BFS Line Conundrum

[John G]

He used this 2LB with no issues.

[John G]

For me, for anything that goes underwater, I use Sunline Sniper FC.

Is that the low stretch/high sensitivity sunline or the softer, more manageable fc? And does it come in green? I've got a green theme going with the rod and reel, so that may provide a little more eye candy. I've never strayed from Seaguar FC, so maybe I'll try some out. I don't know, it's such a tough decision...

My friends Sunline FC is definitely not green and my Sniper FC is clear. Sunline does make a greenish camo FC.

[poisonokie]

I was just eyeing that Sniper Invisible and BMS on the auction site. I think I'll go with 2 or 2.5# BMS. Thanks, man.

[John G]

I was just eyeing that Sniper Invisible and BMS on the auction site. I think I'll go with 2 or 2.5# BMS. Thanks, man.

You are very welcome. Hope it works out great for you.

[hoohoorjoo]

Light braid works fine on my SS Air, no damage to my spool after one year and some nice fish. With tiny cranks, light drag settings are a must, so I see no problem with it.

What do you secure it to the spool with? We're you the one who said thread tape works? If so, does it remain intact? I mean with such little line, I'll probably change it fairly often and I know that stuff can obviously survive exposure to water and being screwed between two pipes, so I guess it should translate to spools...

No, I'm the guy who ties braid thru the holes in the spool. I tie off thru 2 consecutive holes, but with one wrap of line between the end and where it ties back to itself. I use a uni knot with only 5 wraps. Clear scotch tape goes on the spool to block the holes. This is to help keep water out, no mechanical purpose. The line wraps on and the tape stays in place. Any tape residue will come right off the spool with rubbing alcohol. Teflon tape has almost zero friction coeeficient, so I dont see how it will stop the line from slipping. It is used to basically lubricate the threads on pipe so that you can tighten it down further and tighter. Thats why pans are often coated with it, to keep food from sticking.

[Craigthor]

He used this 2LB with no issues.

Anyone know where to source the FC Sniper BMS 2# Line? Looking at diameter even the 2# looks more like a 6# Mono diameter my 3# Nylon was .128mm.

[poisonokie]

That makes sense. It doesn't seem like there's much to bite into, either. It is super thin and light tape, though, so it might be good to keep water out if not to keep the braid from slipping. If I go with braid, I'll do that. Do you mean the two holes right next to each other in the center or just any two holes?

Since it's sounding more and more like I can use whatever line I want as long as I'm smart about it, I'm liking the idea of the 2.5# sniper just because it's right in the center of the line rating. I'm OCD like that. Plus it's super visible but there's a low vis grey section to tie off to. I think I'll put that ester line on an UL spinning setup, since I have a feeling it's geared more toward spinning reels.

Thanks, everybody. Gotta love TT!

[poisonokie]

He used this 2LB with no issues.

Anyone know where to source the FC Sniper BMS 2# Line? Looking at diameter even the 2# looks more like a 6# Mono diameter my 3# Nylon was .128mm.

Well, it looks like it's the same thickness as 1# heavier standard sniper. i.e 7# BMS is the same as 8# sniper. TW says it has a "double resin coating."

[hoohoorjoo]

To be more specific, I run the line thru 2 consecutive holes, one in front of the other, then run the line around the spool and tie off at the line before it starts into the first hole on the spool. When you first start reeling, the line will slide until it hits tight at the pass-through point. Then it stops sliding and starts to wrap around the spool.

[poisonokie]

To be more specific, I run the line thru 2 consecutive holes, one in front of the other, then run the line around the spool and tie off at the line before it starts into the first hole on the spool. When you first start reeling, the line will slide until it hits tight at the pass-through point. Then it stops sliding and starts to wrap around the spool.

Gotcha

[Carlos Carrapiço]

Alright, TT has done it again. I have an Alphas Air Stream Custom sitting in customs and a Tenryu Rayz 53UL-BC waiting to be shipped. The rod is rated for 1-6g (~1/32-7/32) and 1-4#. The reel has the shallowest, smallest diameter spool I know of and has a fixed inductor. The combo should be very nearly the most finesse BFS setup currently available.

The only thing I don't know what to do about is the line. As you TTers know, Daiwa prohibits the use of braid on their honeycomb bfs type spools, presumably because the lack of stretch can damage the spool on a backlash or hookset. I'm guessing that also rules out the use of Ester line. Also, in this case they discourage the use of lines lighter than 6#, presumably because the tension created by stretch becomes too high for the spool to handle when spooling on more than 40 meters.

