Not another BFS post (well kinda)

[Bass Rutten]

2 hours ago, dave said:

I reiterate, BBFS...

Bubba BFS? ?

 

@MediumMouthBass The main benefits and reasons you may want to use bfs over spinning gear are improved accuracy and line management (especially for 8 and 10lb mono/fluoro), and some say better fish control but I haven't used it long enough to form a solid opinion on that. If you think any of those factors will be of benefit to you then it's worth considering, if not then continue with spinning gear for light lures, as the majority of people already are contrary to your comment. BFS is a niche and a very small minority of anglers.

 

Bfs is no longer a rich man's game, I got my jdm shimano slx bfs reel for under $150. Check out bait finesse empire you'll find of the 17 rod lines they offer only 5 of them start at over $200, with 7 of them between $100 and $200, and another 5 of them between $75 and $95, budget is not the obstacle it was say 5 years ago.

[PhishLI]

1 hour ago, MediumMouthBass said:

I dont have tons of money to spend on it so i thought maybe the same lures would work on my spinning gear

Of course they will and they do every day for people who elect to use spinning reels. I watch crappie guys using them who end up catching bass quite a lot. Do it to it if that's your budget. Personally, I don't throw anything lighter than a finesse TRD on a 1/16oz head and coming in at 5 grams I can chuck it almost 85 ft on a Tat SV on light line and a 7ft MXF rod. I use spinning gear for this too, but with the Tat I don't ever have to deal with the inevitable line twist and wind knots. It's only a matter of time for that, so here's one of the appeals of casting reels for this application.

 

If budget is your issue with BFS gear, check YToob. There are several guys who've invested plenty of time buying and trying budget options from overseas. There are more than a few that work well at this point. You don't have to break the bank to play with this stuff if you do your research.

[casts_by_fly]

[Catt]

16 hours ago, WRB said:

Bait Finesse System includes the rod, reel and line.

Rods cast lures reels hold the line, the rod is rarely discussed in these threads, yet the key component.

 

Not sure what it weighs but I throw a prerigged worm or  a Wacky Rigged Zoom Finesse Worm. This is done on a Shimano Crucial CRC-X610MHXF, Calcutta 100A, 12# Big Game.

 

If I wanted to go lighter I would simply change rods.

 

 

[FishTank]

If that is one from Creme, it weighs 1/4oz and is pretty easy to cast on just about anything. 

[Catt]

The ones we throw are not Creme, they're made by a local company. 4" long, tiny pearch hooks, no weed guard.

 

I throw em on these little gem with a Berkley Lighting Rod 

 

[FishTank]

Nice. Those sure are pretty.

[MediumMouthBass]

Thank you to those who gave me some good information, i appreciate it.

I will try giving the smaller finesse stuff a try with what ive got now, i usually throw big baits but this year the fishings just not the same, the lakes i fish are under an extreme amount of pressure so maybe the more finesse stuff will work good.

I know the actual BFS gear will do a much better job (whether it be casting distance, line control, etc),

but my allocated funds for fishing this year are beyond exhausted so next year i plan to get a real BFS setup.

[Big Hands]

9 hours ago, Catt said:

 

The first bass I ever hooked CHOMPED one of these pre-rigged worms. I saw the beast and had a bluegill bait rigged, but knew I had one of these in the package in my tackle box waiting for an opportunity, so I ran back to where my tackle box was sitting and hastily tied it on. When I ran back to the clearing in the reeds where I had spotted the giant bass, he was nowhere to be seen. I was kinda bummed, but tossed the worm to where I had last seen it. . . . just in case.

 

Suddenly, the beast appeared and took up a position right behind the worm, looking straight at me, and just stared at it for several seconds. Her mouth opened a little and the gills started flaring, causing the worm to start vibrating, but not moving. And then it disappeared in the blink of an eye, maybe even quicker than that. The fight was on. 

 

Much like a Mike Tyson fight 30 years ago, we had a short but BRUTAL skirmish and again, much like a Mike Tyson fight 30 years ago, POW, and it was over. It's still as vivid as a memory can be . . . . from nearly 50 years ago.

