Finesse baitcasting rigs

[GANGGREEN]

I've always enjoyed using baitcasting gear for certain techniques even though I probably do 90%+ of my fishing with spinning gear.  I've also always had my eyes open for finesse baitcasting tackle and tried it with previous rigs down to about 8 pound test and M or ML rods, but never really found one that worked good, so I mostly gave up trying.  Now I see the Shimano BFS rigs and they're absolutely appealing to me, but geez Louise, are they made of precious metals?   

 

Has anyone used these rigs or something comparable and does anyone make a reasonable rod/reel that don't cost the proverbial arm and leg?

[GANGGREEN]

And I should mention that I very briefly used the search function, but haven't had time to read everything yet (have to pre-fish for a tournament this morning).  For what it's worth, I do have a Daiwa Tatula reel and saw the information about after market BFS spools for them and I may have to try it out, but I still need a lightweight rod that won't break the bank if anyone has recommendations (or would like to trade something if they have a spare lying around that they won't use and have need for something else).

[T-Billy]

The Phenix Feather 7'1" L and ML rods are outstanding finesse bass rods. Neds, Mojos, small swimmers, small jerks, light Trigs....... The only spinning rods on my deck since buying these are UL's for crappie fishing. I have my L paired with a Curado BFS, and the ML paired with a Curado 70 MGL. Awesome little combos.

[Cgolf]

I am curious why folks go this route, what is the advantage with light baits?

 

My spinning setup with Neds that I use for fishing vertical cover like reeds, I even use a snap to ensure the lightweight bait falls straight down to the base of the reed I am targeting, a must on frontal bass. How do you keep these rigs from having the lightweight baits pendulum away from the cover because the natural drag on the baitcaster spool doesn't allow the line out freely like a spinning reel?

[FryDog62]

10 hours ago, Cgolf said:

I am curious why folks go this route, what is the advantage with light baits?

3 reasons:

 

1)I prefer bfs for ultra-light lures like 1/16th oz hair jigs or 1/10 oz Neds. With spinning rods you get a certain amount of line slap when casting which slows the lure. The line comes off the spool so freely with bfs and I get better, more effortless distance. 

 

2) I prefer fluorocarbon with really light lures so I can get a good uniform sink rate and get the lure down effectively in the water column/strike zone longer (This is key in the presentation of ultra light lures!). With spinning where you use braid and a leader you get an uneven hockey stick shape to the line since braid floats.

 

3) I get more line twist with fluorocarbon on a spinning rig... easier to manage on a bait caster. 

[gim]

1 hour ago, Cgolf said:

I am curious why folks go this route, what is the advantage with light baits?

 

I think the advantage is more control over the line and less line twist.  That being said, I still use a spinning setup for lighter, finesse applications too.

[FryDog62]

2 hours ago, T-Billy said:

The Phenix Feather 7'1" L and ML rods are outstanding finesse bass rods. 

He's right... I have my Daiwa Alphas Air bfs reel paired with the Phenix Feather 7'1" Light. The reel is a bit spendy, but the Shimano bfs is a really good option too for about half the price. The Feather is approx $150 and if too much try the Shimano Sensilite 7'0" Light XF for around $50. BFS can be a rabbit hole of money, but with overall popularity there are becoming more domestic options at different price ranges.

[jmb27]

On 3/29/2022 at 6:30 AM, GANGGREEN said:

Has anyone used these rigs or something comparable and does anyone make a reasonable rod/reel that don't cost the proverbial arm and leg?

 

Yes.  BFS is a lot of fun.  I do like to use the spinning reel for certain techniques, but you do get better control using a dedicated BFS setup.  As for a setup, yes, you can get things in the value price range (which is subjective of course).  I would suggest first thinking about what techniques and size of the lures are you using.  Specifically, I am using a BFS rod for lures 1/8 oz. and lower or when I want better control casting into cover.  Are you using primarily soft or hard lures that weigh 1/8 oz. or less? 

