So I have a three of the 7’1” Phenix feather rods that I use for BFS.  2 light power and 1 Med light power.

 

The two light power rods is what I use for Neds along with other finesse techniques.  
 

To me, they work really good but I’ve never compared them to any other BFS rods.  
 

So I’m curious, what makes a good BFS Ned Rig Rod to you and which one do you use for the technique?

I use a Shimano Sensilite 7' L for my Ned Rigs.

I too have the ML phenix.  I fished it for 2 years and then this year I picked up the Falcon Cara BFS 7’2”.  I prefer the falcon- it has a lighter tip and a faster action.  I would say it has a little more power up the rod also.  I would call it “BFS-like” but not a true BFS rod.  With an aldebaran on it, it will cast down to 1/16 oz total bait weight reasonably well.  A 1/16 or heavier piece of lead plus about any plastic and there are no reservations- it will cast further than you ever need to.  

 

For me, I have a lot of weedy cover which means Texas rigged Ned type baits, either with a slider type head or with an actual Texas rig.  That means having enough rod to actually set the hook through the plastic.  It also means having enough rod to pop through cover or turn a fish breaking for it.  The phenix was good in that regard with enough power, but it took a minute to get into it on a hook set.  The Cara is just a step better across the board for me and my preferences.  

Call me the poverty guy 😁

Love the st.croix Mojo Bass drop-shot rod.

 

I mainly throw Ned Rids on a NRX+ spinning rod but I have used a few casting rods for it that work pretty well.  I like the 6'9'' L Jackall Revoltage II for a 1/16oz and 1/8oz EWG style jigs. For lighter stuff with an open hook, I have used Dobyns Sierra Ultra Finesse 700C and the Kistler Hunt BFS 6'9''. 

 

The Jackall is great for any BFS soft plastic and light jigs. It has what I want for anything that isn't a BFS hard bait. It has a fast tip with a little bit of power and softer middle. So good hook setting power for a light rod but a soft middle for light line.  

 

The Dobyns and Kistler rods are both pretty light. I do more of a "Let the fish hook itself" hook set.  Once on, they do the job but I prefer the NRX+ spinning rod to these two rods.  It's super sensitive and hook sets are perfect. It does load a little different and weird when casting. 

 

Another spinning rod that is great for Ned Rigs is the Megabass P5 Whippet. This rod is a do all light rod. It's doesn't have as much power as the NRX+ which is still pretty light but it can cast a mile. 

I have 2 bc Ned rods.  One is a ml Gloomis 6’9” Bronze back the other one is a 7’6” Ark rod that was mislabeled that I got for a song from the company owners so I don’t know what it actually is.

 

They got the job by the process of elimination.  I took every bc rod that I thought might cast a Ned and one by one I mounted my reel of choice and tied on a 3/32 oz head containing a TRD.  I made several casts in the yard and those two were the best.

 

I actually prefer spinning for Ned but made the switch to avoid shoulder surgery.  So far it’s working.

I use an Abu Garcia Pro series Justin Lucas shakey head rod. I believe it is a medium action so I wouldn't call it BFS but it does a great job.

I liked both of my Phenix Feather Light and ML rods for BFS. But one broke so I upgraded to the Cashion Icon BF rod. It’s a ML-Fast and works great for Neds. You can choose your length for that rod in 6’8”, 6”10” or 7’2”.

 

I also had the Expride ML for awhile, but did not like the super long handle, and it also just seemed too powerful for a Ned rig. 
 

Conversely, I traded off the Dobyns 700 BFS rod. Tip is too light for any (even very light) cover. The Phenix Classic BFS 7’1” Light rod is similar to the Dobyns, but just a little more tip that can handle some light cover better than the Dobyns. Due to how light that rod is I use primarily as a 1/16-1/8th oz hair jig rod. Could work as a Ned rod too, but in more open water with sparse cover. 
 