So since the rod is rated 1-4#, what you guys recommend? If I could use any line I would go with either 4# Invizx, 8-10# J-Braid, or 2.1# Varivas Ester (which I'm also waiting on and have never tried before.) I've gotten some feedback on this, with other users saying braid won't actually present a problem when used with the drag settings and lure weights the setup is designed for. I haven't heard anything about going lighter than 6#, but I'm thinking since fluoro is supposedly less stretchy than equivalent mono (I'm not sure this is really the case with Invizx) that I should be able to to go a little lighter than 6#. Or I guess I could measure out 40m of 4# instead of filling the spool. I like using braid for stuff like this, and the rod does have braid-friendly Ti/SiC K frames, but aside from the fact that they say not to use it, I don't like the idea of all the crap it can carry back to that perforated spool. I've heard I can line the arbor with thread tape to both get out of using mono backing and prevent the intrusion of contaminants. Should it break up, though, it seems like it might get into the reel and be just as bad as pond scum.

That leaves the Ester, which Daiwa doesn't mention. I don't know if that's because it's okay to use or because no one besides some ignorant Okie would ever use it with that reel. At 2.1#, it sits at the magic middle of the rod's line rating that I usually shoot for, it sinks, it's sensitive, and it's bright orange for line watching. Like braid, it'll offer enough capacity for a nice cushion should I hook into something big. It's intended to be used as Area line with a fluoro shock leader, which I would also use with braid. One downside is I think it may add more weight to the spool even than equivalent fluorocarbon, so that makes me think braid may be the way to go. Do you think the use of a leader would mitigate the lack of stretch inherent in these lines? Am I totally over thinking this? I try to take very good care of my equipment, I don't mess around with setting the drag too high or casting weights beyond a rod’s capability, I don't abuse the rod when fighting fish or to free a snag, so the spool is in good hands. I'm just trying to find the optimum setup without unforeseen consequences.

If you actually made it through all this, thanks. If you have any insight, double thanks.

Dear poisonokie,

Accordingly to my experience (I have a Smith BST-EXS47UL/C3 paired with a Daiwa T3 AIR for trout fishing) if you really want to go that low in weight, the line weight plays a big role.

http://www.smith.jp/product/trout/bstc/bstc.html
Check the video on the page and the youtube channel.

I know what Daiwa says about PE line and so one. Been using 8 and 10lb for 3 full year without any issues and that is what every trout fisherman does in japan when using baitcasters and very small lures (below 4gr.).

If I was in your situation (well... I am) I would go with 10lb PE line and a short FC shockleader.

Another thing to consider is the amount of line you spool. More line, more weigh, more spool inertia, more line to be soaked with water and so on....

The lines I normally buy come in 150m and I spool 50m in the reel. More then enough and helps when casting small lure.

Hope it helps you.

[the hooligan]

Im not buying the light line tension thing. Ive caught many 5-7lb bass/stripers on 4lb fluoro. My only worries would be fishing braid on an avail honeycomb spool. The megabass honeycomb is actually a pretty sturdy spool and can handle braid fine. Same with the alpha air stream spool. Id personally fish that spool with 4lb fluoro

[poisonokie]

Im not buying the light line tension thing. Ive caught many 5-7lb bass/stripers on 4lb fluoro. My only worries would be fishing braid on an avail honeycomb spool. The megabass honeycomb is actually a pretty sturdy spool and can handle braid fine. Same with the alpha air stream spool. Id personally fish that spool with 4lb fluoro

Yeah, I don't know if it's true or not, but Daiwa must have some reason for discouraging <6#, right? I'm not that worried about it now, anyway, so I'm gonna try all three and see which I like best (10# braid, 2.5# fluoro, 2.1# ester.) If I do use braid or ester I'll use a 4# fluoro leader. What I don't like can always go on a spinning reel for crappie. All the experimentation will be fun. I'm pretty pumped about this setup.

[poisonokie]

Dear poisonokie,

Accordingly to my experience (I have a Smith BST-EXS47UL/C3 paired with a Daiwa T3 AIR for trout fishing) if you really want to go that low in weight, the line weight plays a big role.

http://www.smith.jp/product/trout/bstc/bstc.html
Check the video on the page and the youtube channel.

I know what Daiwa says about PE line and so one. Been using 8 and 10lb for 3 full year without any issues and that is what every trout fisherman does in japan when using baitcasters and very small lures (below 4gr.).

If I was in your situation (well... I am) I would go with 10lb PE line and a short FC shockleader.

Another thing to consider is the amount of line you spool. More line, more weigh, more spool inertia, more line to be soaked with water and so on....

The lines I normally buy come in 150m and I spool 50m in the reel. More then enough and helps when casting small lure.

Hope it helps you.

Sure does. That video just showed how you can break that Be Sticky down and carry it around in the sleeve with the reel mounted. That is a pretty cool feature. Alphas and T3's are super comfortable on that ACS reel seat. I'll probably start with braid since I already have some. You're right, 50m would be more than enough for sure, but braid is light, so I'll probably spool up more so I can also use this reel on my Volkey 68L, or at least try to. I don't think it would spool that reel with 1/8-1/4, but with an aerodynamic weight transfer hardbait or Kastmaster, maybe. An Alphas Air would be a better choice for that rod, and that's what I set out to do, but I couldn't resist the Stream Custom's siren song.

[John G]

Here is what Hedgehog Studios says about using the trout spool for the 15 Aldebaran BFS XG Limited. They are telling us to use a PE line.