brophog

A medium spinning rod is actually my most used spinning rod because it’s such a great one rod solution to situations I may want to use a large variety of things but will only have one rod available. Casting I’ll use everything from tiny to massive, but have really little use for any mh/h spinning setups. I keep them purely to loan to others.

Correct, it was iterative. The central idea behind a BFS reel is reducing inertia, specifically the amount of force required to start the spool turning. Inertia is the resistance to change and that applies to speeding up and slowing down a spool. In designing the SV spool to better function in finesse applications, not only in terms of how the brake/rotor function but also in reducing the rotating mass of the spool itself, it has consequently made it more forgiving at the end of the cast because it’s inertia is reduced there as well.

I would say Daiwa’s SV brakes fit. Obviously iterative from before BFS specifically became a thing but it has evolved from a system thought of as a finesse spool to become a mainstream braking technology. It has a lot of benefits to non finesse users such as being good in poor weather or great for beginners.

It’s certainly an area of fishing where expectation can exceed reality and if someone enters it without realizing the compromises involved it can be frustrating. However, it’s exciting because it’s a new way of fishing for a lot of people. We are well past the point where practically every budget can just dominate something like a bass, and so going about that experience in a different way brings new life to the sport. The technology gains in pursuit of casting smaller and smaller baits has also filtered down throughout product lines benefiting even those not in pursuit of BFS.

With their narrow and shallow spools, line is going to be thin on a BFS reel and when line starts getting really thin they all become susceptible to dig in issues. The shallow spool really negates a lot of the consequences, though. The bigger issue, on some reels, is thin line getting between the frame and spool and wrapping itself around the spool shaft.

Well said. It’s definitely not something you can just walk into your local sporting goods store to buy. IMO, an even bigger obstacle than the reels are the rods, but a lot of dedicated BFS anglers will solve that by building their own on spinning rod blanks. This is a very expensive part of the hobby, and if you really want to go down this rabbit hole I heartily recommend not getting a larger reel and putting in a shallow spool. That can work to a degree for some of the larger and more aerodynamic finesse baits but you’ll quickly find it lacking overall. Those reels brakes just aren’t tuned for the very small baits and though you may find them capable of casting a bait, the accuracy greatly suffers. Doing a search for “BFS” on this site and tackletour will provide you a wealth of information. It’s not a cheap nor easy way to fish, but it is very fun.

At 1/8 oz, all of these will work, though how optimally may be very subjective. As you approach 1/16 oz you will really see why dedicated BFS reels exist. Alongside the reel it’s nice to have a lightweight shallow spool, small diameter line, and as little line spooled as necessary to keep weight down. Most of these BFS reels will go up to 3/8 oz, but you’ll often find the line you want to use casting a 1/16 oz and a 3/8 oz to be very different. Also, since BFS reels tend to be very small, they often have very high gear ratios to compensate and that can make the reel feel a bit sluggish with resistance baits when you start talking the higher end of your range. Personally, I would not use the same combo for this entire range. 1/8 oz and up is just a totally different animal when talking BFS.

That eliminates a lot more reels than I think you’re intending to eliminate with that clause. Everything from BFS reels on up would be affected by that.

The 2020 Alphas is made in Thailand.

If the pursuit is pure distance, I’m not taking any bass reel. Several companies make conventionals for this purpose, including but not limited to Penn, Abu and Akios.

Practically nothing is made in Japan these days, nor even Korea for that matter. Now it’s places Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand.

Reels are bound to diminishing returns like most consumer goods. In other words, the value doesn’t increase as fast as the price does. So if the question is one of worth, the answer is probably “no” for a top priced item, but that’s not the same as suggesting you shouldn’t buy it. Baitcasting reels are an excellent example of this because they’ve been priced at certain intervals for so long that most manufacturers build to certain price points. A $99 reel is going to be a really good, functional, workhorse reel from most brands. In comparison to more expensive models, it may not be as light, have as many bearings, or be built to as tight of tolerances. It may not have optional features like a clicking drag. A $500 reel is not ever going to be 5 times the reel as that $99 reel because that $99 reel is already a fully functional reel. That doesn’t mean you don’t still buy that $500 reel if it does something for you that a less expensive reel does not. If you want a 5 oz and under reel, it’s likely going to cost you. If you can deal with a couple ounces more, you can often save a lot of money and get basically the same reel. Certain people have certain features they consider a deal breaker and those features are generally priced into certain tiers. One word of caution when comparing reels. A lot of reels today are built off of the same platform. Sometimes the price difference is justified, sometimes they just decided to put in more handle bearings and sometimes that platform is even shared amongst different brands.