 

 

On 3/29/2022 at 9:21 AM, FryDog62 said:

BFS can be a rabbit hole of money, but with overall popularity there are becoming more domestic options at different price ranges.

 

Yep.  I tell myself that I'm replacing a few rods w/a dedicated BFS setup, so I'm "saving" money.  I'm a genius. ?

[GANGGREEN]

Thanks.  In general, I fish a LOT of soft plastic finesse options, a LOT of them.  I'd say that's probably "my thing", but I've always used UL, L or ML spinning gear and 4-8 pound test to accomplish this.   I can't say that spinning gear has been any sort of drawback for me, but I like new fishing gear, so I'm more than happy to give this a try.  I won't spend $400 or $500 for an outfit to get my feet wet and I fear that I might end up regretting it or assuming that BFS is not for me if I stick with a $100 or $150 set up though.  It seems like some of the Chinese options really do get good reviews, but d**n, I really hate the idea of buying Chinese stuff given the political atmosphere these days.

[FishTank]

BFS stands Bad Financial Situation.  Just joking.... If I was fishing for trout, it would be all right and a lot of fun for bass but a 1/16oz jig head and a Robo Worm is about as light as I go with casting gear. But.....

 

The Curado BFS at $199 is a bargain compared to other BFS reels that have been out. The Phenix Feather is often talked about as the go to for this application and isn't too bad pricewise either. 

 

 

[GANGGREEN]

30 minutes ago, FishTank said:

BFS stands Bad Financial Situation.  Just joking.... If I was fishing for trout, it would be all right and a lot of fun for bass but a 1/16oz jig head and a Robo Worm is about as light as I go with casting gear. But.....

 

The Curado BFS at $199 is a bargain compared to other BFS reels that have been out. The Phenix Feather is often talked about as the go to for this application and isn't too bad pricewise either. 

 

 

 

Yeah, but even those two options push the price tag well over $300 and I'm not prepared to pay that sort of money to "dip my toe in the pool" so to speak.  If I tried someone else's gear and liked it or tried a cheaper option and loved it, at that point I might be willing to spend that sort of dough.

[FishTank]

22 minutes ago, GANGGREEN said:

 

Yeah, but even those two options push the price tag well over $300 and I'm not prepared to pay that sort of money to "dip my toe in the pool" so to speak.  If I tried someone else's gear and liked it or tried a cheaper option and loved it, at that point I might be willing to spend that sort of dough.

I hear ya. I have some pricey gear but to toss around a light weight bait on occasion that I can do with spinning gear, it's a bit of a stretch for me.  But if I knew I would use it more, then maybe. One things for sure, the more technique specific you get the price to play goes up. Wait till you shop the baits. It's a whole different ballgame but not as bad as swimbaits and glidebaits.

[Tatulatard]

On 3/29/2022 at 7:00 AM, Cgolf said:

I am curious why folks go this route, what is the advantage with light baits?

 

My spinning setup with Neds that I use for fishing vertical cover like reeds, I even use a snap to ensure the lightweight bait falls straight down to the base of the reed I am targeting, a must on frontal bass. How do you keep these rigs from having the lightweight baits pendulum away from the cover because the natural drag on the baitcaster spool doesn't allow the line out freely like a spinning reel?

If you don't run any spool tension (you shouldn't) then there really isn't any drag on the spool and hitting the thumb bar will allow the bait to fall and take off line if your spool is light weight enough any anything claiming to be a "BFS" reel is going to have a light weight spool.  From my dabbling in this I can get a bfs spool to pay out line and let a bait fall easier than it can pull the line over the lip of a spinning reel spool.  You can probably spin the handle backwards on a spinning reel to pay out line but that's some old timer hack we newer anglers haven't unlocked yet.  We lose our minds when spinning reels go backwards.  It's like it causes an existential crisis or something.  The guys that do a lot of creek fishing also like to use bfs baircaster so they can apply pressure to a spinning spool to slow and stop a bait with high accuracy instead of sticking a finger on the line to stop it more abruptly with spinning gear.  We're talking 1/32 oz baits here.  Sticking a finger on the line is going to stop it dead.

