QED

I've been fishing for bass using UL spinning gear for ages. But only in appropriate environments. I use 2-6 lb test. As for lures, we're in the golden age of finesse baits so no shortage of options. What has worked well for me is small 1/8 oz spinnerbaits, skinny 4" curl tail texas rigged worms {with light bullet sinkers), finesse zman and senko stick baits (wacky, drop shot, or texas rig), small balsa crankbaits, small lipless crankbaits, small rapalas, do nothing slider rigs, etc. Basically, scaled down versions of all the usual baits. I've even successfully used smaller topwater frogs (livetarget, spro, booyah in the smallest form factors) but that's just for fun and not an ideal use case.

I have a bunch of Steez reels in the BFS and finesse range (e.g., JDM Daiwa Steez AIR TW 500XXH and Daiwa Steez CT SV 70 XH). They are spendy but brilliant reels for their intended use cases. But I don't deign to respond to OP posers that don't even try to understand the useful responses they recieve in this or other threads. Welcome to my ignore list OP.

I fish mostly UL spinning gear and BFS casting gear. If you are having difficulties timing the release on sidearm casts, then try practicing more as well as learning to roll cast. Feathering the line with your off hand seems kludgy to me but if it works for you, then more power to you.

I highly recommend the Strike King Mini-King Spinnerbait. It is 1/8 oz and works well on UL/L/ML gear.

And that signals it is the time to replace them.

That's a deal breaker for me. No thanks, rather pay the $10 or so for better frogs. Livewire, Booyah, and SPRO work pretty well for me.

I have several of both. The JDM Aldebaran BFS XGs are actually only 4.6 oz and are fantastic out-of-the-box BFS reels. The Lew’s Custom Lite is also a great reel but more of a general purpose reel. Can’t go wrong with either as long as you apply them to appropriate use cases.

Ah, if there's a cure for this, I don't want it... --Diana Ross, Love Hangover

For mono, it seems 105 degrees F seems to be the concensus threshold. Here's a relevant article that cover several line types: https://outdoorskilled.com/can-a-fishing-line-withstand-heat/

It's called humor.

Without the internet there would still have been BPS, Cabelas, and Gander Mountain catalogs. Same results but with less efficient order fulfillment/delivery.

Talk about not needing to be "so harsh." ? My BFS rigs are more expensive than those you cited and are absolutely worth the price. If you want a quality BFS rig that weighs under 8 oz then you'll need to pay a significant premium.

I palm the reel upon retrieve so it would be awkward to try to release the thumb bar in that situation - and when palming the reel, attempting to use the thumb as the drag doesn't work well at all (for me) because the part of my thumb that contacts the line/spool is at the IP joint which does not result in very good control.

Try the Shimano Stella then. The Vanford is a mid-tier, very light reel which I prefer where weight is an issue. The Stella is a bit heavier than the Vanford but is built to a higher level of precision. I have several Stellas and Vanfords and for UL gear, I prefer the Vanfords but for light/ML rigs, I prefer the precision of the Stellas.

Haven't tried that rod so I can't comment on comparables, but it definitely seems to have defects in materials/workmanship so I'd make a warranty claim if I were you.

Perhaps, but I don't think the reel was designed for that use case. I'm using 6# mono and it works great. YMMV.

Smoother gearing and general refinement vs the prior model. Worth it to me but not suggesting it is a must have.

I have the current and immediately prior CT SV. They are both great reels but the former is the most expensive reel that I have ever purchased. Incremental improvement for sure but worth it if you are an aficionado.

I used to do a lot of M&A work. The euphemism that the acquiring firms used was "synergy." Synergy was code for layoffs.

Why the dislike for BPS? They were one of the first mail order vendors where a kid could choose from a large selection of lures that weren't available locally. Haven't used much of their BPS branded gear (just a couple of spinnerbaits - no rods and reels), so I have no opinion on BPS branded stuff.

Daiwa Presso UL. Very light in weight as well and many length options. https://daiwa.us/products/presso-ultralight-rods

Haven’t used that one but based upon its specs, it appears to be close to UL at the light end of the line weight range (which I am OK with) so if you are experienced with lighter power rods for bass fishing, then it might be a viable choice.

I find using 2-4 lb test line on a UL spinning rig for bass fishing is really exhilarating in appropriate venues. Winching in bass on super heavy gear holds no interest for me at all.

The drag is typically set to a fraction of the line lb test weight and with finesse gear I use sub-10 lb test line so the drag is definitely not an issue.

A Shimano Poison Adrena 267ML coupled with a Shimano Stella FK 1000 or Shimano Vanford 1000F would work well for finesse drop shot use cases. Really enjoy using mine.