BFS Rabbit Hole

[Rockhopper]

As I am currently downsizing numbers and upgrading to high end gear, bfs comes to mind.  It is something I have always wanted to try, but do not want yet another rod sitting around not getting used much.  If I were to go this route and add one to my collection while I am trying to get rid of about half of what I have, my question to you all is this.  Is it actually worth investing in?  I know that is a subjective question, but do you find yourself enjoying bfs over a spinning setup to accomplish the same thing?  I could always try it and sell it, I have always been curious, but is it truly VERY niche, or do you find it is a staple to you?

 

I would most likely be looking at curado or aldebaran, matched up to a Cashion Icon 6'10" Medium Light, Cashion Icon 7' Light, or a Megabass Destroyer P5 Pop X Stick.

 

What say you?

[ABU is overpriced]

If you like fishing with a baitcaster, and you aren't just using it because its needed, BFS is a must. Completely got rid of all my spinning gear back in 2013 because of it. And as someone who fishes a lot of walleyes in early and late season, BFS is so good for small bottom presentations. Its also funny how pretty much all walleye fisherman that i see around, never use em, and usually stick to spinning gear. Then again, i don't expect them to even know what BFS is, so yeaa.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

BFS is an enthusiast niche. I recommend you try it just for enjoyment sake. If it doesn’t appeal to you strongly enough to try, you’re not missing out on anything efficiency wise. 

[softwateronly]

I took the advice of @bulldog1935 and picked up a ML/BFS salt rod last year.  It has been awesome for me and I quickly found reasons to fish with it as often as possible.  I put a new spool in an underutilized zillion, loaded it with pe #1 to 10lb sniper, and fished various 3.5-20g in open water to much success.  I fished spinning only for 30 plus years and am now currently fishing casting only.  Being able to throw and work lighter baits further and more comfortably while being able to fight and control larger fish is the perfect combo for me many months out of the year.  

 

scott

[MediumMouthBass]

 

3 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

BFS is an enthusiast niche. I recommend you try it just for enjoyment sake. If it doesn’t appeal to you strongly enough to try, you’re not missing out on anything efficiency wise. 

Hard to find someone who doesnt have the hive mind today. I agree 100% its a personal preference niche, not a game changer.

 

Low end combo $100-200, higher end non Amazon house brand special junk $250-500.

Its not worth it to me, because a $30 Sienna paired with a L/Ul/ML rod for $30 does everything i need all the way down to 1/64, which is the lowest i go. If i wanted to have a more premium setup maybe $200 in total for a spinning combo that i know i will use.

 

BFS only gives you an edge over spinning gear if using very very light weights, think about the very small baits from Japan. In recent years on Reddit, and Youtube mainly the term BFS has been hijacked by these "influencers" throwing 1/16, 1/8, 1/4 baits on these "BFS" rods and reels. As far as i know BFS weights are much lighter. Both the Cashion rods you mentioned are a bit high in the ratings, L is 1/16oz low end, ML is 1/8oz low end. In those ratings i dont see any benefit that BFS would have over the equivalent spinning combo.

3 hours ago, Rockhopper said:

I could always try it and sell it, I have always been curious, but is it truly VERY niche

Its hard to sell used gear to begin with, without taking a major loss. Something this much of a niche would be tougher or easier depending on where you go to sell it. But you are alienating 80-90% of people on the market looking to buy a casting combo, BFS is the minority, not the majority.

 

All this being said, it doesnt matter what i, the guy above me, or the guy below me think about if its niche, or worth it.

What do you think? Do you want it? Do you think it will make your time on the water more enjoyable? More fun? Give you something new? And you can afford it?

Then go for it, you wont know unless you try. You might love it, or not.

Only you will be able to decide.

