Today using a bait casting reel for finesse bass fishing is called BFS Bait Finesse System reel, rod and light line.

I Will go out on a limb and credit Don Iovino as the Father of Finesse bass fishing using modified Ambassador 2500C reels and his design Doodle rods from Phenix and 5 to 8 lb Maxima UG copoly line in the 70’s as the father of BFS.

I never got into the early bait casting finesse fishing but did get into modified 2500C reels so I could make longer cast to 50 yards.

Like 90% of bass anglers I choose spinning tackle for light line light weight finesse fishing for 50 years. 
When becoming a back seater spinning tackle line twist became an issue and started down the rabbit hole using braid with leader. Casting accuracy and strike detection became an issue with braid w/ leader for me. 2 knots with light line is another issue to over come.

My fishing partner was using BFS tackle and no issue with casting accuracy and distance that I couldn’t match. 
So started using BFS tackle and instantly being bait caster solved all my casting accuracy issues and zero line twist. More time in the water catching bass and the bass were super charged fighters on light BSF tackle.

My 1st combo was Ark Limited Ed BFS reel on Falcon Cara BFS 7’2” rod ( actually a ML rod) Good combo but being ML doesn’t cast the very light 3/32 oz (under 1/8 oz) lures and good as a Light BFS rod. My 2nd combo is Phenix BFS 7’1”light rod with Shimano JDM Aldebaran BFS reel. Both combo’s using 5 lb Max UG line. I can say the Phenix/Shimano combo is phenomenal.

If the bass you catch are between 2 to 3 lbs on average BFS is a game changer. My 1st bass on the Ark/Cara combo was a 6 lb striper that took over 5 minutes to put in the net. The reels drag operated perfectly and rod has enough backbone to control the striper but strong fish on light line BFS tackle or spinning tackle.

I am now a BFS angler and hope more members join into the fun. 
Tom

PS, Glenn, getting into the BFS boat?

 

 

I should note that I still have my jig & worm rod and diving crank bait rod for larger heavier lures the basic bass tackle has a place in my fishing. What I am saying is the spinning finesse tackle has a smaller niche in my bass fishing.

I am not suggesting putting away your standard bait casting tackle, but BFS is exciting to use for the average size bass most of catch day in day out. With BFS a 3/16 oz finesse jig can catch more bass than my 1/2 oz favorite bass jig and have more fun doing it.

Tom

Pretty sure even Don Iovino is personal about his finesse bass fishing.  

I have one of his bench small-frame Ambassdeurs that I've taken a few steps farther than his mods.  

 

On this reel, Don used the Avail worm-gear and LW rider upgrades.  But stock, deep (heavy) spool, and spindle/bushing polishing on the idler gear.  It uses the stock centrifugal, and is a somewhat slicker version of the stock 1/4-oz reel.  Performance is very different from a modern BFS reel.  

My staged upgrades made it full Avail with light shallow spool and mag brake, fishing PE#1.  

 

Mr. Motoyama coined BFS c. 2000 - Bait Finesse System, for reel mods including light, shallow spool, low-inertia spool bearings, and threadline (line diameter nominal 4-lb mono).  His earlier books took the unnamed reels to mountain trout - his later books all aimed BFS at shore bass fishing to take advantage of long-light casts.  The Japanese have moved the reels and matching baitfinesse rods to inshore, salt shore, and offshore vertical jigging.  (Inshore tackle generally equates to reservoir bass tackle)

 

My choice for reservoir kayak is a single versatile rod, wide range for neds and finesse baits to medium cranks.  Generally in finesse tackle, I don't give up fish-turning butt power.  

My reel choice here is bench mod mag-brake, shallow spool, IXA MBS bearings and PE#1.2.  

 

 

For closer fishing in river kayak, I've found I can get better results with 4000-size medium-frame Ambassadeur with full BFS - the medium frame reaches best on offset-grip Japanese rods.  These shorter length rods perform very well in close spaces.  

The history of the reels that became BFS goes back further in time than the short para-UL rods of the '70s made for trout and panfish.  Threadline fishing in general goes back to Atlantic salmon fishing in the 30s.  On our shore, prewar Shakespeare Tournament Freespool, alloy spool, shallow cork arbor,  matched with 4-lb silk braid and a cane casting rod, would fish 1/8 oz all day.  

