I've caught most of the recent tournament coverage over the past few years, especially the Bassmaster Elites, and I haven't noticed any pro using a BFS rig. Taku Ito is certainly a light line believer and a JDM bait tweak, but I have yet to see any coverage of him swinging a BFS rig. Same with Fujita. What does this say? Does it say that spinning rigs are simply more practical to fish with when $100K is on the line? Is BFS for Bass fishing just a boutique fad driven by YT content creators supported by their subscribers and some fishing forum regulars? Manufacturers have certainly stepped up their offerings, so the stuff is selling.

Personally, for the way and where I fish most often it really isn't practical after late May. Weed growth here is spectacular after that point, so heavy line is a must if one's goal is to never break off, and I refuse to ride on the hairy edge of using lighter line that will allow for that. I don't believe bass are line shy in choked out water and leaving fish with hooks in their mouths really bugs me.

That aside, I'm not sure I'm really sold on the BFS for LM bass fishing thing beyond the idea that it's interesting and that I prefer casting gear in general, even though I have yet another BFS rod incoming. A strange thing happened during this BFS experiment of mine. I ended up buying my first spinning rig in 8 years, and my most expensive one at that. Ultra-thin Japanese X braids have seriously flipped my opinion about spinning in general.

I'd say it's very unlikely to see BFS casting gear in Pro level tournaments. Those boys are on the job and not looking to play fish. It'd be like framing a house with a tiny hammer.

Yes, and the guy will be from Japan. The ones from the US simply don't give a crap.

You got big hands @GreenPig Is that a 20oz hammer?

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3 hours ago, PhishLI said:

Is BFS for Bass fishing just a boutique fad driven by YT content creators and supported by their subscribers and some fishing forum regulars?

That's about as good of a summarization as I can come up with. Too much money on the line to be 'cute' or 'fancy.' Wheeler flipped that needle at the 2021 St. Lawrence BPT event, and Fujita is doing the same on the Elite side. JMHO - I'll go take cover now... :)

3 hours ago, GreenPig said:

I'd say it's very unlikely to see BFS casting gear in Pro level tournaments. Those boys are on the job and not looking to play fish.

I would agree.

They are going to stick with the "standard" spinning and baitcasting.

BFS to me is just a fun and different way to catch bass.

Throwing micro baits on UL baitcasting ain't gonna cash checks for those dudes.

JMO.

The pros will use BFS when their sponsors push for it.

I don't want to get into defining bfs because I don't have the knowledge, but I think it's a misconception to say you'd be underpowered when fishing for bass. The japanese salt market has many options out there for tangling with larger more powerful fish. I've been fortunate to land numerous 5-6lb bass and teener salmon and pike with a 7'9 Light 2-15g rod without issue. My only memorable losses were last second runs into zebra covered boulders when shore fishing. Spinning wasn't gonna change that outcome.

If ffs gets taken out of the equation like some want, bfs and minnow shaking has a role with clear water structure fishing when casting distance might be paramount. My guess is that if it does happen, it'll be a northern smallmouth fishery tourney and probably not for another 5-10 years as the kids who grow up with it might stick to it.

scott

Does back-reeling play into the calculus for pros? No idea how many of them do it, but might drag and control be a factor in choosing spinning over BFS?

Only if one of their sponsors releases a BFS setup that they really wanna push for advertising. Other than that fairy wands it is.

In the last Bassmaster tournament I saw 11 spinning rods on a deck, obviously FFS orientation, and not one baitcaster.

Don’t think BFS stands a chance in the professional ranks.

BFS gear is a blast, but as far as clear advantages it offers over spinning gear, there

4 hours ago, Choporoz said:

Does back-reeling play into the calculus for pros? No idea how many of them do it, but might drag and control be a factor in choosing spinning over BFS?

As far as I know, the majority of pros that swear by back reeling have retired from the sport or are in the twilight of their careers.

In theory back reeling would be superior to any drag, but its a skill that needs to learned. If you goof up, it could cost you 6 figures.

Improvements in drag has limited the need to learn to backreel. Even entry level reels today have very smooth operating drags, which virtually eliminate tearing and breakoffs.

In theory you could set your drag very low on a BFS reel and use your thumb to add/remove pressure. You may be some people do that eventually, but I think for now spinning gear is just more efficient.

6 hours ago, softwateronly said:

I don't want to get into defining bfs because I don't have the knowledge

I'd define it as USDM or what's available on TW. ARK, KastKing, Shimano, and Daiwa all sponsor pros and offer factory stock BFS reels and rods which I assume is what those manufactures would like to see represented by those pros if those pros would choose to use them at all.

1 hour ago, PhishLI said:

I'd define it as USDM or what's available on TW. ARK, KastKing, Shimano, and Daiwa all sponsor pros and offer factory stock BFS reels and rods which I assume is what those manufactures would like to see represented by those pros if those pros would choose to use them at all.

If going by that, then I completely agree with you.

scott