bulldog1935

Long steelhead rod, MH Fast distance rocket, Lamiglas Rogue River Special. Killer surf-lure rod. Bought on close-out, very nicely appointed with gold titanium-frame guides. My back-up bait rod, 3-pc kept in kayak hold - 7' MF Cabela's Salt Striker. Same blank as TFO Traveler, and bought on close-out for $50.

I have been buying from Japan for 20 years, since the only way to buy was using a broker in Japan, both because of the language barrier and banking laws - even if they sell through paypal, it must be based in an offshore bank - offshore credit cards are not accepted in Japan by law. Then, it was the only place you could find quality new glass fly rods, and we had a cult going on FFR for Kineya, Trutta, Quiet Loop, Norie, Studio Thin Line, brown-glass Fenwick, etc. I still use Masamichi at noppin.com for shops that don't sell direct to US, such as SquidMania, Haneda Craft, and KTF (exceptional spool bearings). He's also set up to bid for you on yahoo.jp. This was a rolled-on-order S-glass inshore fly rod that cost what you'd expect I've also been buying from UK and EU that long. New and antique fly reels, all those bike parts @Eric 26 dreads. Tackle and bike parts from across both big ponds for half what you'd pay here for the same. @KP Duty I have never once been required to pay an import duty on my purchases. the triangle with the lightning bolt is the JDM home market quality approval sticker A funny story about import duties. JY Young & Sons of Redditch (est.1905) decided in 2001 they couldn't compete with offshore manufacturing in fly reels, and closed the line. This Revolution, s/n 139 was made the last month they were open. FishPersonKev on ebay bought the entire parts inventory, assembled the reels here, and sold them as J. Austin Forbes. He carried the entire parts inventory in his suitcase on successive trips to and from Redditch, to avoid customs duties. It took him more than 11 years to sell all the reels and close his website.

The Alcance is electric-fast. It came up on a recent parallel discussion about the surprising Super Duty G. The Alcance has the magnesium spool options not available for Lew's, and just astounds with cast distance. And of course it's overall lighter weight.

I was so impressed with my first Valleyhill rod, I came back for 2 others. All-range BFS 6'7" Inshore MH 7'5" Inshore MH 7'2" For their weight rating and action, they're surprisingly light in hand. Though I'd have to admit, if I could find similar configurations in Yamaga Blanks, would head straight there. Y/B rods are shocking lightweight for their long length, most aimed for shore fishing, and they just don't make boat rods in my target niches - their boat rods are aimed for near/offshore.

Of course every fly rod must have a soft, progressive tip, just to get short lengths of line started, but you'd be amazed how fast both Phillipson glass and PHY Driggs River (para) are for fly rods. They also roll-cast exceptionally, where short fly rods most often come up "short". For glass and round reels, couldn't be more delighted with my Smith SS FO-56, though it's also an S-glass blend. Really handy for skipping from a kayak.

@redmeansdistortion congrats on that nice addition. I can think of cane and glass fly rods that are that weight or lighter. My 8' Leonard Fairy Catskill is that same weight (3-wt from 1915), also PHY Driggs River (7'2" 5-wt). Glass fly rods are optimum at 7' and shorter. My buddy Josh cleaned up last weekend with two venerable glass rods I presented to him (for all the good times he's extended to me), 6'6" Phillipson Fly Fox, and 6'8" St. Croix Featherweight, both under 2 oz. https://texaskayakfisherman.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=254601

If you're used to casting spinning tackle, there's a tendency to jerk with your wrist - it's rewarded with distance in spinning tackle. Casting a baitcaster has to be a smoother start - all jerk you add to the cast is only start-up backlash.

FishingShop.Kiwi has Daiwa BBB casting in stock, 3 lengths, 6'1" MF and longer ML and M. $40 to ship.

