BFS Gills & Etc.

Fired up the newly built/modified BFS rig this weekend and caught a few with it. Threw a Eurotackle B-Vibe mini-swimbait on a 1/16 Oz jig head with 4 pound Fireline Crystal. Also used a few other small crankbaits and a Diawa Presso Step Dart. This is a trout lure but the crappies and bass loved it. Caught more bass than gills but fun nonetheless. Lots of good rod bending action!

Attachment 385026
Attachment 385027
Attachment 385028
Attachment 385029
Attachment 385030

Attachment 385031
Attachment 385032
Attachment 385033
Attachment 385034

Great spot and photos! Love that reel handle!
Bob

Good looking BFS setup, I have thought long and hard about that road but not ventured down it yet. Those are some nice looking fish as well.
Did you mention the name and weight of the Rod?

Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Looks like my kind of lake! Great pics and gear.

Nice looking outfit.....pretty fish.


Regards


Sent from my iPad using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Great, congrats!

Thanks all. It's been fun and a learning experience. Still need to improve on casting the light lures. This setup will cast a 1/32 oz jig quite well. Haven't been brave enough to try the 1/64 TM yet. Did on a previous rendition and it was rough.

This is a budget setup. I already had the Abu Garcia Black Max reel. It's their low end reel. I upgraded the bearings with ABEC 7 hybrid ceramics and changed out the spool for a lightweight shallow one. The spool weight is a little over 9 grams. The handle is one I found on eBay, carbon graphite. I like the cork knobs. All these mods and the cost of the reel and I'm still under $100.

The rod is from AliExpress - the Acehawk CU Double. It's a six foot, two-piece rod. It comes with two upper sections, one light and one ultralight. The light top has a medium fast action and the UL a fast action. The lure ratings are 2 - 6 grams and 0.5 - 4 grams respectively. Rod weight is 103 grams. It's also low cost at about $35. I have second spool that I may spool up with 8 pound line and use with the light top section to throw soon bigger lures.

It's all just experimentation and fun at this point. Trust me, I've had too many backlashes and spool blow ups getting the brake setting and thumbing action correct. Little changes make a BIG difference. But I have things dialed in now and I can concentrate on just catching fish.

I don't live near any trout steams, so this will be for catching gills and other panfish. If I really like this BFS stuff, I can always upgrade or continue to use. If not, I'm not out much. And I can put the stock Abu spool back in and use for standard baitcasting purposes. I'll keep the nice handle, either way! :fish

Nice, glad you fun with UL casting gears.

I'd be mildly interested in how far that rig would cast a 1/80 hair jig. I doubt that I could be winched away from my spinning rigs though. lol Have you tried 2lb test on it. 2lb viscous is my favorite. I have no idea of actual breaking weight of this line .
You sure have a great looking place to hunt the fish. Nice pictures.

I haven't tried anything lighter than 1/32 oz on this current set up. I may try a TM rig, which is about 1 gram, just to see. My guess is if you want to go much lighter, you'll need to shell out the bucks for a Aldebaran, MGExtreme, Alphas Air or the like.

It is my understanding that BFS was developed/created by/for stream anglers and trout fishing. The casting distances were usually short but accuracy was needed. Lures were light but not 1/80th an ounce or anything near it since the stream currents would wash such lures away. So, if you're looking for distance with very light lures, stick with a spinning set up. That's all I ever used until about 1.5 years ago when I bought my first baitcaster. I've only been messing with the BFS stuff for about the last 2-3 months. MHO and YMMV.