On 3/29/2022 at 5:30 AM, GANGGREEN said:

I've always enjoyed using baitcasting gear for certain techniques even though I probably do 90%+ of my fishing with spinning gear.  I've also always had my eyes open for finesse baitcasting tackle and tried it with previous rigs down to about 8 pound test and M or ML rods, but never really found one that worked good, so I mostly gave up trying.  Now I see the Shimano BFS rigs and they're absolutely appealing to me, but geez Louise, are they made of precious metals?   

 

Has anyone used these rigs or something comparable and does anyone make a reasonable rod/reel that don't cost the proverbial arm and leg?

Yeah, there are some really cheap ones out there.  A quick Google search of "cheap bfs reel" will yield quite a bit of food for thought and many videos to watch.

[Tatulatard]

After re-reading the op there isn't a need for a Shimano bfs reel if you are just looking to replace a M or ML rig.  A baitcast reel with a light weight spool like a MGL, or SV with a soft M rod rated up to 5/8 oz would work well.  Like a Mojo 71M Plastics and an SLX MGL or a Tatula SV.  I handled a Mojo 71M the other day and was real impressed with how light the tip was for a "M". Reminded a lot of a big bfs rod.

[GANGGREEN]

19 minutes ago, Tatulatard said:

After re-reading the op there isn't a need for a Shimano bfs reel if you are just looking to replace a M or ML rig.  A baitcast reel with a light weight spool like a MGL, or SV with a soft M rod rated up to 5/8 oz would work well.  Like a Mojo 71M Plastics and an SLX MGL or a Tatula SV.  I handled a Mojo 71M the other day and was real impressed with how light the tip was for a "M". Reminded a lot of a big bfs rod.

 

No, my point with the M/ML rig was that I was suggesting this is the lightest that I've ever gone with baitcasting gear and that I was mostly unaware that you could now go much lighter.   As I've mentioned before, I OFTEN fish for bass with 4 pound line and UL spinning rigs and I rarely go heavier than 12 pound test baitcasting rigs.  I probably do 80% of my bass fishing with either 4 or 6 pound test, so the BFS thing appears that it would be right up my alley.   Definitely worth more research and consideration for sure.

[jmb27]

2 hours ago, GANGGREEN said:

In general, I fish a LOT of soft plastic finesse options, a LOT of them.  I'd say that's probably "my thing", but I've always used UL, L or ML spinning gear and 4-8 pound test to accomplish this.   I can't say that spinning gear has been any sort of drawback for me, but I like new fishing gear, so I'm more than happy to give this a try.  I won't spend $400 or $500 for an outfit to get my feet wet and I fear that I might end up regretting it or assuming that BFS is not for me if I stick with a $100 or $150 set up though

 

I agree w/your spinning rod comment.  I will say that for me personally, I can cast more accurately w/a baitcaster than a spinning setup as well as having more control when skipping.  I also greatly prefer using a baitcaster for hard lures.

 

As to your last two sentences, I would suggest spending some time in ultralight/BFS forums to see what users like (and what they don't).  Also, a lot of the baitcasting reels can be made into a "BFS" reel with a different spool; while not cheap, is certainly cheaper than buying a new dedicated BFS reel if you aren't sure if you will be using BFS setups a lot.

 

 

1 hour ago, GANGGREEN said:

Yeah, but even those two options push the price tag well over $300 and I'm not prepared to pay that sort of money to "dip my toe in the pool" so to speak.  If I tried someone else's gear and liked it or tried a cheaper option and loved it, at that point I might be willing to spend that sort of dough.

 

And you can always try out the "gently used" route to see if you enjoy it and likely not lose too much on resell if you don't.

