Good day everyone.  I currently have a BFS setup on order which consists of the MB P5 Gravel Code and the Conquest BFS HG.  I was originally going to use a 6/7/8 lb floro on it (shooter) but a lot of the videos i've been watching are recommending a PE 0.06 in a hi viz color and a 6/7/8# floro leader. What are your thoughts on this? FWIW, i always run PE/Floro on my spinning setups because I like the sensitivity and all my reels are high quality with excellent drags.  For example, I landed a 4# smallie this fall on a P5 Whippet, Diawa Luvius, 10# Suffix, 5# J-floro.  Its amazing how much power these light power MB rods have down low. 

 

Thanks for your input!

 

P.

Patrick, this will make us conversant - the JAFTMA spec chart for PE braid, measured in traditional silk thread diameter scale,   

  Gou normally stated as PE#

This is the line rating you'll find on all your JDM rods.  

Get your mind set on diameter and forget about lb-test.  

I run nothing but PE braid + leader on all my tackle, from limestone creek to surf.  

 

PE#1 is the same diameter as 4-lb mono.  This is go-to for most bass-finesse fishing.  

The smallest I'll mess with on baitcaster is PE#0.8, but I do run #0.6 on finesse spinning tackle.  

Most of my inshore set-ups fish #1.2 with 15-lb fluoro leader, for shock tolerarance and abrasion, and don't go lighter than 12-lb hard leader or 10-lb soft.  

I fish PE#2 on frogger and surf, and my leaders are 19-lb to 40-lb.  

Also remember, all these JAFTMA numbers are max breaking strength rather than a nebulous lb-test number.  

(from YoZuri International website - compare test to IGFA breaking strength)

I keep my leader down to 2' on micro-guides, with perfection loop on the business end, and loop on micro-swivel snaps, titanium-wire bite traces, and paper clips.  

4+' leader on full-size guides, and 8' to 12' in surf.  

That's what I do -

- others will give you other success stories.  

@Patrick Oliver I have two of the Conquest BFS's reels and I have tried PE #0.8 with leader on a P5 Kasumi Six Eleven. It worked but I didn't care for it and went back to fluorocarbon, particularly 5lb and 6lb Sunline Invizible.  I have PE lines on other set ups and it's not an issue but this one with the almost micro guides was a challenge.  Oddly, the Sunline Invizible cast further than PE to leader. It's sort of a mystery to me as to why.  Maybe I should try a heavier PE. All I know is that this is my favorite set up for BFS crankbaits and I am sticking with Sunline Invizible. 

14 hours ago, FishTank said:

@Patrick Oliver I have two of the Conquest BFS's reels and I have tried PE #0.8 with leader on a P5 Kasumi Six Eleven. It worked but I didn't care for it and went back to fluorocarbon, particularly 5lb and 6lb Sunline Invizible.  I have PE lines on other set ups and it's not an issue but this one with the almost micro guides was a challenge.  Oddly, the Sunline Invizible cast further than PE to leader. It's sort of a mystery to me as to why.  Maybe I should try a heavier PE. All I know is that this is my favorite set up for BFS crankbaits and I am sticking with Sunline Invizible. 

Good information, thank you.  I have 6 and 8# invisible on hand as well as 7# J-Floro that I can try. I'm thinking that you may find better performance from a heavier PE but each application will have its own specific nuances.

 

BTW, how do you like the combo? The Calcutta BFS isn't too heavy for that rod?

58 minutes ago, Patrick Oliver said:

BTW, how do you like the combo? The Calcutta BFS isn't too heavy for that rod?

 

I love this combo. As far as the weight goes, it feels about perfect to me but to each their own on this. I can sling a 1/8 or 3/16 crankbait on it. Also the rod is pretty sensitive but not too sensitive.  I like slowly bouncing small BFS crankbaits on rock and over the past two years I have killed it on this combo. 

 

I like this rod and reel so well, I have two of them now.

My thoughts on the original post is that I have used braid to all kind and weights of leader.  I have used fluorocarbon line from 6-20#.  I have always had a love/ hate relationship with braid.  It is leaning more toward hate so I have changed most all of my spinning and casting setups to straight fluorocarbon 8# for my Ned, shaky, and 3/16 oz jigs.  

The biggest problem with "braid" is that 4 different generations of product are currently on the market.  

Happily, I missed the first two on purpose - just watched my friends suffer it -

 didn't use braid until the 3rd generation, and quickly switched over to the 4th generation after the first try.  

Next trick is using reels and spool capacities made to take advantage of the newest generation braid.  

I use 6# Kastking Super Power Silky 8 Braid Hi Viz or Kastking Destron Hi Viz with a 6#  FC leader on both my BFS setups. Works well for me.