Still liking the Cashion best of the bunch above… they are a little more parabolic but still sensitive. Works well for Neds, but can even serve double duty and cast small BFS cranks (Macbeth 39, Damiki Disco 38 Deep, OSP Tiny Blitz DR) with them too, where I probably wouldn’t have with the Phenix Feather. 

 

1 hour ago, FryDog62 said:

I liked both of my Phenix Feather Light and ML rods for BFS. But one broke so I upgraded to the Cashion Icon BF rod. It’s a ML-Fast and works great for Neds. You can choose your length for that rod in 6’8”, 6”10” or 7’2”.

 

I also had the Expride ML for awhile, but did not like the super long handle, and it also just seemed too powerful for a Ned rig. 
 

Conversely, I traded off the Dobyns 700 BFS rod. Tip is too light for any (even very light) cover. The Phenix Classic BFS 7’1” Light rod is similar to the Dobyns, but just a little more tip that can handle some light cover better than the Dobyns. Due to how light that rod is I use primarily as a 1/16-1/8th oz hair jig rod. Could work as a Ned rod too, but in more open water with sparse cover. 
 

Still liking the Cashion best of the bunch above… they are a little more parabolic but still sensitive. Works well for Neds, but can even serve double duty and cast small BFS cranks (Macbeth 39, Damiki Disco 38 Deep, OSP Tiny Blitz DR) with them too, where I probably wouldn’t have with the Phenix Feather. 

 

Good stuff!.. do you consider the Cashion much of an upgrade over the Feather?

1 hour ago, Robinhood21 said:

Good stuff!.. do you consider the Cashion much of an upgrade over the Feather?

I do think the Feather punches above its weight class, but yeah the Cashion is a more refined (and pricier) offering overall. Action is a little faster with the Phenix if that’s a preference though. 

34 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

I do think the Feather punches above its weight class, but yeah the Cashion is a more refined (and pricier) offering overall. Action is a little faster with the Phenix if that’s a preference though. 

Thanks for the info.  I'm actually thinking a more parabolic rod might be worth trying out.

21 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

I prefer the falcon- it has a lighter tip and a faster action.  I would say it has a little more power up the rod also.

Thats really unexpected for 1/4-5/8 to be out powered by a 1/16-5/16 BFS. I  can see the lighter tip with a faster action, in the small weight range, like an XF.  Typically, with mid tier lighter blanks you pay for that super crisp tip short tip section with a small weight range and less power in the mid-section

 

11 hours ago, Jig Man said:

I have 2 bc Ned rods.  One is a ml Gloomis 6’9” Bronze back the other one is a 7’6” Ark rod that was mislabeled that I got for a song from the company owners so I don’t know what it actually is.

What line is it from?  If I know that I can probably figure it out, unless its an older design.

20 minutes ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

Thats really unexpected for 1/4-5/8 to be out powered by a 1/16-5/16 BFS. I  can see the lighter tip with a faster action, in the small weight range, like an XF.  Typically, with mid tier lighter blanks you pay for that super crisp tip short tip section with a small weight range and less power in the mid-section

the original designation when they did the preview video was up to 5/8. The spinning rod im pretty sure it is based on is 5/8. I think they took the blank exactly from the spinning rod for the 7’2” and then cut the butt 3” for the shorter one. 

Oh, I thought you had the 7'2.  I would 100% imagine they would roll the same blanks and just cut 3" off the butt and remove a guide to get a little more flex in the blank to keep the lower end the same.  They have a ML 1/8-5/8 spinning rod, which is impressive at the PP of the Cara if it can really load on 1/8 and handle 5/8.  I cant see the 10 and 11 guide train BFS and the 8 guide train ML Cara being the same blank.  If that was the case the BFS would have as much or more.  

Falcons look nice, but no one carries them for over a hundred miles.  A small shop and Cabelas used to carry some of the lower end models back in mid 2000s and I remember going to buy a Croix and being so close to buying the Falcon instead.  They didn't sell well at the small tackle shop so Mike didn't replace them.  I don't recall the line of rods, but it was the same price within $10 of the Croix which was $140.  Croix was pretty much all I fished with then and I knew exactly what I needed, so I went with what I knew.  I remember the balance of the Falcon was excellent as was the finish.  I think in 07 they were still Made in USA?

