BFS?

[FryDog62]

1 hour ago, walleyecrazy said:

The Phenix Classic BFS is my current favorite BFS rod for specifically targeting bass. I went with the 7’1” version to start, and I like it enough that I will likely end up buying the 6’8” and 7’4” versions as well. 
 

 

 

This rod intrigues me, I have thought about the 7'4" to maybe get additional distance when tossing light hair jigs. Have you used it for either hair jigs or light Neds (3/32 oz)?  Can it pull a Ned through at least some light cover?  The standard Phenix Feather Light does that for me, but the Classic BFS rod has a slightly lighter lure rating.  

[JediAmoeba]

3 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

This rod intrigues me, I have thought about the 7'4" to maybe get additional distance when tossing light hair jigs. Have you used it for either hair jigs or light Neds (3/32 oz)?  Can it pull a Ned through at least some light cover?  The standard Phenix Feather Light does that for me, but the Classic BFS rod has a slightly lighter lure rating.  

I have the Dobyn's Sierra 7'4" light for hair jigs and neds- it is working very well. 

[Tennessee Boy]

 @bulldog1935  My main issue with the 2022 Aldebaran is the spool tensioner.   I prefer to keep the tension loose enough that there is slight side to side spool movement.  When I set it this way on the Aldebaran the tension knob is so far out that the star drag hits it.   So I’m forced to tighten it down more than I like.  Seems like a horrible design to me but I keep the tension much looser than most people.  It’s also the only reel I’ve ever used that I can’t turn the brakes off and thumb to prevent backlash.  The brakes work well when I use them but I prefer to keep them very low or off completely.  So I’m forced to keep the tension tighter than I like and the brakes higher than I like which kills my distance compared to the other reels I use.  The reel is just not made for the way I like to set up a reel.  There may be other BFS reels that would work for me.

[FryDog62]

1 hour ago, JediAmoeba said:

I have the Dobyn's Sierra 7'4" light for hair jigs and neds- it is working very well. 

I had the Dobyns 740 but returned it… the tip was just too light in my opinion around any cover. Also seemed underpowered even throwing a 1/5 oz Ned. So, the Phenix Classic BFS has me wondering if it would work well as a bass BFS rod or too light as well. The Feather 7’1” Light is about right, but for hair jigs another 3 inches length might be nice. 

[walleyecrazy]

1 hour ago, FryDog62 said:

This rod intrigues me, I have thought about the 7'4" to maybe get additional distance when tossing light hair jigs. Have you used it for either hair jigs or light Neds (3/32 oz)?  Can it pull a Ned through at least some light cover?  The standard Phenix Feather Light does that for me, but the Classic BFS rod has a slightly lighter lure rating.  

I have not tried hair jigs on this rod, but one of the main baits on throw on this rod is either a 1/16 or 3/32 Keitech mono spin jig with a mule fishing burrow bug trailer. The main lake I fish is absolutely loaded with vegetation, and I have no problem getting the jig through it with quick pops of the rod tip when it hangs up. 

[JediAmoeba]

4 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

I had the Dobyns 740 but returned it… the tip was just too light in my opinion around any cover. Also seemed underpowered even throwing a 1/5 oz Ned. So, the Phenix Classic BFS has me wondering if it would work well as a bass BFS rod or too light as well. The Feather 7’1” Light is about right, but for hair jigs another 3 inches length might be nice. 

The tip is light but when the rod loaded up, it does a pretty good job. I felt the same way you did on the first few fish but after keeping multiple fish pinned, including a 7ish pound catfish, I grew to really appreciate it.

[FishTank]

8 hours ago, JediAmoeba said:

The tip is light but when the rod loaded up, it does a pretty good job. I felt the same way you did on the first few fish but after keeping multiple fish pinned, including a 7ish pound catfish, I grew to really appreciate it.

 

I have been very impressed with mine for the price. I like how the tip is fast so you get easy hook sets but is soft through the middle, keeping the fish pinned with these smaller baits.  I caught this guy on a Karashi.  It had no issues handling this nasty thing.  Sorry for low res photo.

 

 

EDIT...... I noticed that the original post this refers to mentions the 740C and I have the 700C. They, from what I understand, are completely different in action.... So sorry, my mistake. Just wanted to clear that up...