 

Easy to argue this was improved-on by postwar Langley, which made a great finesse match with the tippy fiberglass rods of the 50s.  

Loved the history lesson WRB and Bulldog!  Bulldog do you have a link where I can get one of those short ML blade rods? I like to float the Guadalupe south of Seguin.

FIshingmickey

@Fishingmickey - current status of tariffs makes a recommendation difficult.  

Bright River is the king of Japan Underground rods.  Headhunters Lure Shop is the largest vendor for this brand in Japan.  

Gizmo is another brick shop with a Yahoo store.  

I can give a very strong recommendation to Smith Super Strike FO-56 S-glass as the ML rod everyone with this interest should own.  Though low-end is rated 5 g, I routinely fish below 1/8 oz, and it horses big bass at the boat.  Smith grip also has the advantage of magnesium MOC, which doesn't have an aluminum-derivative tariff.  

Asian Portal is a good place to shop for Smith SS rods.  A Japan broker where I've found good buys on separate Smith grips and blades is ZenPlus.  

Note Smith SS-WS51-TM was designed as a kayak rod.  

Hope this helps.  

 

ps - last duty I paid on rod blades was 21% - current aluminum-body reel tariff is up to 65%.  

That's the typical reaction to BFS rods.  It's fun and removes the hassle of a spinning reel with its bail operation, line twist, large size and weight.  It's fun.

 

Finesse bait cast reels and rods go way back but BFS is a relatively modern term and was unique to bass fishing.  It was invented by Yukihiro Sawamura when he added System to Bait Finesse.  Bait Finesse (BF) just means casting light weight baits with a baitcast reel and/or rod and you will often see Japanese rods labeled as BF for a multitude of species. 

 

The System comes from him using a his spools with his rods and Seaguar Finesse fluorocarbon line that he may have also been associated with.  He claims that he made these shallow spools for bass reels to use fluorocarbon line that was too stiff and unruly for spinning reels.  In the video below you can turn on captions and auto translate to hear the story.

 

Yukihiro already working for KTF making finesse spools for Daiwa and Shimano reels decided to work with Tiemco rods to make bass rods for casting light weight baits that had lots of power to hook and control a fish.  These rods were unique for their rated powers of ML, L and UL in that they could cast light weight baits but were quite stiff in the back half of the rod which the rod hook setting power to crush weed guards and drive hooks through plastics.  Because he fishes for highly pressured fish in shallow cover the rods are on the shorter end to make it easier to cast to targets in tight spots.

 

Yukihiro called the use of his rods, reels and finesse fluorocarbon line BFS.  Other rod brands followed his lead and released BFS versions of their bass rod lines.  This is how we got the Majorcraft, Shimano, Megabass and other BFS rods in the 2010s.  Enthusiasts were importing these rods and discussing them around that time period and that's how BFS got into the western fishing world and has recently gone mainstream.

 

Once the acronym got here is lost its context and has devolved into just casting a light weight with a baitcaster.  For some this was a new concept while others correctly pointed out that casting light weight baits with a baitcast reel isn't new.  The simplest answer to what is BFS, is that it is a type of bass fishing rod. 

 

 

Jason Lucas fishing editor of Sports Afield magazine in the 50’s was my mentor via pen pal in the mid 50’s. The 2 Langley reels shown earlier are the 2 reels Jay referenced for me to buy as a teenage bass angler, the rod was a feather lite Connolin glass, line Ashaway 10 lb braid. Light weight reels, my Target and Lure Cast weigh 4 oz & 4 .25 oz, light weight by today’s standards. My early years bass fishing were BF and as time passed became heavier reels and rods but preferred smaller size casting reels and 10-12 lb mono/FC.  
Now I have gone full cycle back to modern BFS and love it!
Tom

It is a lot of fun. I have a dobyns 691 and currado bfs reel. My favorite baits on them so far are the  little pond magic and strike king spinner baits. They just get bites and there cheap. It’s a really fun drag rippin time. 

This site is gonna cost me a fortune… 

You guys are making my eyes twitch...

Recently ran into a couple of videos of guys having real bang up days using bfs glide and swim baits. Looks like fun. That will completely occupy my mind as winter sets in. 

