I have been using two Shimano Curado BFS reels with several different rods and I have not been impressed with the casting performance with lower weight lures. It will cast 3/16 to about 1/4 once lures fairly well but anything less than 3/16 was not so good. I was never able to pitch or flip a 1/16 jig at all. I did not find the stock set better than a good spinning set up for light stuff.

So after being frustrated with the reels casting performance for a year or more I ordered an aftermarket spool from bait Finesse Empire. I got the Roro Lures CB26 spool for Curados and SLX reels. the spool is super light compared to the stock spool. It is well machined and finished.

I put on 10 pound Suffix braid I had left over and a 6 pound mono leader and headed to the nearest lake to test is out.

I am surprised how much it improved the reels casting performance. I started with a 3/16 Duo Realis mid Roller and it cast like a rocket. I switched to a Lucky Craft Point 48 at 3/32 and it cast really well too. Next up was 1/10 once Duo Tetra Pocopocos Popper and it was good too. I did not have any lighter lures at the time so headed home.

I when back today and try a 1/32 crappie jig with a tube. The casting is poor with a 1/32 jig. I could feels the leader knot catching on the rod guides when casting. I think a lighter line with no connection knot may cast better but I have not had time to test that.

Overall I am super impressed how much the new spool improved low weight casting performance. I wish I had the spool a year or two ago.

I have a sds custom spool for my zillion and love it, it casts light lures so easily.

On 5/30/2026 at 3:51 PM, BassinBrett said:

I when back today and try a 1/32 crappie jig with a tube. The casting is poor with a 1/32 jig. I could feels the leader knot catching on the rod guides when casting. I think a lighter line with no connection knot may cast better but I have not had time to test that.

When you get down that low the line makes a huge difference. Go as thin as you can tolerate and don't fill the spool (you're looking to save weight). The Roro spools are great, but I find many of their models have far more line capacity than necessary for that type of application. That spool has a good capacity for 7-8 grams but if you're looking to cast 1-2 grams the weight of the line itself becomes an enormous percentage of your overall spool weight and has a significant effect on overall performance.