[Big Hands]

13 hours ago, walleyecrazy said:

The Phenix Classic BFS is my current favorite BFS rod for specifically targeting bass. I’ve fished it with a few different reels including the Daiwa Gekkabijin, and new Daiwa SS Air, but currently have it paired with the 23’ Shimano Calcutta Conquest BFS. This combo is a dream to fish with, and I think Phenix absolutely nailed this rod. It has a great crisp, but light tip, and enough backbone to give you at least some control on your fish. I went with the 7’1” version to start, and I like it enough that I will likely end up buying the 6’8” and 7’4” versions as well. 
 

 

I can’t recommend the Phenix Classic BFS enough. It has an awesome action, and excellent build quality. It is my current favorite, and I reach for it more than any of my other BFS rods every time I go fishing. 

I have the 7’4” and I am trying to resist gushing over it, but I share your sentiments for sure. I’ve been having a blast with it. Caught four on it this morning  using texas rigged zman crawz with a 1/8 ounce tungsten worm weight. Today I was throwing it into a breeze and it performed admirably. 

[FishTank]

I wanted to add a few things I found essential for my BFS fishing...

 

First - extra treble hooks. If you are catching bass or anything somewhat strong and heavy,  you will bend most standard hooks. I have changed several. Most BFS lures take either #10 or #12.

 

Second - Small pliers.  I bought these at Harbour Frieght for $2. Normal fishing pliers, at least for me, are too strong for the small fragile hooks. When I started BFS fishing,  I broke a few. The small pliers work far better. 

 

Last - Split rings.  Same deal as hooks. They can bend out. I use size 1 and 2s. I like the ones from Valleyhill and Owner. 

 

 

 

 

[FishTank]

Two other things, split ring tweezers and reading/fly tying glasses. 

 

I can't remember who recommended these but I would be S.O.L. without them. 

 

 

[Big Hands]

23 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

This rod intrigues me, I have thought about the 7'4" to maybe get additional distance when tossing light hair jigs. Have you used it for either hair jigs or light Neds (3/32 oz)?  Can it pull a Ned through at least some light cover?  The standard Phenix Feather Light does that for me, but the Classic BFS rod has a slightly lighter lure rating.  

 I have the 7'4" Classic BFS, and it is similar in action to my 7'6" St. Croix Mojo ML/XF Hair Jig spinning rod, but lighter power. It has a very light tip section (it has 16 guides, plus the tip), but does get stiffer. IMHO, the 1/16 - 1/4 ounce lure rating is accurate and I would not expect to throw less than 1/16 ounce and be OK with it, and I would exceed the 1/4 ounce at the upper end by a little bit and still have it perform. But, every bit of that 1/16  - 1/4 is it's sweet spot. 

 

I was deliberately throwing into an area (over a buoy line, so I had no option to go in after it when it snagged) that was about 2' or so deep and completely cover with rip rap sized rock, and had parts covered with bushes. I was throwing into and around the brushy areas. I was generally able to get through the brush just fine, but the crevices in the rock were somewhat challenging. That said, they were also challenging for 10-15 lb big game with more traditional sized baits. The best thing for me to do in either case was to not lose tension and keep it moving as much as possible, even if slowly. The bass were quite fine with this presentation :~). I tried a 1/16 ounce weight instead of 1/8, and it was more challenging to get it super far when I was casting into a 5-10 mph breeze, but I was till able to get it to the fish. The tradeoffs were a little easier to keep it from going to deep into the rocks but the breeze left some bow in the line. If the 7 lb fluoro wouldn't break when snagged, the rod had the backbone to pull it free, but it doesn't load up to that point quickly like a heavier power rod would. No surprise there. 

 

If you look at the tip section, it looks super thin, and it is, but it's also solid in the tip section of the blank. I don't know if the Phenix Classic BFS is for everyone, but I love it so far, and now I am trying to figure if the ML/L Feather's future (I already sold my L/F Feather) is within my quiver or someone else's.

[bulldog1935]

@FishTank

I'll take that credit

 

Of course I'm mostly fishing the salt, but I've found the baddest-boy replacement trebles - BKK Fangs

- only problem, the only  vendor I can find is from ebay on Cypress, post is cheap, but slow-boat.  