Maybe I am just projecting my own arc into BFS bass fishing, but these are my observations. BFS bass fishing (which I will refer to 'BFS' going forward) may not be for everyone (here in the USA - I know other parts of the world are different), at least not yet.

 

I like to apply the 'Law of Diffusion of Innovation Curve' (credit to Everett Rogers for codifying the curve) to the BFS (bass fishing) phenomenon in the USA. I think we have gone past the "Innovators" stage and now, arguably, are past the "Early Adopters" stage and we're somewhere into the "Early Majority" phase. That means that we have crossed the tipping point of acceptance where more and more anglers are willing to give it a go, but we've (speaking as bass anglers in particular) not yet fully embraced the trend.

 

Contrast that with the use of spinning gear for bass fishing where I feel we're at the stage where most bass anglers have accepted it's legitimate place in our arsenals, and the relatively small number of those that haven't probably puts us into the "Laggard" phase where only around 16% or less are still resistant to accept the trend.

 

The evolution of the BFS equipment, and practical application of the techniques seem to be homing in on what appeals to anglers here. I think there's a lot of crossover between Japanese style (or what I refer to as "true BFS"), but I still don't find them to be in complete alignment, nor do I think they need to be.

 

I was throwing finesse baits on 6 lbs mono with casting gear back in the 80's, but I was using stock Daiwa PT10/15X reels (I had a set of four of them that I was able to purchase for $40 each) with pistol grip 5'6" M/F and MH/F rods for reservoir fishing, and as good as they were for BITD, they were, as a system, not anywhere near as good as what we presently have access to.

 

A friend of mine had 1500c/1600c and 2500c reels that I was able to try, but the weight of the spools in stock form meant they were not quite what I was looking for given my budget constraints at the time. Eventually my finesse weapon of choice became a 5'10" M/F spinning rod with an Aero TX ULS-A spinning reel with 6 lbs mono.

 

Over time, the evolution of these things has brought us to where we are today:

• Super low profile casting reels
• Higher retrieve rate
• Lightweight shallow spools
• Advanced braking systems
• Longer straight handle casting rods
• Super lightweight durable reel components
• Super lightweight durable rod components
• Advanced rod design, materials, and construction
• Better braided line
• Fluorocarbon line
• Tungsten weights
• Access to scaled down baits and terminal tackle from around the world

I joined the early majority when I began nibbling on the BFS trend a few years back and now I find myself completely gut hooked. I think it often gives me an effective advantage on the fishery I utilize for a great majority of my fishing time. Part of me wants to dummy up and enjoy it while it's not quite fully mainstream, and part of me wants to tell a friend if they're down to hear about it. Either way, this is where I am in my BFS journey, I enjoy it, it's working well for me, and I am here (at BR) for it to learn and to share.

3 hours ago, Big Hands said:

I think we have gone past the "Innovators" stage and now, arguably, are past the "Early Adopters" stage and we're somewhere into the "Early Majority" phase.

This isn’t about BFS fishing, imo. There’s a real strong tendency in the industry in this country to look at what sells and everyone just produces that product. Go down the aisle of your favorite fishing retailer and just look at how many white and chartreuse spinnerbaits there are or watermelon or junebug worms. 
 

Obviously this is a problem with BFS as the rod companies will say they don’t want to produce a rod if no one is selling a reel for it and the reel company makes the same argument about rods. 
 

 

 

BFS will never be accepted by power bass anglers. To me it’s a transition away from spinning tackle bass fishing. 
Where I fished most of my life 3 lb bass are a good size fish and fun to catch on finesse tackle. 3 lb bass are not the average anywhere 2 lb  bass are closer to average. Both 2 & 3 lb bass are over powered but the tackle the average bass anglers uses daily. The spinning tackle on the other hand 2 & 3 lb bass give the angler a good fight. These average size bass BFS is ideal for. 
4 lb bass on either spinning or BFS tackle are a real battle requiring some skill to land, can’t bubba sky 4 lb with finesse tackle.

I still use my Jig rod with 12 lb FC line targeting bass over 5 lbs. learned my BFS tackle can handle bigger bass in open water OK, just slow down and enjoy the fight.

