I have got a kingdom micro monster on a UL 5'9 bfs rod and I was wondering how I can get better casting distance when I fish lakes.any tips?

Buy a proper BFS reel🙂

And if you're casting overhead, trying to achieve max distance with tiny lures, a 5.9" rod ain't gonna cut it. A 7'+ rod would be much better for the job.

Yeah, kinda ^ this ^

I started BFS for salt shore (Little Cut), Steez w/ Roro-X spool and 8'2" Yamaga Blanks BCIII.

I followed it up with a different rod to swap the reel, 6'7" Valleyhill ROC67MMM. (Kayak on Boerne City Lake)

I've since moved ZPI Alcance with their magnesium BFS spool onto the Valleyhill reservoir BFS rod, and very happy with the result.

Both reels are 100-size, 34-mm (BFS) spools, and racy low-inertia spool bearings.

I use short rods and smaller reels in river kayak, and wading Hill Country limestone creeks.

1 hour ago, WetBlanket said:

A 7'+ rod would be much better for the job.

Agreed, but unfortunately, the over 7ft UL casting rod is an under represented segment of the market.

If casting distance on a lake is a primary concern then it is probably better to go up to a light power rod, something in that 2g - 10g (~1/16 - 3/8) range or thereabouts is common. Much more available in longer lengths, and casting distance below about 1/16oz is where things really start to get compromised on just about any setup.

A few other tips for the OP

1) Clean and lube your spool bearings with a light oil. Maybe even replace them, but definitely clean them. Factory bearings tend to have heavy lubricants that really slow things down, especially problematic when casting light lures.

2) Use as thin of line as you can comfortably get away with. Especially with braid/PE lines you'll probably want to add a mono or fluorocarbon leader to provide some abrasion resistance.

You don’t say what type and weights of baits or line size and type you have.

1 hour ago, brophog said:

Agreed, but unfortunately, the over 7ft UL casting rod is an under represented segment of the market.

If casting distance on a lake is a primary concern then it is probably better to go up to a light power rod, something in that 2g - 10g (~1/16 - 3/8) range or thereabouts is common. Much more available in longer lengths, and casting distance below about 1/16oz is where things really start to get compromised on just about any setup.

A few other tips for the OP

1) Clean and lube your spool bearings with a light oil. Maybe even replace them, but definitely clean them. Factory bearings tend to have heavy lubricants that really slow things down, especially problematic when casting light lures.

2) Use as thin of line as you can comfortably get away with. Especially with braid/PE lines you'll probably want to add a mono or fluorocarbon leader to provide some abrasion resistance.

The best thing to do is to grab a rod for rock fishing from Japan. They have a ton of them of all kind of lengths, and they'll do great for bfs.

There are a couple of videos on YT about setting up a BFS baitcasting reel.

Why BFS? It's a rabbit hole that can eat into fishing time and budget quickly. I got so frustrated with my BFS that they sat for a full season. If you just want to throw light baits far, a spinning reel will throw farther way cheaper than a BFS reel. For me, the floor for BFS is still around 3.5g. Less than that and I would prefer to be on spinning gear.

hmm

2 hours ago, MontanaBasser said:

If you just want to throw light baits far, a spinning reel will throw farther way cheaper than a BFS reel.

The cost part is not so true anymore, and the reel the OP has is one example of how cheap they've become.

Spinning reels are still the overall king when budget is concerned, because casting reels in general are more expensive, but the cost delta specifically between spinning and bfs has greatly decreased in the last few years.

2 hours ago, MontanaBasser said:

For me, the floor for BFS is still around 3.5g. Less than that and I would prefer to be on spinning gear.

For spinning and BFS, my floor is 2g. The biggest benefits going below that, imo, are fall rate and hook size. For hook size, you just go to a smaller hook (pouring your own jigs helps). For fall rate, when it gets to be that important I'm either vertical fishing or casting under a slip float and that generally gets back up to 2g.

A trout magnet is a good example. I don't cast a trout magnet on any kind of gear. The biggest benefit in that lure, vs just using any other small hooked bait, is that very subtle movement. That's best done under a float, imo, because if you're trying to do it without one every seemingly small movement you make gets magnified over the length of the rod and line.

6 hours ago, MontanaBasser said:

Why BFS? It's a rabbit hole that can eat into fishing time and budget quickly. I got so frustrated with my BFS that they sat for a full season. If you just want to throw light baits far, a spinning reel will throw farther way cheaper than a BFS reel. For me, the floor for BFS is still around 3.5g. Less than that and I would prefer to be on spinning gear.

I would have agreed 4 or 5 years ago, but not now.

You can get a BFS reel that will cast a light bait farther than spinning gear in most conditions, for about $100-$150, which is now an entry level or budget spinning reel.

I have a gravity BFS, which is $150 and it can cast a 2" Easy Shiner or 2" swing impact 1/20 head #4 hook really well.

I can't find the OP's question about spinning tackle, anywhere.

Did he ask about finesse fly fishing, also?

On topic, improving the spool bearings in inexpensive Sabre JH100 (from Express website) makes an extreme distance reel.

Here, it's matched with a Japanese para-taper rod that's not inexpensive, but makes a killer distance combo.

Guess that would be my 1st question of the OP, have you looked at the spool bearings, and can you improve them?

Try roll casts. That helps me with any of my BFS im having issues.

My thoughts.....

Line > Braid to leader. The braid will help with distance and leader will help with bringing fish in without bending out the hooks. With that said, I prefer 6lb FC.

Longer rod > 6' and under lends itself to small creek fishing. Having a whippy tip helps.

Some good tips on casting and rods.

Lure choice > find lures that are easy to cast, like trout lures (always upgrade your hooks).

Always use the wind to your advantage. Good luck 👍.

Also, like others stated, a quality reel helps. I am unfamiliar with the OP reel but it may be decent. Understand that casting 50 feet on anything less than 1/8oz lure isn't bad. Its just the nature of BFS.

On 4/10/2026 at 2:58 PM, WetBlanket said:

Buy a proper BFS reel🙂

And if you're casting overhead, trying to achieve max distance with tiny lures, a 5.9" rod ain't gonna cut it. A 7'+ rod would be much better for the job.

I mean this is my thoughts exactly. I wouldn't bother track down the best casting reel with a 5'9" rod, it's like putting Brembo Brakes on a Dodge Aries.

My advice is do the best you can with it and try to catch fish until you can upgrade to a more serious BFS setup.

thanks for all of your guys help.i got a loongze bfs reel and my buddy who resizes rods make my great huntsman a 7'2 it has been working great for casting 2 gram baits around 20-30 yards which is all I need,perfect for big small mouth but still usable it creeks just fine.I also have an aldebaran bfs on a 7'10 medium light for scoping during my tournaments instead of my spinning rod,its extremely light so flicking and shaking feels the same.I do still keep my 1500 vanquish on a 7'6 medium for wacky rigging and weightless panoramas.Thanks!