42 minutes ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

Oh, I thought you had the 7'2.  I would 100% imagine they would roll the same blanks and just cut 3" off the butt and remove a guide to get a little more flex in the blank to keep the lower end the same.  They have a ML 1/8-5/8 spinning rod, which is impressive at the PP of the Cara if it can really load on 1/8 and handle 5/8.  I cant see the 10 and 11 guide train BFS and the 8 guide train ML Cara being the same blank.  If that was the case the BFS would have as much or more.  

Falcons look nice, but no one carries them for over a hundred miles.  A small shop and Cabelas used to carry some of the lower end models back in mid 2000s and I remember going to buy a Croix and being so close to buying the Falcon instead.  They didn't sell well at the small tackle shop so Mike didn't replace them.  I don't recall the line of rods, but it was the same price within $10 of the Croix which was $140.  Croix was pretty much all I fished with then and I knew exactly what I needed, so I went with what I knew.  I remember the balance of the Falcon was excellent as was the finish.  I think in 07 they were still Made in USA?

 

I should have been clearer in my reply above.  I was running around and didn’t elaborate.

 

I have the 7’2” BFS rod.  I don’t have the 7’2” spinning.  When the BFS was first introduced via a YouTube video (which is still available) you could read the specs on the rod and it said 5/8 oz on the top end.  That was confirmed by a falcon rep in the comments.  Between then and the launch, they changed the upper weight designation to 5/16.  I think they did it because 5/8 seems really high for a BFS rod.  But they certainly didn’t have time to change the blank- just the printed specs.  Based on the feel of this rod and the descriptions/videos of the spinning version, I am 95% convinced they are the same blank.  The specs are identical.  The flex looks the same.  Based on that and the intended BFS side uses, it would make a ton of sense that they would take the spinning blank and put casting components on it.  That’s one more rod they can add to the lineup without making any changes to the blank or to need new mandrel or flags.  It’s an easy new product to launch.  Given the structure of this blank and how much power there is down low, it would be easy to cut 3” off the butt and still have basically the same feel in the rod.  I don’t have the 6’11” and since I have the 7’2” I don’t need the 6’11”, but at the same time I’d like to hold it to confirm my suspicions.

 

The difference in numbers of guides is easy to explain.  You can get away with fewer guides on a spinning rod.  On a casting rod you need enough to keep the line above the blank when it is flexed.  On a spinning rod with the guides under the rod you don’t have that concern.  Manufacturers can put fewer guides on to save money and it’s fine.

 

The BFS version is no problem to load up with 1/8 oz.   With a spinning reel it would be easier yet. The BFS feels so good that I nearly bought the spinning.  I ended up with the 7’2” ML poison adrena instead and don’t regret my choice, but I’d have no problem with the Cara given my suspicions.

 

Yeah, the full falcon lineup is great value for price and I’d put the Caras up there with higher end/more expensive rods.  They were made in the US until late 20-teens and then they started migrating them with the lower end ones first.  The Caras moved a couple years ago now, 2021 maybe?  And now they have moved them again, starting with the experts.

On 7/22/2025 at 8:45 PM, casts_by_fly said:

 

I should have been clearer in my reply above.  I was running around and didn’t elaborate.