Tom

Agree with everything Tom had said. Just getting into this . Loving it so far.

I have a hard time squaring the new super sized glide baits and swim baits with any shift to super small baitcasters.  I am a finesse guy from the get go but I can throw a baitcaster with minimal effort.  For me it’s not the lack of ability it’s my 50 years experience and the feel of a spinning rod in my hand, how it sits, how it feels, where my hand meets the blank and how it is different from a baitcaster.  I can’t blend those 2 pieces of equipment. 

1 hour ago, brophog said:

This isn’t about BFS fishing, imo. There’s a real strong tendency in the industry in this country to look at what sells and everyone just produces that product. Go down the aisle of your favorite fishing retailer and just look at how many white and chartreuse spinnerbaits there are or watermelon or junebug worms. 
 

Obviously this is a problem with BFS as the rod companies will say they don’t want to produce a rod if no one is selling a reel for it and the reel company makes the same argument about rods. 
 

 

 

I’m a bit confused by your statement as it appears to me at least there are quite a few bfs rods and reels to choose from domestically. I will use the example of Dobyns rods producing both an ultralight and light powered bfs rod and  I will use 2 companies as an example of also producing “bfs” rods and in one example reels as well and they are Abu Garcia who has a Revo bfs reel along with the Xenon bfs reel and Bass Pro Shop who is arguably one of the biggest names in the fishing game like it or not producing a bfs style rod in the Carbonlite technique specific series. I’m not trying to be argumentative but again I’m just a bit confused.

4 hours ago, Eric 26 said:

I’m not trying to be argumentative but again I’m just a bit confused.

 

I'm not arguing, either, fwiw. I'm only going to attempt to explain myself further this once and bow out. Thanks.

 

Go down product line after product line and you'll see companies that have something like a 1/16-3/8 spinning or 1/4-1 casting, very common blanks, but rarer to see it offered the other way around. We've seen "bfs" rods come a long way in the last few years, domestically, but we're still looking for the exceptions and not common occurrences. 

 

BPS has had at least an option in the L/ML range of casting for, I dont know, 15 years, maybe longer. Yes, many of us on here know we could pick up a Pro Finesse back in the day or a Carbonlite now, but the average fisherman walking into that store isn't going to randomly run into such a rod because it's still very uncommon. Consequently, while every reel manufacturer for decades has had a $100-ish sort of 100 class casting reel, we don't see much of that in shallow spools meant for these lighter applications. If we did, better believe rod companies would start converting those 1/16-3/8 rod blanks into a casting option.

The Japanese have been making those rods in 1/16 to 5/8 oz, from 6-1/2' for reservoir bass to 8-1/2' for salt shore for 7 or 8  years.  

The $100 rods are sold by Pure Fishing JP, and scads of rods with the 3/8-oz top end sold by Major Craft and others. 

Abu Revo reels also loaded the linear-mag BFS reel market, though Daiwa's design has an advantage for aftermarket spools.  If I could have found a shallow spool for mag-brake Lew's, maybe wouldn't have bought my first (and 5th) Daiwa since 1977.  

 

Hopefully made the point up front, everyone is going to take finesse fishing personally.  From the old school, spinning cast is right arm w/ LH crank, both fly and baitcast the opposite.  Wrist snap is distance with spinning tackle - wrist snap is only tailing loop and backlash with the other arm.  

 

I still prefer spinning for complex rigs, such as cigar-cork dropper and tandem.  Otherwise, the BFS set-up is both a distance and control advantage, and all the advantages of tight-line including never fouling hooks on line and instant fishing on lure fall.  

Bass anglers out west where finesse bass fishing started around 1970 with Don Iovino and Dick Trask started using 5 lb Maxima UG copoly line with highly tuned bait casting reels and custom Phenix rods. At that time no over the counter finesse bait casting rods or reels were available to the general public. What was available were spinning rods and reels capable of effectively casting light line and finesse lures. 
Daiwa came out in the 90’s with their Pixie and Sol casting reels for light line and lures but very few casting rods to take advantage of these reel. A small cult of finesse bait casters stayed underground until the Japanese developed specialized light line bait casting rods and reels. BFS is mainstream in Japan and just coming known in the USA and no longer a underground cult group of bass anglers.

Join the fun!

Tom