Note Fangs are oversized by a full hook size - their #12 is a #10

[Big Hands]

7 minutes ago, FishTank said:

Two other things, split ring tweezers and reading/fly tying glasses. 

 

I can't remember who recommended these but I would be S.O.L. without them. 

 

 

 

Split ring tweezers? OMG, be still my BFS rigging heart. LOL. I had no idea such a thing existed. And here I was contemplating a 'custom grind' on my smallest Texas Tackle pliers.

[FishTank]

9 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said:

@FishTank

I'll take that credit

 

Of course I'm mostly fishing the salt, but I've found the baddest-boy replacement trebles - BKK Fangs

- only problem, the only  vendor I can find is from ebay on Cypress, post is cheap, but slow-boat.  

Note Fangs are oversized by a full hook size - their #12 is a #10

I thought it was you. 

 

Once again... thank you sir.

 

 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

BFS is an enthusiast endeavor, practically speaking I don’t see a clear advantage over spinning tackle for finesse fishing. That said, fishing is supposed to be fun. That’s why I enjoy mastering all different types of tackle: spin, casting, center pin, fly, even spin cast. I see a BFS setup in my future for personal use and more for R&D for customer builds. 

[Big Hands]

4 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

BFS is an enthusiast endeavor, practically speaking I don’t see a clear advantage over spinning tackle for finesse fishing. That said, fishing is supposed to be fun. 

 

In most respects I would agree that BFS casting gear is more of a 'want' than a true 'need', and one can at least figure out how to get by with spinning gear for finesse techniques in most circumstances. The places I feel that baitcasters have an advantage are with regard to line twist with monofilament and fluorocarbon, and where fluorocarbon tends to want to 'spring forth and be free', especially on smaller spinning reels. 

 

Spinning reels are more small diameter braid friendly in my experience, and they are easier to cast. Once the casting has been achieved, I mostly prefer to retrieve a lure on casting gear.

 

4 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

That’s why I enjoy mastering all different types of tackle: spin, casting, center pin, fly, even spin cast. I see a BFS setup in my future for personal use and more for R&D for customer builds. 

 

I think there's still a ways to go for many rod (and reel) makers (both mass market and custom builders) before it all gets figured out.

[ska4fun]

I'm astonished over people saying they don't see advantages of BFS reels over spinning ones...

 

Precision, higher retrieve ratio/ipt, better line slack control... The same reasons who instigated japanese trout anglers to modify old 1500/2500 abu reels to cast lighter lures, developing bfs itself.

 

Landed this Giant Piraya Piranha two weeks ago, more than five minutes of an frenzied fight. Luckly my Kestrel Elite was filled with 100m of 8lb test braided line. The Kestrel peforms way better than my Curado BFS.

[walleyecrazy]

1 hour ago, ska4fun said:

 

Precision, higher retrieve ratio/ipt, better line slack control... The same reasons who instigated japanese trout anglers to modify old 1500/2500 abu reels to cast lighter lures, developing bfs itself.

 

 

 

 

I have really found that fishing in current, especially streams/creeks is where I see the biggest advantage to BFS gear over spinning. I have switched to all BFS gear for my trout fishing where I’m fishing in swift current. The BFS setups allow me to more easily make pinpoint casts, and then instantly start my retrieve while easily keeping up with the swift current. This allows me to more effectively present my baits the way that I want them, and I have seen an increase in my catch rate as a result. These pinpoint casts let me have some fun with the trout earlier this morning, and I  pretty sure at least two of these fish would not have been caught on my spinning gear just due to the circumstances in which they were caught. In open water this isn’t so critical, and I find in open water a lot of the BFS advantage is honestly just in the fun factor for me. I have way more fun catching bass on BFS gear than I do on my spinning gear. 

6 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

BFS is an enthusiast endeavor, practically speaking I don’t see a clear advantage over spinning tackle for finesse fishing. That said, fishing is supposed to be fun. That’s why I enjoy mastering all different types of tackle: spin, casting, center pin, fly, even spin cast. I see a BFS setup in my future for personal use and more for R&D for customer builds. 