[QED]

The most cost effective way to get into BFS is to race out an existing reel with a lightweight, high inner-diameter aftermarket spool, assuming you have a suitable rod.  A high-end BFS rig can be deep into the kilo-dollar range.

[GANGGREEN]

8 minutes ago, QED said:

The most cost effective way to get into BFS is to race out an existing reel with a lightweight, high inner-diameter aftermarket spool, assuming you have a suitable rod.  A high-end BFS rig can be deep into the kilo-dollar range.

 

I do have a Daiwa Tatula reel and see where you can replace the spools on them fairly inexpensively.  I don't really have a suitable casting rod though and will likely find a cheap option just to see if I like it or not.

 

[johnmyers]

I use spinning gear for most light baits but my NRX 852c jwr with a Metanium mgl can cast some pretty light baits and is a pleasure to fish with and it weighs under 11 oz

[QED]

A Phenix K2 TX-C 683ML with a Shimano Aldebaran BFS XG rig is about 8.1 oz (not including line weight) and works brilliantly.  Not the most expensive combo but not budget friendly either. Go with a Shimano Poison Adrena 163L BFS rod and you can get under 8 oz.

[LCG]

I am playing with the idea of using baitcasting for finesse fishing I would normally use a spinning combo for. I have a SLX MGL 70 spooled with 6lb yo Zuri hybrid on a 6'10" M-F rod with a very light tip, almost moderate fast. Another month before I can get out on the water, but looking forward to trying it out. Not BFS weights, more like Ned rigs, weightless trickworms, drop shot, etc.

[roadwarrior]

This is mine:

Megabass Destroyer FOst-66X

Shimano Conquest BFS HG

Tatsu #4

 

[new2BC4bass]

You can buy an Ace Hawk Double C602UL/L for about $35.  It comes with 2 tips.  The UL tip is rated for .5-4g (.018-.14 oz.), the Light tip for 2-6g (.07-.21 oz.).  I bought it to try learning to cast 1/8 oz. and less.  Purchased aftermarket spools for my older Steez and for a Pixy.  Still sit in boxes. 

 

Got the one for the Steez from Walmart Online (off the wall brand, but looks nice) for about $28 and the Ray's spool for around $35...if I remember correctly.

 

So less than $100 invested in a Pixy spool and the rod.  Of course this doesn't take into account the original cost of the reel.  Supposedly you can get a $30 spool for the Fuego CT that blows away a stock Pixy.

 

I've got spinning that will handle light lures, but enjoy using baitcasting more so even tho spinning would be much easier for me in this scenario, I still chase BFS baitcasting.

[GANGGREEN]

Looks like I could get a Lurestar Sigama 6'6" L casting rod (2-piece) and a Lurestar C9 Air reel for well under $150, but obviously I'd be ordering from China, it would take forever and....I'd be ordering from China.  I've seen a few reviews that seem to indicate this reel is far from a clunky mess and I'd presume that the rod is also quite light (I just checked and it's 3.3 ounces) and responsive.  It's listed as a fast action rod, which is what I'd likely prefer.  I just need to get my head around the idea of ordering a Chinese rod and reel, but I really don't like the idea of spending $400, $600 or $1000 to see if I might like the whole BFS thing, so this is at least an option.

[WC53]

My take.

Curado is a really nice reel for the price, with a lot of crossover usage. I can’t speak to any of the Chinese variants, but several of the YouTube bfs guys reviewed them.

 

Rods, if you have any 3 power or light crank bait (with a soft tip for trebles) it will get you started. Heck any Ugly with a noodle tip will probably throw the light stuff.  ymmv. Some of the saltwater trout rods also fit this niche nicely.
 

I struggle with 1/16th hair jigs with any fast rod, but, young I am not.  Since you already fish them, you have realistic expectations of how far a light fuzzy thing will cast. 
 

Probably the Phenix ML is the next rod for me to try.  A lot of rods throw 4 grams total pretty well, 2 grams is a different story.