 

I have the 7’2” BFS rod.  I don’t have the 7’2” spinning.  When the BFS was first introduced via a YouTube video (which is still available) you could read the specs on the rod and it said 5/8 oz on the top end.  That was confirmed by a falcon rep in the comments.  Between then and the launch, they changed the upper weight designation to 5/16.  I think they did it because 5/8 seems really high for a BFS rod.  But they certainly didn’t have time to change the blank- just the printed specs.  Based on the feel of this rod and the descriptions/videos of the spinning version, I am 95% convinced they are the same blank.  The specs are identical.  The flex looks the same.  Based on that and the intended BFS side uses, it would make a ton of sense that they would take the spinning blank and put casting components on it.  That’s one more rod they can add to the lineup without making any changes to the blank or to need new mandrel or flags.  It’s an easy new product to launch.  Given the structure of this blank and how much power there is down low, it would be easy to cut 3” off the butt and still have basically the same feel in the rod.  I don’t have the 6’11” and since I have the 7’2” I don’t need the 6’11”, but at the same time I’d like to hold it to confirm my suspicions.

 

The difference in numbers of guides is easy to explain.  You can get away with fewer guides on a spinning rod.  On a casting rod you need enough to keep the line above the blank when it is flexed.  On a spinning rod with the guides under the rod you don’t have that concern.  Manufacturers can put fewer guides on to save money and it’s fine.

 

The BFS version is no problem to load up with 1/8 oz.   With a spinning reel it would be easier yet. The BFS feels so good that I nearly bought the spinning.  I ended up with the 7’2” ML poison adrena instead and don’t regret my choice, but I’d have no problem with the Cara given my suspicions.

 

Yeah, the full falcon lineup is great value for price and I’d put the Caras up there with higher end/more expensive rods.  They were made in the US until late 20-teens and then they started migrating them with the lower end ones first.  The Caras moved a couple years ago now, 2021 maybe?  And now they have moved them again, starting with the experts.

Oh no, I completely understood you the first time, other than then thinking you had the 6'11.  I probably just glanced it over, I was had a bunch of pages open looking at falcons lineups and what not.

I have a sophomoric understanding of rod building.  I've dabbled a little, but building rods is an art, and I'm no artist.  I know an outstanding builder, who almost knows what I want better than I do.  

As far as I know the major difference between casting and spinning rods comes down to standoff distance between the blank and line, and the number of guides takes in which to maintain that.  

The "BFS" Cara (1/16-5/16 2-8lb) came from the 7'2 ML MF (1/8-5/8 6-12lb) spinning blank.  When you add guides to a blank, you're adding anchor points.  It can change the way the blank loads, depending on spacing, but it doesn't really affect the power in a negative way.   Casting or spinning it doesn't matter, but just as a kind of general guideline, it's really hard to increase the number of guides over 30% on the same blank and lose 50% of the power of the rod.  Thats what puzzled me.

I know now that Falcon didn't change the power of the blank at all.  With the right reel, you can cast 1/16-5/8.  I guess they chose 5/16 as the top end for marketing purposes.

Like I said I'm interested in Falcon.  They don't sell the blanks, do they?

9 hours ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

Oh no, I completely understood you the first time, other than then thinking you had the 6'11.  I probably just glanced it over, I was had a bunch of pages open looking at falcons lineups and what not.

I have a sophomoric understanding of rod building.  I've dabbled a little, but building rods is an art, and I'm no artist.  I know an outstanding builder, who almost knows what I want better than I do.  

As far as I know the major difference between casting and spinning rods comes down to standoff distance between the blank and line, and the number of guides takes in which to maintain that.  

The "BFS" Cara (1/16-5/16 2-8lb) came from the 7'2 ML MF (1/8-5/8 6-12lb) spinning blank.  When you add guides to a blank, you're adding anchor points.  It can change the way the blank loads, depending on spacing, but it doesn't really affect the power in a negative way.   Casting or spinning it doesn't matter, but just as a kind of general guideline, it's really hard to increase the number of guides over 30% on the same blank and lose 50% of the power of the rod.  Thats what puzzled me.

I know now that Falcon didn't change the power of the blank at all.  With the right reel, you can cast 1/16-5/8.  I guess they chose 5/16 as the top end for marketing purposes.

Like I said I'm interested in Falcon.  They don't sell the blanks, do they?

 

No, but I wish they did.  I’ve considered rebuilding one or two of them but it isn’t worth it for all the more I’d want to change.