Robin

Probably have 15 plus Kistler rods that I have accumulated over the years. Most of them are Heliums. Everything from medium-light to heavy. The medium lights also work great for BFS, although they have a separate BFS rod line now. For the money, nothing beats a Helium for sensitivity and pure fishing enjoyment. They are very lightweight. I have yet to have any problems with quality or performance. They are the "real deal"! I also still have several of the old original Castaway rods from back in the 90s. I still rotate them in and out of service. These date back to Trey's Dad's old company. I will never part with them as long as I am still alive and fishing.

Picked up a 6'4 BFS model a couple of months ago and am very pleased. No experience with the previous Adrena models, but do have a number of the recent Exprides. The new Zodias is noticeably lighter than the Exprides and extremenly sensitive. Very pleased with my purchase. Would definitely buy again.

Still love my Calcutta 50 reels, but I have also crossed the 65 mark and my Aldebarans are much more enjoyable to fish for extended periods. I have some of the original Aldebarans, along with the 50s, 30s and BFS versions and they are all phenomenal reels. Paired with a 3 ounce BFS rod, the feeling is hard to describe. The Calcuttas are still in rotation though, for nostalgia purposes, and I suspect I will take them with me to my grave.

Just received a 24 Poison Adrena BFS rod from JDM Tackle Heaven. Rod is excellent and crazy light. Probably 10 grams lighter than the 2018 model (which is an excellent rod also).

Digitaka and JDM Tackle Heaven. Have ordered from both of them numerous times and service is very fast. Prices are great too. No complaints!

Hopefully a way will be found for someone to reintroduce the jigs and spinnerbaits. The design of their spinnerbait has certainly withstood the test of time for decades and it is still my top producing spinnerbait even after all of these years. There is a lot more competition then there was when it was released.

Bad news. So sorry to hear that.

I have converted several Shimano Curado 50, Adebaran 50 and Scorpion Xt 1000s to BFS using Avail spools and Roro bearings. They all perform great. I love the simplicity of the basic Shimano centrifugal brake system. More of a set and forget routine. They can all throw down to 2 grams without any problems. I do have some of the current BFS specific Aldebaran/Alphas that can throw lighter, but the old school modified Shimanos will beat them in distance once you get to 3-4 grams.

Stanley baits has evidently been acquired by GSM Outdoors. I believe this is the same group that has acquired Dobyns Rods along with numerous other fishing and hunting related small businesses. Wishing them the best going forward, but am currently extremely frustrated with the current state of affairs. I have been an avid and long-time user (30 plus years) of Stanley products and most of their products have seemingly disappeared from the major retailers inventories. I have ordered directly from Stanley's in the past with very good results. Although their website is still functional, it is not possible to place an order since they have no payment options available.They give you a phone number to call if you need help, but there are usually 40 plus calls ahead of you so the wait time is absolutely ridiculous. I'm not sure what GSM's future plans are for the Stanley product line, but I certainly hope things get back to normal quickly. Does anyone have any insight on what is going on over at GSM?

I would love to see Megabass release some worked over Daiwa reels. They add the "bling" factor. Not sure I would buy one though if the price is outrageous. SLP Works released a Millionaire CT last year that looked fantastic. Limited release though, and all were pre-sold. Available on ebay for $1500 plus or minus which is ridiculous.

Still lamenting yet another takeover of a long time/trusted brand by a VC group. Having worked in this industry in the capacity as a CPA for the past 45 plus years, it is all about the profits. Nothing else really matters. I have represented buyers and sellers over the years and most acquisitions turn out bad for the loyal long time supporters. Wishing GSM the best though! From what I can tell, they have a very good reputation and are led by a bunch of outdoor enthusiasts. Keeping my fingers crossed that they maintain the Stanley line. sts. s.

BFS covers a wide range of lures/weights. It is more about down-sizing. I also throw a lot of 2-4 gram hard baits, but love throwing very small spinnerbaits on my BFS gear. I guess you could call it "power " BFS. I do not believe there is one single concrete definition of what BFS actually is. In Japan they throw some fairly heavy stuff and often use 10lb test fluoro in many situations. I am not a trout magnet guy as most of my quarry are largemouth, Guadalupe and smallmouth bass in Texas Hill Country rivers and streams.

Just curious what everyone is using in this area. I have primarily been throwing Stanley baby 1/8oz spinnerbaits and have had tremendous success with them. I have been a huge fan of their spinnerbaits in all sizes forever. They just plain "work"! It appears they have recently been acquired by GSM Outdoors (like a lot of fishing companies) and you are not currently able to order anything off their website. I called the number they posted for questions, but every time there was approximately 20 people on hold ahead of me. Hopefully, they will get things up and running soon and maintain the existing product line. In the meantime, any suggestions on alternatives? I have tried the Strike Kings babys and Booyah pond magics and they are way to flimsy. I routinely run into 2lb plus bass and the Stanleys can handle them.

I have purchased 6 rods from JDM Tackle Heaven and never had a problem. Use my wife's Shop-Pay account and everything has worked out great. Delivery is usually within 4 days. Sorry to hear you are having problems with them. Digitaka usually beats them on reel prices, but JDM has about the best selection of JDM rods anywhere. Already got a 24 Poison Adrena BFS from them along with an Orochi Cliffhanger.

Still have several in service. Favorite is a calcutta 50xt. It has a drilled/lighter spool than the standard calcutta. Swapped out for Roro bearings and was pleasantly surprised. It will now cast down to 2 oz. with some effort, but 3-5 oz is no problem with 8lb braid. Also have a Millionaire CT with a Roro spool and it can easily handle 2 grams.