Baicaster for finesse lures

[Basshunter_]

I was wondering what are some good baitcaster for finesse lures? Looking for something that can handle very light lures and still cast without a problem.

[Jig Man]

The rod may make more difference than the reel.

[Tennessee Boy]

I’m very pleased with the Diawa Silverwolf PE special.  

[KP Duty]

Tatula 80 or 100 with a spool from ali-x is the cheapest way to go.  

[bulldog1935]

Late to the party, I just got back from the river with 2 high school aquatic science classrooms (hmm, Antonian HS brought 67 students - I think that's more than AS class...) - they were releasing trout fry into cold Guadalupe tailwater - they raised the fry from eggs - I head up the program for Texas with 32 schools.  

 

If you ever have the desire to swap spools around, some UL, some ML, and the ability to fish light braid on to 1 oz lures, you can't beat the 34-mm Zillion/Steez platform, which includes Silver Wolf ready to finesse from the box  @Tennessee Boy.  

You can spend a little less with Air TW, the Alphas platform, but from here down, you lose the versatility.  

Showing examples of 2 spools, the 1000 Boost PE Special that comes with Silver Wolf, and a Roro aftermarket spool, which will send 1/16 oz into next week (seriously, 130').  

 

I also agree with @KP Duty, you'll do better fitting aftermarket spool for Tatula over buying a cheap Express website package reel.  Others may have different results, but from the go, Steez/Zillion and aftermarket spools (Ray's Studio, AMO) have been a boon for me, fishing 2- and 3-g lures.  

 

adding PS about the forgiving part - both Boost PE Special and Ray's Studio spools are SV, which is wide range and forgiving.  Both AMO and Roro spools are fixed rotor (linear mag only), which is not wide range, and cast the lightest weights to the greatest distance, which also doesn't need to be as forgiving.  

[Eric 26]

@Basshunter_ Here’s a version of the spool both @KP Duty was referring to and originally shared with me by @bulldog1935, although I haven’t picked one up myself yet it’s just a matter of time before I do for my Tatula 80.

[Jason Penn]

i've had great luck with the dark wolf ultra, and kastking kestrel, kestrel elite, and valliant eagle 2 reels.

 

it sounds stupid to me, but i was all daiwa rods & reels before i got hard into bfs. i haven't purchased a daiwa bfs reel yet. the reels above have worked so well for me with tsurinoya rods that i haven't felt the need to go high dollar.

[JN94]

How light of lures are you talking about? Sub 7g? 7-10g? Agree with others on here that rod will be an equal if not more important part of the equation 

[ABU is overpriced]

still using a pixy with a px68 finnese special spool, and see no reason to ever think of changing unless i want to cast under 1/16oz which i simply don't go this low.

[Dye99]

I havent gone to far into the BFS stuff, but I do have one set up.

Destroyer popx stick with a Alderbaron.

I found that reel can be finicky but will throw a feather if you ask it to without backlashing once its set up.

Pricey though.

[Basshunter_]

21 hours ago, Jig Man said:

The rod may make more difference than the reel.

This might be my problem.

[Basshunter_]

14 hours ago, JN94 said:

How light of lures are you talking about? Sub 7g? 7-10g? Agree with others on here that rod will be an equal if not more important part of the equation 

I would assume the problem is my medium heavy rod then since I have a shimano curado 200k

[Basshunter_]

19 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

Late to the party, I just got back from the river with 2 high school aquatic science classrooms (hmm, Antonian HS brought 67 students - I think that's more than AS class...) - they were releasing trout fry into cold Guadalupe tailwater - they raised the fry from eggs - I head up the program for Texas with 32 schools.  

 

If you ever have the desire to swap spools around, some UL, some ML, and the ability to fish light braid on to 1 oz lures, you can't beat the 34-mm Zillion/Steez platform, which includes Silver Wolf ready to finesse from the box  @Tennessee Boy.  

You can spend a little less with Air TW, the Alphas platform, but from here down, you lose the versatility.  

Showing examples of 2 spools, the 1000 Boost PE Special that comes with Silver Wolf, and a Roro aftermarket spool, which will send 1/16 oz into next week (seriously, 130').  

 

I also agree with @KP Duty, you'll do better fitting aftermarket spool for Tatula over buying a cheap Express website package reel.  Others may have different results, but from the go, Steez/Zillion and aftermarket spools (Ray's Studio, AMO) have been a boon for me, fishing 2- and 3-g lures.  

 

adding PS about the forgiving part - both Boost PE Special and Ray's Studio spools are SV, which is wide range and forgiving.  Both AMO and Roro spools are fixed rotor (linear mag only), which is not wide range, and cast the lightest weights to the greatest distance, which also doesn't need to be as forgiving.  

Thanks for the info. I'll definitely take a look and see. I think my first step should probably be to change my rod since I currently have a medium heavy rod. Thanks

[Basshunter_]

13 hours ago, ABU is overpriced said:

still using a pixy with a px68 finnese special spool, and see no reason to ever think of changing unless i want to cast under 1/16oz which i simply don't go this low.

Thanks, I dont want to cast anything lower than 1/16 but with my current setup I just can't get the lure very far. I am using a medium heavy rod.

[bulldog1935]

@Basshunter_ adding the pss about Silver Wolf spool capacity - the 3.5-mm-deep Boost PE spool will hold a working capacity of 8-lb mono/fluoro - it holds more line than Daiwa rates it.  Another advantage to Silver Wolf, it has increased LW pitch, which prevents line dig with the tiniest threadline (rated down to 0.11-mm-dia).  