 

(if you arent sure you will like it, buy a Tatula 100 and put in an aftermarket BFS spool, and buy a cheap BFS rod) This is the cheapest way, and if you dont like it. Atleast the Tatula will work for what you are currently using for casting gear,

Edited January 30 by MediumMouthBass

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

I still prefer spinning. Have daiwa t3 w/5g spool and a daiwa sv105 w/7g spool. Both with upgraded spool bearings. They weren't being used so bought bfs spool for them and still don't use them much. Imo bfs is for 1/8 and under and my spinning set-up still performs better at those weights

[johnmyers]

I did this last year. I had carpal tunnel surgery on both wrists. My right wrist did not respond. I cast spinning with my right hand so I did casting with my left hand spinning was all NRX and I went with Aldebaren BFS and Expride 6’8” light and Megabass pop x stick and NRX plus 841c inshore and has been a blast fishing with these. It is unreal how far you can cast with these outfits I fish a 1/10 oz Ned rig on the 841c farther than on spinning and have caught a lot of 3-5lb smallmouth on this on Lake Huron. I don’t think you would be disappointed 

[Bigbox99]

It only makes sense to use it to take advantage of spooling with straight fluoro and to use the BFS rods which are typically much more powerful than a similar UL/L/ML spinning rod with UL or L rods having M powered rod like backbones and shutting off after the 1st guide.  That has been my experience with BFS rods from Japan.  I have no idea if the US rods are like this or even if they know what they are doing. 

 

I would just get a Majorcraft Day's L and Tatula 70 SV or BF 70 if you're the buy off TW kind of guy.  Spool with 10# sniper and go cast and skip weightless small plastics and jigs into cover.  

[Rockhopper]

3 minutes ago, johnmyers said:

I went with Aldebaren BFS and Expride 6’8” light and Megabass pop x stick and NRX plus 841c inshore

of the three rods, can you explain some differences and name your favorite overall?

[Bigbox99]

Don't overlook the Shimano BFS versions of their casting rods lines.  They may not sell them on TW but the L powered Zodias, Expride, Posion Adrena and Posion Glorious are all legit Japense BFS rods.  You can get these from Japan for pretty reasonable prices.  Frankly I would even be looking at non Japenese brands.  It's like ordering sushi at the burger place. 

 

The only BFS rod on TW I would consider in the 68L Day's because Majorcraft knows how to build a BFS rod and the Volkey was the gateway drug into BFS for early adopter of these kind of bass rods in the US.

[Rockhopper]

29 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said:

All this being said, it doesnt matter what i, the guy above me, or the guy below me think about if its niche, or worth it.

What do you think? Do you want it? Do you think it will make your time on the water more enjoyable? More fun? Give you something new? And you can afford it?

Then go for it, you wont know unless you try. You might love it, or not.

Only you will be able to decide.

 

(if you arent sure you will like it, buy a Tatula 100 and put in an aftermarket BFS spool, and buy a cheap BFS rod) This is the cheapest way, and if you dont like it. Atleast the Tatula will work for what you are currently using for casting gear,

I don't know what I think as I have never tried it.  That is why I posed the question.  I very much appreciate your detailed response.

 

Money is not really a concern.  If I am going to try this out, I am going to go all in the first time.  If I find I love it, I do not want to be in the position of just wanting to upgrade again.  I am currently moving away from that.

[casts_by_fly]

2 hours ago, Rockhopper said:

As I am currently downsizing numbers and upgrading to high end gear, bfs comes to mind.  It is something I have always wanted to try, but do not want yet another rod sitting around not getting used much.  If I were to go this route and add one to my collection while I am trying to get rid of about half of what I have, my question to you all is this.  Is it actually worth investing in?  I know that is a subjective question, but do you find yourself enjoying bfs over a spinning setup to accomplish the same thing?  I could always try it and sell it, I have always been curious, but is it truly VERY niche, or do you find it is a staple to you?

 

I would most likely be looking at curado or aldebaran, matched up to a Cashion Icon 6'10" Medium Light, Cashion Icon 7' Light, or a Megabass Destroyer P5 Pop X Stick.

 

What say you?