 

No braid with leader knots for me! I use straight Maxima UG 5# test copoly line, works good with my BFS rods and reels.

Tom

What's line memory?  

For that matter, what's backlash - two things in fishing I've long forgotten.  

But if you remember backlash, might be best to fish 5-lb UG rather than threadline braid.  

 

My rods have small ID micro guides that do not accommodate knots well,  including FG and don’t need braid for strength or toothy fish. What is a backlash using today’s BFS reels?
Tom

Bulldog1935's statement of "Get your mind set on diameter and forget about lb-test" is right on IMO.  When I started using baitcasters, before BFS, I had a tough time with backlashes.  With diameter in mind, I learned I was trying to make my reels do things they were not designed to do.  Once I got into that mindset, and within specs, it was smooth sailing.

 

As for line type and whether to go PE/Floro, to me, the bait / method dictates the line and I rarely find myself in the situation where the weed cutting advantage of braid is needed in a BFS setup so I mostly use Sniper Assassin FC on my BFS setups.  Braid does cast just a little nicer than Sniper but not enough to force me to a leader setup.

 

I do run mono on my trout BFS setup.  The stretch in mono gives a hooking advantage when throwing inline spinners for trout.

I'm 100% braid to leader and exclusively use 0.8 to 1.5 diameter.  This gives me a solid foundation to build on, because modern polyethylene is so strong that I only need to focus on the leader.  My leaders are all in the 3 to 8lb range depending on factors such as target species, water clarity, and the presence of cover, structure, and vegetation.  I keep a leader wheel of 3lb, 5lb, 6lb, and 8lb in my pack.  As I'm working a body of water, I can change out the leader according to the conditions.

I am not a braid guy in general.  For my BFS setups I use 6lb Sniper and 7lb Diawa Hidden FC.  I like the sniper more than the Diawa line, but the Diawa is definitely tougher around cover.

This year I bought 2 Daiwa BFS setups;  spooled one with 6# Tatsu, the other with 15# Power Pro Hi-Vis Yellow and 6# Tatsu leaders.  Next year they will both be spooled with 15# Gray Smackdown and 6# Tatsu leaders;  FG Knot is a necessity.

Show me a stretch chart with mono line applied 1/4th the line strength over 2 seconds time applied force!  The stretch %  is zero!

Tom

 

 

At 1/4 breaking strength, mono elastic stretch is 2%, which is 5' stretch in 80 yds line.  

I only do empirical.  

Not sure exactly why but the Shimano Japan sites list the Aldebaran and Calcutta BFS as being plastic line only reels.

I've personally never messed with braid on my BFS combos, all are spooled with either 6lb ultragreen or 6lb daiwa samurai fluoro,

@Peacedivision - probably wear resistance of the line guide.  

They also state maximum line capacity to avoid spool crushing from mono relaxation - they've done the math.  

6 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

 

At 1/4 breaking strength, mono elastic stretch is 2%, which is 5' stretch in 80 yds line.  

I only do empirical.  

Agree, you can’t detect  2% stretch fighting a bass fighting a bass, with nearly 1% stretch at 20% line strength mono stretch angler can’t detect that.

What is being assumed as stretch is line bow in the line being pulled snug.

Using a 6’ leader with drag set 40% line strength (very high ) the line stretch is about 1.44”, not worth 2 knots.

Tom

What kind of weights are you bfs guys comfortable going down too? Like 1/16th? 1/8 doesn’t seem too crazy, but 1/16 with a small panfish plastic seems pretty light. Have never used a bfs set-up so not really sure either. 

44 minutes ago, Loomis13 said:

but 1/16 with a small panfish plastic seems pretty light

I fish a 1/16 with a 1.5" paddle tail grub and the total weight of the rig is just above 3g, slightly below 1/8 total weight.

It’s the rod that cast lures, the reel and line determines how far the cast will go. The Light rated BSF rods can launch 1/16 oz lure. Currently 3/32 total weight is about the lightest weight lure that casts about 100’ easily with 5 lb UG Copoly line.

Tom

On 12/2/2025 at 9:42 PM, bulldog1935 said:

what's backlash

If you have never experienced it, this is a backlash.

2 hours ago, Loomis13 said:

What kind of weights are you bfs guys comfortable going down too? Like 1/16th? 1/8 doesn’t seem too crazy, but 1/16 with a small panfish plastic seems pretty light. Have never used a bfs set-up so not really sure either. 

 

I use 1/32oz tungsten trout bullet weights for small softplatic with a #2 or #3 Ryugi Hobbit on braid to leader. My favorite bait is the OSP HP Bug. There isn't much to it but it's a blast.