BFS ?

[rboat]

Do you need a dedicated BFS rod, or is it more just the BFS reel that does the trick? I want to try a setup, but currently light on funds to get a new rod and reel. I am thinking of just getting the reel and put it on one of the rods I already own, until I can get a dedicated BFS rod. Anybody tried this? Thanks.

[MN Fisher]

It's more the rod than the reel overall. BFS reel/Normal rod...so-so perfomance, normal reel/BFS rod...better perfomance, BFS reel/BFS rod...best performance.

 

I just stick with spinning and call it a day.

[Bass Rutten]

I agree it's the rod that's more important than the reel, but only slightly more so with bfs over standard gear. Even if a rod loads with a given weight the reel must also be refined enough to not backlash with lighter weights. Both components have a job to do.

 

Yours truly,

-Captain Obvious

[bulldog1935]

The reel is BFS - Bait Finesse System is the combination of a shallow lightweight spool, low-inertia spool bearings, and threadline.  

From there, you match the rod to what you need to fish.  

The right rod can range from stream trout to shore micro-jigging.  

Here's a good reservoir bass example, basically a 3-power with a soft tip, though this rod is fast, and you really can't tell it's intended to fish 1/16 oz until you try it.  

This one for river kayak fishing is 5'6" 2-power S-glass, won't quite fish down to 1/16 oz, but has the butt power to keep a respectable largemouth from going under the boat.  

 

Inshore ML, where fishing more than 1/8 oz JH brings up grass instead of sow trout.  

[redmeansdistortion]

To add to what @bulldog1935 said; the rods made for finesse often have an upper limit comparable to standard bass rods.  Some can have an upper limit as high as an ounce due to the way the blank is constructed while at the same time having a lower limit as low as 1/16 or even less.  Rods most would consider BFS have a progressive taper which features a limber tip for throwing the lighter stuff coupled with a stout backbone to fight bigger fish and throw more standard sized baits.  Many feel that BFS in general is in the 1/4 ounce and under range, but that couldn't be further from the truth.  I feel this is because here in the West our first exposure to it was watching the Japanese fish stream trout on short UL and L power rods so our brains automatically attribute it to ultralight fishing.  In Japan, trout really isn't even considered the realm of BFS as BFS is most attributed to bass and inshore fishing.  Over here we like to lump them all together.

[MickD]

29 minutes ago, redmeansdistortion said:

Rods most would consider BFS have a progressive taper which features a limber tip for throwing the lighter stuff coupled with a stout backbone to fight bigger fish and throw more standard sized baits.

This describes what most would call an Xtra Fast action, probably higher than 80 degrees CCS action angle.   Although I'm not sure what "progressive taper" means.  Basically all rods have a "progressive taper,"  larger at the butt and progressively tapering to the tip.

[bulldog1935]

2 hours ago, redmeansdistortion said:

... Over here we like to lump them all together.

Editing my friend here, because what he meant to say is USM and US bass fishers tend to lump BFS and UL together.  

Most bass rods are para taper - fast para taper - with fast tip, and flex in the mid and the butt.  This is also true of traditional UL rods, though they have a very slow para taper.  Para taper rods have a narrow lure weight range.  Casting increasing weight, para loads more of the total rod length.  

Progressive taper loads in a band moving progressively down the rod length with increased casting weight.  You can tell them by a wide, often extreme lure weight range.  This is what makes a good finesse rod.  

  

The 3-power S-glass on the right is the best 1/8-oz skip-casting rod I've ever tried.  One way they get here in graphite is with the newer Solid Tip rods (S in the Kurodai BF above), which also makes a great finesse rod choice. 

[Eric 26]

For what it’s worth I’ve “tried” the bfs approach with a super shallow spool 7pound limp monofilament and 2 different rods. One was a 7’ med/light crank bait rod with a very moderate action and the other a 6’-0” medium powered rod with a fast action. I didn’t like either. If I may suggest search for bfs rod recommendations on here with whatever price you’re comfortable with and I’m sure you will get plenty of recommendations. And for what it’s worth I’m not giving up yet but I feel I will need a dedicated bfs rod and to take @bulldog1935’s advice on using a supple braid such as the Daiwa J-Braid Grand X 8 which is what I have on my Ned rig spinning setup. Best of luck ??

[WRB]

19 hours ago, rboat said:

Do you need a dedicated BFS rod, or is it more just the BFS reel that does the trick? I want to try a setup, but currently light on funds to get a new rod and reel. I am thinking of just getting the reel and put it on one of the rods I already own, until I can get a dedicated BFS rod. Anybody tried this? Thanks.

Like any type of fishing the lure weight you plan to cast and line used are a major consideration to selecting a rod and reel.

BFS as clarified by previous post cover a fairly wide range of lure and line size. To me BFS in bass fishing is using a bait casting reel in lieu of a spinning reel for light weight finesse presentations. 

The rod would be similar to a light to medium light extra fast spinning rod in lure weights and rod length. Shallow spool with minimum of 80 yards of .004 to .006 diameter line of choice casting reel, lots of reels fit this goal with after market  shallow spools or off the shelf BFS reels.

Today more light to ML casting rods are available. If you go into Ultra Light fewer over the counter rods exist domestically because it’s a niche market.

I have always used light line for bass fishing then most anglers because my mentor was Jason Lucas who advocated light line.

 The answer to your question is you need a rod for the BSF reel.

Tom

PS, Dobyns offer Ultra Finesse casting rods. 

 

 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

In any scenario, the rod does the casting 

[MickD]

3 hours ago, WRB said:

Like any type of fishing the lure weight you plan to cast and line used are a major consideration to selecting a rod and reel.

The reason the rod is a major consideration is that in order to cast effectively and easily it needs to load properly.  It will load properly if its power is appropriate to the weight of the lure being cast.  Which with BFS leads to rods of lighter power.  And for good distance, longer is better than shorter.  A friend of mine recently built a BFS rod, and it according to him is working well.  It is off a blank that is called a walleye spin blank, 7 ' 2 ", ML power, Fast action.  If you have too much power in the rod it will feel like you're using a broomstick to cast the light lures, and you won't get much distance while working quite hard.