You don’t need any of that when throwing several ounces. That bait is already coming out hot. You’re mostly getting out of the rod’s way to deliver a full, accelerating, forward stroke.

I thought eating too many hushpuppies made for a well rounded angler.

There are a lot of great reels at that $100 price point. The Fuego CT is really nice because it can often be had for quite a bit less if you’re patient.

Most of the positives have been covered, but there are many negatives. Durability of materials. This is throughout the reel, from frame and side plates to drag stars, gearing, levelwinds, shafts, spools. Smoothness. Bearings add quite a bit of weight when you’re pinching fractions of an ounce. Even line capacity is often reduced because the line itself is fairly heavy. There is also a hollow nature to many of the very light reels that really turns a lot of people off. They can feel more toy like than a piece of precision machinery.

Then you have to convert it into a casting rod. It’s not as much a case that casting reels can’t do what a spinning reel can, it’s that it takes more expense, time, and effort to get there. For some, that’s just not worth it. For others, that added experience is what makes it worth it.

I totally agree with the comment about the Lexa Wn/HD. The Wn version is definitely cheaper but it’s a backup/occasional use version of that reel. As someone who has too often pushed gear way past its intended usage, once you start needing to get into 300/400 sized gear territory, don’t skimp. The money you thought you were saving is just going to the next reel.

I don’t know about you, but if I want fish most efficiently then I’m going to the grocery store.

For a beginner, there may be no more forgiving braking system than the Daiwa SV brakes. Yes, there may be a small reduction in casting distance depending on lure but you can set them to need little or no thumb even at splashdown (which is why a lot of people like them at night). The most forgiving part is when they do backlash they don’t tend to be as severe as many other braking systems, imo. The spool capacity is not an issue for line in the common 30-50 (braid) or 10-12 (mono) lb ranges that would be typical of a MH rod. It’s actually a plus because that spool is a little smaller to keep spool weight down which helps in casting lighter baits. The big lure weight range is a plus for someone only wanting to carry a couple all purpose setups. The Tatula has the zero adjuster knob, which is really a fancy way of saying they made the cast control hard to rotate. The brake dial on the Tatula is typical of a Daiwa, which if anything can be a bit hard to adjust. I guess if someone palmed it just right maybe they’d have a tendency to accidentally adjust it, but it’s certainly not a common occurrence. The only real downside would be price as there are certainly reels in this thread that would get the job done for less. But the Tatula is designed to be stress free and very versatile and that seems to tick the boxes here.

No problem. I was just wondering if I was misunderstanding. Price is definitely something that is a huge consideration here. BFS is something that can be gotten into at a cheaper price point, primarily through the use of aftermarket spools into existing reels or the newer cheap knockoffs, but it’s still niche enough that the good gear is still quite pricy.

This point makes me curious. Generally this is an area BFS excels in. Reels like the Daiwa Air Stream Custom are made just for that scenario.

I totally agree. Today’s reels make a lot of sacrifices in overall quality in the name of weight reduction.

The fixed spool design doesn’t scale well with regards to size and that greatly impacts things like drag pressure and line capacity. New materials have greatly neutralized those typical characteristics in spinning reels just as they have in casting reels. By and large, if someone wants to just use either they can. The problem is the rod market hasn’t really caught up with this new paradigm, so each reel is still sort of pushed towards finesse or power, respectively. That can be overcome to some degree, but it can often mean either needing to go custom or import.

They can be but with every iteration they are also getting better and better at being easier to accomplish finesse tactics that were previously spinning only. A significant obstacle is the fact it’s still almost exclusively a non-domestic market and that can present certain challenges, especially in regards to rods.