You aren’t too far from me. I am just across the river from Albany. If you want to get a feel for some BFS gear before you make the plunge feel free to get ahold of me. 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

5 minutes ago, walleyecrazy said:

 

I have really found that fishing in current, especially streams/creeks is where I see the biggest advantage to BFS gear over spinning. I have switched to all BFS gear for my trout fishing where I’m fishing in swift current. The BFS setups allow me to more easily make pinpoint casts, and then instantly start my retrieve while easily keeping up with the swift current. This allows me to more effectively present my baits the way that I want them, and I have seen an increase in my catch rate as a result. These pinpoint casts let me have some fun with the trout earlier this morning, and I  pretty sure at least two of these fish would not have been caught on my spinning gear just due to the circumstances in which they were caught. In open water this isn’t so critical, and I find in open water a lot of the BFS advantage is honestly just in the fun factor for me. I have way more fun catching bass on BFS gear than I do on my spinning gear. 

You aren’t too far from me. I am just across the river from Albany. If you want to get a feel for some BFS gear before you make the plunge feel free to get ahold of me. 

Thanks I’ll keep you in mind and reach out when I get an opening in the schedule. Likewise if I can do anything for you let me know. I’ve handle plenty of BFS reels in the shop and built some BFS rods. I’m trying to get a better feel for what’s most common among self proclaimed BFS anglers. So far it looks like 1/16-1/4 oz with 1/8 being most common. 

[Bird]

No.

BFS can't skip as well as spinning and I like skipping. 

[ska4fun]

32 minutes ago, walleyecrazy said:

 

I have really found that fishing in current, especially streams/creeks is where I see the biggest advantage to BFS gear over spinning. I have switched to all BFS gear for my trout fishing where I’m fishing in swift current. The BFS setups allow me to more easily make pinpoint casts, and then instantly start my retrieve while easily keeping up with the swift current. This allows me to more effectively present my baits the way that I want them, and I have seen an increase in my catch rate as a result. These pinpoint casts let me have some fun with the trout earlier this morning, and I  pretty sure at least two of these fish would not have been caught on my spinning gear just due to the circumstances in which they were caught. In open water this isn’t so critical, and I find in open water a lot of the BFS advantage is honestly just in the fun factor for me. I have way more fun catching bass on BFS gear than I do on my spinning gear. 

You aren’t too far from me. I am just across the river from Albany. If you want to get a feel for some BFS gear before you make the plunge feel free to get ahold of me. 

Actually fishing against the current was a important motivation for japanese trout anglers to develop BFS. Spoons get a way more attractive swim when worked under baitcasting reels.

[Dye99]

I primarily fish for smallmouth and love to throw little swimbaits. Ive been using spinning tackle for this forever but this season I went over to a BFS rig ( Alderbaron on G Loomis IMX pro swimbait rod ) 10lb suffix braid with 8lb leader.

Bait casting little baits is a blast and Im very glad I switched over.

Considering doing the same thing with my NED rig set up...

[rboat]

Anybody using BFS gear have a problem with braid to leader? Some of the BFS rods have tiny eye guides where the connection knot may get caught or hang up a bit.

[walleyecrazy]

23 hours ago, rboat said:

Anybody using BFS gear have a problem with braid to leader? Some of the BFS rods have tiny eye guides where the connection knot may get caught or hang up a bit.

I am using braid to leader with an Alberto knot on most of my BFS setups. I have a number of rods with micro guides, and I have zero issues with the connection knot moving smoothly through the micro guides. 

[Tatulatard]

People have been casting light weights baits with baitcasters for ages but no one thought to give it a name other than "going fishing".  BFS didn't enter the lexicon outside of japan until 2011 when Yukihiro Sawamura of KTF was using prototype rods on his KTF tuned Alphas to present small plastics and jigs on hard 7-10 lb flourocarbon line for bass in cover.  The rods were designed with larger blank diameter on the back half of the rod to significantly stiffen the rod and make controlling a bass around cover possible.  What separates these BFS rods from other rods with the same power rating used for trout is the significant increase in power for bass fishing.

On 6/20/2023 at 8:02 PM, Bird said:

No.

BFS can't skip as well as spinning and I like skipping. 

You can skip very easily with it as long as you have the right reel.  The guy who invented BFS also invented the air brake the SV spools use.  He was doing it 1st with his KTF spools before daiwa stared using the same brake with their air spools then later SV spools.  He spends the entire video skipping baits into brush.

I