 

I went down this path last year. I've always disliked spinning gear on the whole and far prefer casting gear.  I didn't want true BFS per se, but the ability to throw down to a 1/16 head on a light 3" plastic (total weight around 1/8oz).  On the upper end a 1/4 oz plus a 3" medium plastic (which I can throw on plenty of other casting gear also).  My thinking was that I could eliminate spinning entirely and only carry this rod, then on top of that it would be useful for other light applications to take load off my other baitcasters.  Fishing out of a kayak, I carry 5 rods typically and with the specific rod holder setup I have a spinning rod is a pain to fit as I can only put it in 1 of the slots due to the extra size of the handle and reel.  So grab a BFS setup and leave the spinning rod home permanently- that was the idea.  I went with the KastKing Zephyr (bought used here in BR) and the Phenix ML after a bunch of chats here about what I wanted to do.  I figured if I didn't like it then I wasn't out much and if I did then I could probably recoup most of my money on an upgrade should I want one (or keep it as is if I like it that much as lots of guys do).

 

In practice, the more light stuff I fished last year (primarily neds) on both spinning and BFS (usually in the same trip) the more I see the need for a spinning rod.  I still prefer to cast a baitcaster and the thumb control for distance/placement is just too natural to me.  For ligher moving baits like a bomber little A I prefer a casting rod.  If I'm fishing to targets then the baitcaster is just better for me for that.  If I'm fishing a broader area or fishing neds at distance, the spinning rod is just better.  With the same bait the spinning rod was outcasting the casting rod despite giving up 4" length.  With lighter stuff even moreso.  Of course distance isn't the be-all-end-all and the Kastking's braking system isn't the best.  But if you want to throw a ned rid 40 yards the spinning rod will just do it more easily.  Then on top of that, I found that my mentaility changed fishing a spinning rod and a casting rod, even though both had the same bait and the same line.  The spinning rod is a finesse setup.  I was treating the casting rod the same as my heavies- pitching into heavier cover than I should, eye crossing hooksets, etc.  That doesn't work with 8 lb fluoro leader.  That's a function of me and not the rod, but after a year of doing it I never changed my ways.

 

I'll keep the BFS setup and I might even upgrade it.  An aldebaran BFS has been calling my name and Falcon just came out with a new BFS type rod (more like a light casting than true BFS which is fine with me).  But I've hesitated on that.  You know what I didn't hesitate on?  Another spinning rod setup even more geared to neds than what I already had. 

 

 

[johnmyers]

1 hour ago, Rockhopper said:

of the three rods, can you explain some differences and name your favorite overall?

More like a badger hole for me and if I had 1 to pick it would be NXS 841c inshore and Aldebaren braid to floro. This is unreal on casting distance and size of smallmouth it can handle. Ned rigs and wacky Senkos 

And also works great for jig n raps and blades for walleye

[johnmyers]

NRX 841c inshore has more power and could do all BFS with this more than other 2 but all 3 are great can’t go wrong with any of them

[Big Swimbait]

People laugh at my rigs in the boat. Big swimbaits and BFS. If you want to have a blast, get you the Scooper Frog Baby by Bottom up. They are not cheap but they are elastomer  and last forever. For you serious froggers, get the Magnum at 7/8 ounce!

[GreenPig]

  Picked a pair of Aldebaran BFS and paired them with a couple Dobyns Ultra Finesse rods, September last year. They've been alot of fun and I feel much more in touch with my lure vs spinning. I figured if I enjoyed them, I'd upgrade the rods later, but I see no need as they work just fine for my needs. I say try atleast one BFS.

 

But the downsizing of gear doesn’t make any sense to me.😁

[FrnkNsteen]

I haven't dove deep down that hole, but I did pick up a Dobyns Sierra SUF740c rod a couple years ago on a whim, then bought a Rays BFS spool for a Tatula SV that I had. I then bought a Shimano SLX BFS from someone here in the marketplace.