===========================

Back to the original topic: There is nothing stopping anyone from fishing BFS-ish baits with spinning gear, and having success with it, like they have for several decades. Various techniques/baits may work best with spinning vs casting gear and vice-versa, but it certainly doesn't exclude you from using what you have. 

 

And lets say I have a spinning combo that works OK for slinging jerkbaits. It catches fish and I always want a rig on the boat and ready to go. I also like throwing small swimbaits, or microjigs or some other BFS-ish type of bait and would always like to have a combo for that on the deck at the ready. There's no shame in having two rigs that can each be utilized effectively for many of the same techniques. . . . even if I don't have a flipping stick, a frog rod, a pitching rig as well as not having a big swimbait rig. You might want to have two rigs with a lot of crossover, and have some areas not covered by anything at all.

 

At the end of the day, all of this is an enthusiast endeavor. A hobby. An extravagance. If you want to give it a whirl 'just because', I say that it's your money and you should spend it as you see fit. 

[dave]

Bass Bait Finesse System...

[GetFishorDieTryin]

People do it all the time, its just not as prevalent compared to more popular techniques.  I think a big reason why, is the shorter casting distance with 1/32 or 3/64 and 2"-3" bait means it takes more time to cove water in comparison to using heavier weights and bigger baits.  When the professional side of the sport emphasizes speed and efficiency, it bleeds over to the recreational side of the sport.  Baits and techniques that blow up quickly usually do so because of its success in a professional event.  I would bet, that if IKE or KVD would dominate an event by using BFS or micro baits on spinning gear then you would see the demand for that gear from rec anglers and the market would spring into action to meet that demand.  Although the growth of BFS and Micro baits in the US has been mostly grass roots, its really taking off and I cant imagine that market seeing anything, but significant growth in the near future, with or without professional anglers really pushing the products.

[Catt]

What I like the most about BFS is I like small light reels, always have. I started this bass fishing adventure using Penn saltwater reels. Graduated to Abu Gracia Ambassadeur 5000 to Shimano Bantams to Calcutta 50s to Lew's Tournament Lite weighing in at 5.3 ozs.

[padon]

idk. i mean its fishing so ultimatley just do what makes you happy. but as a northern guy whos used spinning gear all his life i just dont see a reason to reinvent the wheel. for light baits and light line i just use spinning gear. ive got about 10 of them. i like them and use them like second nature like ive been doing since i was six years old.

[Fishing_Rod]

Greetings,

I just did a direct comparison myself on Saturday with a budget $40 casting reel and a sort of a budget $80 BFS reel. Please reference the SRP Canal Using BFS thread. I fished part of the morning using the same bait and light action rod. I only changed out the reels. Both reels were spooled using the same 6 pound mono. The soft plastic bait was a three inch curly tailed grub on a 1/16 oz jig head.

 

Yes, both worked to catch fish. It is important to note using the typical casting reel there is more spool startup resistance which compels a much earlier release point in the casting stroke. For some this is awkward. I eventually was successful in adapting and achieving casting accuracy with minimal effort.

 

Using the BFS reel there is much less startup resistance and is much closer to using ultra lite spinning equipment. There is no bail to deal with and the retrieve rate is faster with the BFS reel. I believe there is a bit of an advantage to maximum drag with the BFS over ultra lite spinning reel drag. I'm talking with reference to like 1000 or 500 series spinning reels, small spools with limited size drag elements. I mention the 500 series reels as they are similar in line capacity and reel weights. I hope this information helps.

 

While I'm always interested in learning, there is no room in the budget for expensive gear. Which is why I have the gear that I have. It works well enough and enhances my angling / catching experience. BTW I fish for recreation and I generally use ultra lite spinning gear tossing soft plastics on 1/32 oz jigs, basically crappie style baits on four pound mono. Which is why I decided to attempt using a casting reel for lighter weight baits close to that theme. Based on my adventure on Saturday the BFS reel is getting closer to my style of angling. I am looking forward to more experience using the BFS as it is. Later I may transition it down to four pound mono and see how things are with the lighter baits.

 

Be well, and cheers!