How much line to put on bfs reel?

[fmp]

I have an aldebaran bfs reel which I spooled up with 15lb braid. Without really thinking about it I just spoke d it up like I would a traditional baitcaster - about 1/8 inch from the spool rim.

Is this incorrect? I’ve heard that some people will only spool their bfs reels “halfway” full with line in order to keep the spool weight at a minimum. Does anyone have any input on how much line I should be putting on? Will having a “full” spool make it harder for me to cast lighter baits?

Thanks in advance!

[hoohoorjoo]

Full spool gives you the advantage of higher line recovery rate. This will come at the expense of casting the lightest baits, because the rotational mass of the spool is higher. A reel with 8.x:1 gear ratio helps overcome the lower IPT when you dont fill the spool to full capacity. I'm fairly certain that's the reason that BFS reels typically come in higher gear ratios.

[dennis_rf]

If we’re talking about the 16 Aldebaran BFS XG, I just spooled new line (100 meters 8lb / 0.13mm jbraid Grand) on mine and took some measurements
Empty: 26.25” per turn
Full: 30” per turn
The line weighs 1.8g

So I’d say for going only half full, both inches per turn and weight are not decreased to where I’d feel any difference in performance or handling

Attached my understanding of “full”

[Slazmo]

Hands up if anyone has used 100m of line on a fish in Freshwater?

I split my 125yard spools into two line shots and sometimes 3 for the sake of that amount being the top shot only.

We've got skinny creeks and regardless of normal casting or BFS that working portion is used and turned over in time.

Most of my spools have the nasty mono backing and just the top shot to the line guides upper level - so that the line and the level wind peel is dead flat.

[Houndfish]

I use fluoro most of the time and shoot for two full casts, whatever that means for a specific combo. Thinner fluoro is so unforgiving in terms of ease of damage that I replace it far more often than thicker line, so I want as little on the spool as I can get away with. I use 15-30lb braid as a backer so the spool is full.

[dennis_rf]

Hands up if anyone has used 100m of line on a fish in Freshwater?

Either due to break off when snagged or I get rid of the abused tip part over a couple of months until I’m down to 50m / 54yd. Sometimes I need to cast 44yd to reach the perch from the bank (central Europe), so I wouldn’t wanna go below the 50m. As shown, there’s no disadvantage to bother with not spooling everything on there at once.

As for backing on higher capacity reels: cheap AliExpress braid, seems to pack tighter and flatter under the working line.

[Knotty]

I'm confused. Why is anyone using backing on a shallow spool BFS reel? Not like there's a lot to fill and because the spools are so shallow, retrieve rate doesn't change much between empty and full.

[dennis_rf]

I don’t think anyone is, we just slipped in a more general discussion...

[jvelth74]

In my opinion in shallow BFS spools only effect of amount of line is how light lures can be used. (Effect in shallow spools is relative low, but amount of line still has effect to starting inertia because all line weight is on spool outer diameter.) And if line is short, it must be kept in mind when having fish on.

[LowRange]

Hands up if anyone has used 100m of line on a fish in Freshwater?

I split my 125yard spools into two line shots and sometimes 3 for the sake of that amount being the top shot only.

We've got skinny creeks and regardless of normal casting or BFS that working portion is used and turned over in time.

Most of my spools have the nasty mono backing and just the top shot to the line guides upper level - so that the line and the level wind peel is dead flat.

I guess I do? My Zillion HLC spool holds 110 yards of 14# mono and I spool it of 65# braid on almost every cast of a frog. There is a bunch of slack line I wind in after the cast to get the line taunt but it spits out that much on a cast

[Slazmo]

I'm guessing a frog isn't BFS realm. Also this casting is dictated by weight - what's a frog weigh?

[Knotty]

I guess I do? My Zillion HLC spool holds 110 yards of 14# mono and I spool it of 65# braid on almost every cast of a frog. There is a bunch of slack line I wind in after the cast to get the line taunt but it spits out that much on a cast
[/quote]

Hey LowRange, is the Zillion HLC a BFS reel? I'm not familiar with it but did a Google search and the spool looks much deeper than any of the BFS reels I have, including the Aldebaran.

[LowRange]

I guess I do? My Zillion HLC spool holds 110 yards of 14# mono and I spool it of 65# braid on almost every cast of a frog. There is a bunch of slack line I wind in after the cast to get the line taunt but it spits out that much on a cast

Hey LowRange, is the Zillion HLC a BFS reel? I'm not familiar with it but did a Google search and the spool looks much deeper than any of the BFS reels I have, including the Aldebaran.
[/quote]

Not at all. Quite the opposite. That post was in response to an off topic question about freshwater line capacity.

[LowRange]

I'm guessing a frog isn't BFS realm. Also this casting is dictated by weight - what's a frog weigh?

I thought you were speaking about line capacity in freshwater in general. More specifically how line cap over 100m/110yd is not needed due the inability of freshwater species to make a run and peel off line. While I agree I do find myself emptying what must be over 100./110yds of line on a cast with a particular reel. I also find the 90yds of 14# in my Tatula SV to be too little capacity for the big baits I want to throw on the rod it is on and looking to pick up the 1516 spool Catalina TW.