Upgrade Mgx or buy JDM BFS?

[Dustys60]

I have a dobyns 742 for shakey heads and drop shots that I want to use around docks and light cover flipping and pitching these baits. I have a revo mgx on it now that I can accurately pitch a 1/8 oz approx 25ft. I would like to get down to 1/16 for my shakey heads. My question is should I put a spool and bearings in the mgx or just go ahead and buy a new reel. This would be my first jdm reel. I have done a lot of reading and have narrowed my choices to the pxr, ss air, alderban 15 bfs, or the ltx revo although I don t see a lot of people talking it up. All opions are welcome. Thanks

[Bootytrain]

If you want a new reel then get one. If you don't want to spend the money there are several shallow spool options for the mgx I believe.

[Dustys60]

I guess my question is will the upgraded mgx be as good as the jdm bfs reels?

[Bootytrain]

I guess my question is will the upgraded mgx be as good as the jdm bfs reels?

Depends on how shallow and light the spool is.

[slideaction]

Id say get one suited for with a spool. Have a zillion with pe spool and it didn't perform what I wanted. Changed to a 09 aldebaran with avail spool and it worked nicely. Alot of the older reels such as the curado/chronarch (scorpion) 50e and even some 09 aldebaran 50 can be found at good prices. With daiwas, pixys have been pretty low and even the new alphas can be had for good price or tdz with sv spools. There's plenty of options out there however I only have experiences on the aldebaran with avail. I'm sure some of those with the alphas can chime in more. Will try to get pics on what I have use to cast

[saoulons]

I have a Revo LTX and I think that 1/16 would be a stretch (although I haven't tried it).

If you really want to spoil yourself, I'd say get an Aldebaran or a Steez and arm it with a finesse spool. Not a cheap option by any means, but an option which I am sure you'll really enjoy

[Dustys60]

Forgive me I am getting a little confused. Is a alderbaran with a after market spool better than the 15 bfs alderbaran. Or can you get a aftermarket spool for the 15 bfs limited.

[Dustys60]

I guess my question is will the upgraded mgx be as good as the jdm bfs reels?

Depends on how shallow and light the spool is.

I was looking at the avail spool and hedge hog bearings. I dunno if that would be a good choice or not. I am a bfs newbe by a long shot but I can't stand pitching with a spinning rod. I am not near as accurate.

[Bootytrain]

I have the bfs xg limited and revo ltz... both can handle 1/16 th with the right rod but don't think you will be casting 50 yards with that weight. 50 ft woulld be an exceptional distance. So keep in mind if you don't have a rod that can handle that weight the reel won't be nearly as effective.

[Dustys60]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shimano-ALDEBAR ... WeQe9.[url][/url] would this b a good real and is that a good price

[John G]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shimano-ALDEBAR ... WeQe9.[url][/url] would this b a good real and is that a good price

IMHO, that is not a bad price at if everything is in great shape. To give you an idea, I am putting together to Aldebaran Mg-7's, one with all ZPI parts and one with all Avail parts and ZPI knobs and I will have over $600 with the ZPI Mg-7 and almost $600 with the Avail Mg-7.

[JWR075]

I have the bfs xg limited and revo ltz... both can handle 1/16 th with the right rod but don't think you will be casting 50 yards with that weight. 50 ft woulld be an exceptional distance. So keep in mind if you don't have a rod that can handle that weight the reel won't be nearly as effective.

Amen to that. I think the rod is as important as the reel. In my quest with BFS tackle, some stock reels can handle small baits (1/8th oz) as long as the rod they are using is designed for these small baits. Another thing is the bait itself. A finesse spinnerbait, chatter bait and jig cast a lot better than equal weight crankbaits and plastics (except for a Senko). Another thing one needs to do when starting BFS is practice because of the light weights.

[saoulons]

To clarify, I own a Steez, Aldebaran '15 and Revo LTX (all stock). All three can cast a ned rig with a 1/15 shroomz head using a good whip of the rod. I haven't tried pitching it, but I don't think it would be that successful at this weight (at least not in a way where I would feel comfortable pitching with accuracy).

I'm planning to experiment this spring casting and pitching weightless soft plastics (e.g., xtail shads) and I think I'll need aftermarket tuning to get there in a way that is comfortable for me.

There are a lot of variables at play here - your technique for pitching, the type of lure you are using, line type & diameter, the rod and the reel, how much distance you want to achieve, etc.

The link you sent is interesting and not a bad price. I haven't used this particular reel but I like having the micro-click adjustment wheel on the outside (which the '15 Aldebaran 50 has) and it looks like this one doesn't have it. But with the KTF tuning, I'm sure that thing is a beast.

My personal opinion is that super tuning at that level is very specific for what you want to achieve and your particular technique / set up. I personally prefer to start with something super solid stock, that can be modified and add as needed. I am heading down this path this spring (for my Steez and Aldebaran). http://www.japantackle.com has a good set of tuning parts that highlight what you may be able to achieve. They have Avail spools for MGX and LTX. Given that you have a good sense of what you are getting out of the MGX stock, it is worth exploring how much more you can achieve with different bearings / spools (but I must admit that I am ignorant, even research-wise, when it comes to tuning an MGX). Can't comment on what bump they will provide but maybe someone else on here can based on experience?

Please share what you find as it's useful for a lot of us (or at the very least for me ).

The most interesting "stock" configuration I was able to find is this one, which claims to cast 3 / 32 oz effortlessly... Haven't tried it though. But certainly not a bad price at all (relatively speaking).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201358092733?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

[the hooligan]

I have a dobyns 742 for shakey heads and drop shots that I want to use around docks and light cover flipping and pitching these baits. I have a revo mgx on it now that I can accurately pitch a 1/8 oz approx 25ft. I would like to get down to 1/16 for my shakey heads. My question is should I put a spool and bearings in the mgx or just go ahead and buy a new reel. This would be my first jdm reel. I have done a lot of reading and have narrowed my choices to the pxr, ss air, alderban 15 bfs, or the ltx revo although I don t see a lot of people talking it up. All opions are welcome. Thanks

Cheapest route is probably just getting the ltx. I'm not an abu fan but that reel will cast 1/16oz no problem. Second option, drop a zpi finesse spool in that mgx. That's what I would do if you just want to buy a spool.

Third option, buy the bfs xg limited or wait for the 16 alphas air or 16 bfs xg. Lots of options

[Dustys60]

I have the bfs xg limited and revo ltz... both can handle 1/16 th with the right rod but don't think you will be casting 50 yards with that weight. 50 ft woulld be an exceptional distance. So keep in mind if you don't have a rod that can handle that weight the reel won't be nearly as effective.

Amen to that. I think the rod is as important as the reel. In my quest with BFS tackle, some stock reels can handle small baits (1/8th oz) as long as the rod they are using is designed for these small baits. Another thing is the bait itself. A finesse spinnerbait, chatter bait and jig cast a lot better than equal weight crankbaits and plastics (except for a Senko). Another thing one needs to do when starting BFS is practice because of the light weights.

I have been practicing pitching to a small box . at approx 25 ft with the 1\8 oz I do really good, but when I move it to 35 ft my accuracy is dampered alot.