 

Cal at TackleTour recently gave kudos to Abu Garcia baitfinesse rods

https://www.tackletour.com/reviewabugarciazenonbfsrods.html

 

While I don't have these exact rods, the JDM Abu salt versions are stacking up around my house. 

http://www.tackletour.net/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=90459#p728306

[JN94]

10 minutes ago, Basshunter_ said:

Thanks, I dont want to cast anything lower than 1/16 but with my current setup I just can't get the lure very far. I am using a medium heavy rod.

I'd look for rods rated up to 3/8oz or 1/4oz in most cases then, depending on how light you're trying to go and assuming all of these lures will be under 7g (1/4oz) in total weight. You'll want a BFS reel as well with appropriate line to match

[bulldog1935]

I'm the opposite here, I prefer wide-range baitfinesse rods,

both for reservoir 

  and inshore kayak

Xrossfield is closing out in Japan, and I went back for a second $70 rod.  Abu named this rod for "crossing all fields" seabass to bass finesse.  

amazon listing

google search

 

None of these rods feel tippy, they all cast their rated 1/16 low-end with accuracy, and to 130' on the right reel set-up.  They're all light-in-hand, good bottom-contact feel, and fish their full-weight range with aplomb.    They also have the butt power to horse big fish at the boat.  

 

A TKF friend moved from PNW to TX coast 2 years ago.  He went fish-less the first year, and saw the advantage to BFS for inshore (he watched a lot of Gulf coast youtubes).  His first BFS combo included Alphas Air and Dobyns Sierra 69L baitfinesse rod.  He couldn't get the distance he wanted, and said he was terribly under-gunned on the fish he started catching (especially from kayak).  On my recommendation, he snagged Omen Green ML, and has been tearing them up ever since.  He and I each went back for one more of these on recent half-price closeout.  

[KP Duty]

Tat 80 for $88

 

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806480845906.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.11.302322f8inuSXQ&algo_pvid=8286b4d1-d16b-497c-9a3b-95a8bd654fd2&algo_exp_id=8286b4d1-d16b-497c-9a3b-95a8bd654fd2-5&pdp_npi=4%40dis!USD!229.59!88.58!!!1641.09!633.16!%402103080617147177710442076eaf0e!12000037970017973!sea!US!4058319755!&curPageLogUid=nH9gFuiJjqHx&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch|query_from%3A

[Bigbox99]

53 minutes ago, KP Duty said:

Tat 80 for $88

 

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806480845906.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.11.302322f8inuSXQ&algo_pvid=8286b4d1-d16b-497c-9a3b-95a8bd654fd2&algo_exp_id=8286b4d1-d16b-497c-9a3b-95a8bd654fd2-5&pdp_npi=4%40dis!USD!229.59!88.58!!!1641.09!633.16!%402103080617147177710442076eaf0e!12000037970017973!sea!US!4058319755!&curPageLogUid=nH9gFuiJjqHx&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch|query_from%3A

That's a steal at that price.

[Eric 26]

[FryDog62]

I tried to use my SV Daiwas (Tatula, Zillion) to throw a 3/16 oz lure (lure+ plastic = .19 on a postage meter scale) and it didn’t cast very well.  You end up tightening down the brakes far enuf to prevent backlash, but the extra resistance limits distance and also pulls the lure to the left. 1/4 oz and above works pretty well.
 

For 3/16 and less I go to a Curado BFS and it works phenomenally.  Unless there’s a lot of wind, then you do have to tighten down a bit.  

[bulldog1935]

$80 will get a Steez/Zillion swap-in spool that will cast 1/16 oz to 130'

My spools are zero-set with 1 mm end-play in freespool.  

If you're set up like this, and getting start-up backlash, it's because your cast stroke has wrist snap either at the beginning or end - ala spinning cast, which rewards cast jerk with distance - with B/C, that same amount of jerk energy has to be absorbed by centrifugal or SV brake to prevent start-up backlash, so it adds ZIP to cast distance.  Without wrist snap, light lures don't have enough spool jerk to create start-up backlash.  You set mag dial to prevent mid-cast (wind) backlash using the lightest thing you ever intend to throw.  

While I pick my own BFS bearings for salt use, AMO spool even comes with the palm-cap BFS micro-bearing (for freshwater).  

And if you want to cast a few g into the wind, you add a couple of mag-dial notches.  

For stock Zillion/Steez 1016 SV spool, 12-lb fluoro, routine cast distance w/ 1/8-oz JH +plastic  is 85 to 90' - plenty to fish.  

[new2BC4bass]

10 hours ago, Basshunter_ said:

I would assume the problem is my medium heavy rod then since I have a shimano curado 200k

Definitely the wrong rod.  I don't have that particular reel, but personally feel it's a long ways from being a good option.  I wouldn't consider using my Curado 201E7 for finesse.

 

2 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

I tried to use my SV Daiwas (Tatula, Zillion) to throw a 3/16 oz lure (lure+ plastic = .19 on a postage meter scale) and it didn’t cast very well.  You end up tightening down the brakes far enuf to prevent backlash, but the extra resistance limits distance and also pulls the lure to the left. 1/4 oz and above works pretty well.
 

For 3/16 and less I go to a Curado BFS and it works phenomenally.  Unless there’s a lot of wind, then you do have to tighten down a bit.  

I used a tuned TD-Z 105H and two older gold colored Carbonlites (stock) to learn how to cast #5 Shad Raps (3/16 oz.).  I wasn't getting 130' with them, but feel quite sure that the 90' range was my normal distance with the setups I was using.

[dodgeguy]

Lews Custom Lite shallow spool

[bulldog1935]

the OP turned out to be a rod question