 

I haven't taken MUCH time to play with it, but I will say small 1/16 - 1/8 jig heads with a small twist tail or paddle tail have been fun on friends ponds picking up 1-2lb bass. The tiny little crappie crankbaits have been fun too. 

 

Tempted to bring it up to Ontario with me this summer and see what 2-4lb Smallmouth are like on it. 😃

[msgf91]

Don't do it! It's a trap! The baitmonkey just wants you to find a new "warm and fuzzy"! I thought i would be getting less spinning tackle after trying BFS but the baitmonkey said "well now you need to step up your spinning game"  

 

All kidding aside, when I tried BFS, it was quite meh because I was already using spinning tackle and having a blast UL and L fishing. But what it did was just give me something new to be obsessed with. Especially now with the CDM market  blowing up. There's so many reels and rods. 

 

[new2BC4bass]

11 hours ago, GreenPig said:

But the downsizing of gear doesn’t make any sense to me.😁

 

Normally I would have agreed with you....but believe it or not, there comes a point when you realize you have too many choices.  You can spend more time deciding on what to take than the amount of time you spend on the water. 

 

OP, I grew up on spinning.  Once I tried a baitcast reel, I didn't want to go back.  I say give it a shot.  You might wind up loving it.  I picked up finesse spools for a Steez, Pixy, and Alphas.  I'm ashamed to admit I haven't tried one yet.  Although I retired to Florida about 2 years ago, I haven't been fishing in months. 

[Craig P]

BFS is in my hands 85% of the time now but I don't know that a 6'-8" rod with 6-8# line should really be considered "finesse".  It just lets me throw baits down to 1/8 ounce and be efficient when throwing at banks from the boat.

[Bass Rutten]

Someone above said "BFS only gives you an edge over spinning gear if using very very light weights", that is simply false, it’s not as niche as it’s made out to be anymore. One of the biggest fallacies around bfs is that it is just ultralight fishing with baitcasters. There’s no industry standard for rods or lures that defines them as bfs, people just be making up their own definitions. Rod and lure are chosen for your target species/application not by some arbitrary weight range or rod power (within reason obviously). Many bfs spools are rated to 15 grams and more. Another myth being that bfs is trying to replace spinning gear. They have different purposes, (bass) bfs was designed specifically for accuracy, stealth, and power in pressured tight quarter fishing scenarios.

 

Some real advantages over spinning gear of a casting reel with lighter spool/bearings and line are improvements in ease of casting, lure control, accuracy, sensitivity, line management, and very stealthy lure entries. Also, a nice side benefit is being able to spool up with straight 8 or 10lb fluoro line, try that on your spinning reel! A few disadvantages are a bit of a learning curve, and deep water applications. If that sounds good to you then yes it's worth diving into the rabbit hole.

 

[woolleyfooley]

Any chance there are BFS spools that would work with the a Daiwa steez a2?

[bulldog1935]

When somebody tells you BFS only makes sense His way - sounds like DEI to me.  

BFS only makes sense your way.  

 

@softwateronly called out Abu (Pure Fishing Japan) baitfinesse.  I've found these to be real workhorse rods, from $100 to $200.  

$250 Yamaga Blanks is an ultimate light distance rod.  The difference, the Abu rod has a long fast mid giving up a little distance to be great at working lures.  Put the two together, they're still cheaper than a $600 EverGreen.  

[softwateronly]

I just ordered the 7'9LT-BFS it's so much fun, both available at asian portal right now.  I'm not gonna run into a dd on my waters, but the dozen plus 20"+ LM, a few 18" SM, a 3'+ Northern, and a 25" King that I caught on bfs last year is a fine substitute for now.  A spinning set up could have done all of the same things, but the ease and comfort of casting currently takes it to another level of enjoyment for me.

 

scott

 

 

 

[Bigbox99]

17 hours ago, woolleyfooley said:

Any chance there are BFS spools that would work with the a Daiwa steez a2?

Yes, lots and lots