I have a new BFS combo but still need to put some line on it.

I will mostly use this for small treble hook baits.

What poundage and type of line are you all running?

Straight FC? Braid to FC?

THANKS!

I'm using straight 6 lb. Seaguars red label FC no braid no leader.

6lb daiwa samurai fluoro or 6lb maxima ultra green if I want to throw top waters.

I primarily use 7 lb Sniper fluorocarbon on 3 of my 4 BFS rigs. On the other one where I throw treble baits which might include topwater - I use 6 lb CXX Co-poly since it isn't as dense and doesn't sink like fluorocarbon.

46 minutes ago, Peacedivision said:

if I want to throw top waters.

Dang, wasn't even thinking about that.

Catching big bluegills on topwater is one of the things I've been excited for.

FC to mono leader?

I'm not a big braid to leader guy on casting but that might be worth looking into if you want a do it all setup. Or go down the rabbit hole and end up with 3 bfs combos, or more

I don't do braid to leader on any of my regular casting rigs, but I do on spinning. However, I opted for braid to leader on both my SLX and ARK BFS reels. I just found it to be more predictable and consistent, especially with lighter or wind-catching baits. YMMV.

6 minutes ago, Peacedivision said:

Or go down the rabbit hole and end up with 3 bfs combos, or more

Even I couldn't justify that. LOL

That and my wife would absolutely kill me.

@PhishLI

What poundage?

I'm using Varivas Max Power PE # 0.8 which is rated at 16.7 lbs I think. Regardless, it's super thin for the rating when compared to Power Pro SS V2 15lb which feels like rope in comparison.

I only spool on 165' of braid though as that's what 200m spools break down to in increments. I don't have dig in issues with that little mainline.

Amazon.com : VARIVAS Max Power PE x8 (28.6 lb (#1.5) 200m) : Sports & Outdoors

35 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

I'm using Varivas Max Power PE # 0.8 which is rated at 16.7 lbs I think. Regardless, it's super thin for the rating when compared to Power Pro SS V2 15lb which feels like rope in comparison.

I only spool on 165' of braid though as that's what 200m spools break down to in increments. I don't have dig in issues with that little mainline.

Amazon.com : VARIVAS Max Power PE x8 (28.6 lb (#1.5) 200m) : Sports & Outdoors

Thanks.

What's your leader?

8 lb FC or so?

4 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

What's your leader?

I have a big pickeral problem here, so I use 10 lb Seaguar blue label mostly. 8lb Sufix Advance mono/copoly if I'm chucking poppers, floating jerks, etc. Could probably get away with the 8lb Sufix. It's pretty tough.

The reason I’m against braid for BFS is because it is so lightweight and hard to cast. Fluorocarbon is dense and adds weight.

To me, casting a 1/8 oz lure with fluorocarbon is more equivalent to casting a 3/16 oz lure - and using light 8 or 10 lb braid makes a 1/8 oz lure feel like 1/16 oz. It’s harder to cast, especially if you have wind.

Mono is somewhere in the middle, maybe closer to fluorocarbon, but still preferable to braid in terms of casting IMHO.

The weight of fluorocarbon adds to spool inertia, requiring more spool brake.

That said, 5-lb Ultragreen mono is a great choice until your cast is confident enough to switch to threadline braid.

I've done this before.

6lb Sunline Invisible. I brought in a 30lb+ , 40in+, orange carp on it this past weekend. No pictures though, sorry. I got it to the boat and it was too big for the net. After 10min I finally got it sort of in the net and it snapped the foldable section of the net in half. The lure got caught in the net and the fish just swam away but the line never broke.

1 hour ago, FryDog62 said:

The reason I’m against braid for BFS is because it is so lightweight and hard to cast. Fluorocarbon is dense and adds weight.

To me, casting a 1/8 oz lure with fluorocarbon is more equivalent to casting a 3/16 oz lure - and using light 8 or 10 lb braid makes a 1/8 oz lure feel like 1/16 oz. It’s harder to cast, especially if you have wind.

Mono is somewhere in the middle, maybe closer to fluorocarbon, but still preferable to braid in terms of casting IMHO.

The fluoro leader definitely adds weight to the bait and it's noticeable.

I was incredibly surprised and impressed by straight 6# sunline supernatural on the BFS rig when I fished it last year. I had swapped out of braid to leader to try straight mono and loved it. I threw some 6# tatsu on it this year when TW did the Christmas sale and I really like it also, though it does need a little more spool tension (which would normally be zero for me). Putting a 4” minnow on a 5/16 jighead (totally not BFS) makes for a great jighead minnow FFS combo that I can cast really accurately at moving fish. I like it better than a spinning rod for that application.

Suffix Advanced 8# on one and 8# Power Pro braid on the other two casting rigs.

8# Suffix Revolve braid on my one spinning with 6# fluro leader