@Phil77 My Super Duty casts 1/8 oz very well - much better than Lew's centrifugal brake reels, but my Zillion with Ray's SV honeycomb spool squeezes that to 1/16 oz, and then casts 7/8 oz without making an adjustment - also loads and fishes PE#1.2 X-braid perfectly. On the 1/8 oz, it has a distance edge on the SD. 2nd year in coast wind without anything remotely close to backlash.

horse hockey. If you want the shortest possible cast, you use end tension on the spool. If you want the longest possible cast, you set the spool for slight side play, and won't adjust it again until you change spools. Certainly Daiwa SV brake doesn't need end tension for cast reliability. If you're a reliable caster, you don't need end tension on your Ambassadeurs or Lew's, either, and will set them the same. If you remove your palm plate, open the "zero adjust" knob before you reinstall the side plate, then adjust it for slight side play. The one thing you will notice about it, they made it so you have to want to adjust it - it's not easy to get to, and not easy to turn even when you get there. Vs.

two ways we like our beans - pintos with tomatillo sauce stirred-in Black beans layered in chili pie with tortillas and cheese (but not beans in the chili - cubed round steak) But my Tennessee roots loves black-eyed peas (jalapenos) and cornbread. .

the tournament reel is the answer to the title of the thread taken out of context. In the context of the OP's actual question, he is asking for something modern that may cast farther than the reels he already owns. The general answer and consensus is that he's already there with what he has. The way to improve on what he has is casting a lighter weight spool (with better spool bearings)

My Smith weighs more than a pound, but I don't want to fish with it.

Looks like hair algae from run-off of phosphorus fertilizer (Scott's Winterizer) - certainly the fix-able blight of Texas hill country rivers and coastal estuaries. I know you're over-filled with bike photos, but these are worth showing. Climbed to the pinnacle of the greenways this morning, and stopped off at the Medicine Wall for photo op with rock climbers.

hey, what do I know

@PressuredFishing I personally don't like it, the 14 oz is the worst part. To me, it's not worth the trouble because my baitcasters are so much better in every way. What we were talking about UL, though, is fun just because it's UL. The UL-1 cast really well matched with the Eagle Claw UL glass casting rod.

that's because BFS for trout made it to USA after BFS for bass. I hope this thing is on.

It would never be a switch, fun supplement, great kidfish, grandkidfish tool. I bought mine before kids just for the fun of using it for UL rigs off docks. My younger daughter took it over. As soon as she could fish the Penn 4200SS, the UL-1 was retired. My buddy Lou doesn't go inshore without his Zebco Bullet. Shimano Ultegra on the other rod.

The Japanese coined BFS about a dozen years ago, referring to the combination of shallow light spool and low-inertia micro spool bearings. Their target was stream trout fishing. Targeting bass followed. Over the past few years, they've been offering salt BFS rods.

I fished through my Daiwa MiniCast on too many white bass. I don't think you can go wrong with the Zebco Gold Micro.

Ambassadeur 1500 was introduced in 1977 - hard to argue it was intended for anything else. Don Iovino was making his mark fishing BFS in the '80s. This diminutive Shakespeare Tournament freespool, 1935 model year, will fish 1/8 oz all day - light alloy spool with factory cork arbor making it shallow for 50 yds 4-lb silk braid - the cane rods of the day were offered in matching light action.

Often longer rods with the same rating, much of the length is a longer soft tip. You may get more direct feel on the deep lure with the slightly shorter rod of the same rating. It's absolutely true that the longer rod will cast farther, but most 1/8 oz that I fish will cast as far as I need on a slightly shorter rod (thinking of a 6'7" casting rod).

You can effectively slow it down with a longer handle. I ordered the ZPI Alcance NS from a Japan website, and the guy send me the XS - he offered to sell me the NS also, but I bought my favorite Avail replacement handle instead.

Zebco makes their reels to be disposable. Their customer service is excellent. If you send them a reel for repair, they send you a gratis replacement. Zebco UL-1 on Eagle Claw Featherlight glass casting rod with cork pistol grip. Clinton Beeler is the Zebco heir, used to post regularly on ORCA, but hasn't posted on the ORCA forum in a couple of years. https://reeltalk.orcaonline.org/search.php?author_id=205&sr=posts

@QED here's my Cross frame, built upright, big 35-mm gravel tires Paul canti brakes, geared 2x9 with a granny ring and custom cassette - functions more like two 1x9, road and off-road - the big ring gives narrow road gears - granny ring gives single-track control and climbs trees - still fast for pavement distance. Half-frame bag with multipiece fly rod tube in the rod travel spot. I add rando bag on front rack to carry fishing bag and wading shoes. Ostrich bags - JDM at Alex's Cycle. The collapsed casting rod is an inch shorter than the fly rod tube - easy fit in the half frame bag. Plus you can carry it lined, which makes it easier to set up moving from crossing to crossing. First JDM rod I've ever seen with a hook keeper.