cow nose ray on an ultralight BFS rig using 6lb braid and it was the same as hooking up with a car driving away with my line. I cut the line, but nothing broke.
 

If you are regularly getting spooled by big northerns on your BFS ———> I’d rather be sorry than safe just to know of a place with too many big northerns around.

 

A modern BFS reel with an ultralight spool can certainly be damaged by too much pull, especially when the line is coming of the side edge of the spool.  Many of the very light spools are supported only by one disc of aluminum in the center, not by both ends as in a normal spool.  Hence, they are susceptible to bending.  Having a drag that maxes out at low poundage and using low pound-test line prevents this from happening.  Some braids rated at single-digit pound tests actually have much higher breaking strength.

 

I have never (yet) been spooled on a bait caster; even a BFS model with a very shallow spool and very low line capacity.  I can see where it could be a possibility with a big fish hooked at the end of a long cast, but as I said, I think it's slim odds.  I have been spooled on a fly reel though, and it's a bad feeling when you get to the end.  

 

My favorite lake, Lake Champlain on the NY/VT border, is home to some pretty monstrous northerns!  They are a lot of fun but on a good weekend of bass fishing, they might cost you some money in lost lures.  I usually land them on the heavier bass gear and thicker leaders, but the darn small ones and pickerel that hit the BFS stuff with light line and leaders usually swim off with the lure.  It seems like their teeth always cut the line just as you're about to reach for them or net them!  

 

[JustJames]

why BFS?

[desmobob]

I guess I should clarify things a bit...

 

I'm happy with my PX Type R and Alphas SV and 6lb. test mono or light braid for finesse bass fishing.  I'm looking for a light mono that will perform well in my Chinese reels (Tsurinoya Spirit Fox and Fishband GH100) for "ultralight" use for panfish, etc. that I encounter when I'm bass fishing or that I turn to if bass fishing is slow.

 

When casting BFS reels with really light lures and light line, do you find it advantageous to use mono that tends to be stiff for its diameter, or limp?  Is there a specific mono that seems to perform best for this use?  

[JustJames]

Depends on how light the lure? If about 1/8oz lure weight then 4lb mono will do just fine and easier to control than 6-8lb braid. If you plan on 1/16oz or lower then light braid will get you more distance.

 

[JustJames]

I’m selling some of my UL line here, Nanofil 8lb and Seaguar Finesse FC 5.2lb

[fishwizzard]

I use and like 4lb Supernatural for my UL casting needs.  8lb braid casts better but it is a pia to tie knots in at dusk or in any wind.  

[CrankFate]

On 3/20/2020 at 8:53 AM, desmobob said:

 

A modern BFS reel with an ultralight spool can certainly be damaged by too much pull, especially when the line is coming of the side edge of the spool.  Many of the very light spools are supported only by one disc of aluminum in the center, not by both ends as in a normal spool.  Hence, they are susceptible to bending.  Having a drag that maxes out at low poundage and using low pound-test line prevents this from happening.  Some braids rated at single-digit pound tests actually have much higher breaking strength.

 

I have never (yet) been spooled on a bait caster; even a BFS model with a very shallow spool and very low line capacity.  I can see where it could be a possibility with a big fish hooked at the end of a long cast, but as I said, I think it's slim odds.  I have been spooled on a fly reel though, and it's a bad feeling when you get to the end.  

 

My favorite lake, Lake Champlain on the NY/VT border, is home to some pretty monstrous northerns!  They are a lot of fun but on a good weekend of bass fishing, they might cost you some money in lost lures.  I usually land them on the heavier bass gear and thicker leaders, but the darn small ones and pickerel that hit the BFS stuff with light line and leaders usually swim off with the lure.  It seems like their teeth always cut the line just as you're about to reach for them or net them!  

 

These are problems I’d be happy to have.

[krustysurfer]

On 3/21/2020 at 9:21 AM, desmobob said:

I guess I should clarify things a bit...

 

I'm happy with my PX Type R and Alphas SV and 6lb. test mono or light braid for finesse bass fishing.  I'm looking for a light mono that will perform well in my Chinese reels (Tsurinoya Spirit Fox and Fishband GH100) for "ultralight" use for panfish, etc. that I encounter when I'm bass fishing or that I turn to if bass fishing is slow.

 

When casting BFS reels with really light lures and light line, do you find it advantageous to use mono that tends to be stiff for its diameter, or limp?  Is there a specific mono that seems to perform best for this use?  

That is why I use Berkley trilene XL 4 lb mono, it is extremely pliable, the XL designation is for extra long casting.

Knots do not come undone easy because it has very low memory.

It casts well if you have nice ceramic guides on your baitcasting rod.

My BFS setup is Kastking Zephyr reel loaded with 40 yd of the trilene XL 4 lb mono. I think the rod is as important as the real it all has to work in unison, I have gone through four rods before I found a great one for the reel and the line combination that I'm using.

Sougayilang PAE602UL is the rod that I found that will allow me to cast 1/10oz 100ft using the shallow spool zephyr and 4lb test ? I'm new to BFS and as time goes on I hope to get very accurate so I can pull trout out of tight places...

Blessings and Aloha from Michigan

 

 

[T-Billy]

4# Suffix elite for crappie. 6# XT for bass. I spool it up pretty tight. My spools are fine.

[FishTank]

Sort of still new to BFS but I tried some 4lb and 6lb Suffix Elite and didn't care for it.  I like it ok on spinning gear but on a BFS baitcaster, it just didn't do it for me. I pulled it and went with 7lb Sunline Invisible FC. It has worked great but wish I would have used 5lb instead.  Just in case, I have used it for topwater, bottom contact and small jerkbaits.  All worked great with this line.