BFS backlash frustration

[Elkins45]

I like fishing with light lures but I have never really warmed up to spinning reels. I was optimistic when I heard about bait casters designed just for light tackle so I bought a KastKing Zephyr BFS reel and an 8 ft. light action rod. Sadly I just can't seem to get the hang of it. I've been fishing with a bait caster for close to 40 years now but I just can't seem to throw an unweighted worm with this rig spooled with 8 lb braid. Even with the magnetic brake turned all the way up and the spool tension set to the point the lure won't drop I still get terrible bird nests unless I just barely flip the rod tip, and that really defeats the purpose of the specialized gear.

 

It's not the reel's fault. The bearings are super smooth. I guess I will have to relearn how to cast a baitcaster or maybe try it on a shorter rod until I figure it out. Maybe spooling it with mono instead of braid might help add enough friction to the system that it won't outrun my thumb? I've never used a touchier combo.

 

Once I tried heavier lures it got better because I could really crank up the tension and still get crazy distance, but the main reason I bought this rig is to topwater fish floating worms. Anyone fishing BFS get that can offer some advice?

 

[FishTank]

I have been fishing BFS for over a year now and still think I have a lot to learn but I think backlashes are just part of it... Not on every cast though.  It seems you need ideal conditions to get the most out of each cast.

 

I would also question the 8' rod. I find a 7' rod with a soft tip or shorter ideal depending on the situation. I also cast totally different than I do with a regular baitcaster with very little overhand casting. Here is one method that works for me.

 

 

Here is another.

 

 

I also do low roll casts a lot, especially when the wind is picking up.  I would ditch the braid unless you are fishing totally shallow and go with 5-6lb fluorocarbon. My personal favorite is Sunline Invisible. It's tougher than it looks and casts well. I already posted this but this line brought in this chuby gal yesterday. 

 

[Tatulatard]

I find BFS reels the easiest to control.  Light weight spools are easily tamed.  Check to see you haven't over filled the spool.  If the line is rising up off the spool in a big arch on the cast then that big indication of an overfilled spool.  Also the mag brakes could be really weak on that reel and causing problems.  I fish floating worms wacky rigged as a topwater but use all UL BFS rod.  What rod are you using?  

The more I think about it I belive the rod is the problem.  Get an actual BFS rod like an UL majorcraft benkei.  An 8 ft rod sounds like a light powered seabass rod.  As someone who ones a 7'6" light powered seabass casting rod I can tell you they can be awkward to cast. 

[WRB]

Why use a 8’ long rod?

My guess is you are trying to make long cast with light weight lures.

Do you understand what caused a backlash? The spool speed is faster then the line coming off and the lure slows down.

Super light weight spool has less inertia to help it slow down but a long rods tip speed accelerates the spool faster then the line is moving = over run.

Suggest using a shorter rod.

Tom

 

[Elkins45]

4 hours ago, Tatulatard said:

I find BFS reels the easiest to control.  Light weight spools are easily tamed.  Check to see you haven't over filled the spool.  If the line is rising up off the spool in a big arch on the cast then that big indication of an overfilled spool.  Also the mag brakes could be really weak on that reel and causing problems.  I fish floating worms wacky rigged as a topwater but use all UL BFS rod.  What rod are you using?  

The more I think about it I belive the rod is the problem.  Get an actual BFS rod like an UL majorcraft benkei.  An 8 ft rod sounds like a light powered seabass rod.  As someone who ones a 7'6" light powered seabass casting rod I can tell you they can be awkward to cast. 

The rod I’m using is a Berkeley Lightning Rod UL. I picked it because I wanted something with some leverage so I wouldn’t have to swing it so hard to get distance. My experience (and physics) tells me that the shorter the rod the harder you have to cast to get the same distance.

 

I thought the longer rod was part of the whole BFS system?

 

This is the rod I bought: https://www.amazon.com/Berkley-Lightning-Cast-Rod-2pc/dp/B07BLHQB4G/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=13X6ZR5AP00ZF&keywords=berkley+lightning+rod+casting+rod&qid=1680909411&sprefix=berkley+lightning+rod+cast%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFSSUU2RkVCOUZTU08mZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA3MjMxOTkxVkc5N0ZSU1FBWTcyJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTEwMTExMTUyRjBSSFg2VkFXVkImd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

[ska4fun]

I had the same reel. I adjusted the spool tension just one time (daiwa zero adjust way) and everything else was controlled by the braking dial. It's a underbraked lure, almost like it's a on/off situation. Only used maximum and the two steps under it.

 

Backlashes will always happen. You need to adjust the reel and casting correctly. Always use the wrist movement for casting.

[desmobob]

I have that reel and I enjoy it a lot.  Like previously mentioned, be sure your spool isn't over-filled.  I use  5'10" and 6' UL rods with it.  Maybe the L rod is contributing to the issue?

[WRB]

You are on the short end of Archimedes lever.

Tom

[GetFishorDieTryin]

I think Zebco has a product that may interest you...

[Derek1]

Go up on you braid size a bit. 20 pound is 6 pound diameter. I bet 15 or 20 will help. 

[Elkins45]

1 hour ago, Derek1 said:

Go up on you braid size a bit. 20 pound is 6 pound diameter. I bet 15 or 20 will help. 

That’s an idea that’s easy enough to try, as is going down to a shorter rod. I’ll bet I have a dozen old light action fiberglass rods from my grandfather I can experiment with.

[Reel]

I think the rod and the line are the problems,  A light rod is not necessarely a slow rod,  For BFS I use a rod with a moderate action that bends down to half the lenght at least.  Also, a very small diameter braid has a tendency to dig in making long cast difficukt sometimes,  I would got up to 15 pounds at least for a starting point.

[bulldog1935]

This is really easy.  

You're casting with jerk, snap, wrist - all the tricks you use in spinning to get more distance that only produce backlash when you use them on baitcaster.  It will do the same thing no matter what rod you use.  

Get rid of the jerk and cast it like a baitcaster, and you'll get rid of the backlash.