Bfs casts........... and a trout magnet

How small is your rod and how light is your line? It's not about the size of your tackle, but how you work it. Come share your Ultralight and Bait Finesse System (BFS) fishing success here!
Post Reply
User avatar
Daltontribe
Angler
Angler
Posts: 25
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2008 10:00 am
Location: Washington

Bfs casts........... and a trout magnet

Post by Daltontribe » Mon Apr 19, 2021 7:17 pm

I have been reading about bfs and trout magnets, but I for the life of me cannot figure out how to accurately cast them is a small stream setting with even the “best of gear” ie. Calcutta conquest bfs+ Avail shallow spool and magnets+ 4’6” Chineseium fiberglass rod rated for 1-5grams+ 4lb dia braid. Now all that being said I can cast 1/16 and 1/8 oz rapalas, spinners and their Chinese knockoff equivalents. Ok so I know that I am casting anywhere from 2.5 grams to 3.5 grams, but how do people get to casting those 1.5 and under gram lures? I’ve watched countless YouTube videos where they claim to cast the trout magnets but are always using full whip side arm, or overhead casts. On most of the streams in the coastal Pacific Northwest where I live those casts are a recipe for disaster, so I mostly use a roll cast or a modified and shortened side arm cast. All that being said is there a complete setup rod reel and line, or some improved technique that I can use to cast these “holy grail” of bfs efficiently and accurately?
Thanks for any help,
Daniel

ss30378
Platinum Angler
Platinum Angler
Posts: 1081
Joined: Fri Apr 27, 2012 2:42 pm
Location: Huntsville, AL

Re: Bfs casts........... and a trout magnet

Post by ss30378 » Mon Apr 19, 2021 9:43 pm

It sounds like you have a great setup on the reel, I had the same setup but in the aldebaran bfs. I can't comment on the rod since ratings are never the same across the board but I have has some trial and error in my bfs setups. For a true UL BFS setup to cast under 2g the rod and line have a great impact at how successful you are. I've had a couple rods that could really cast some light lures, the difference is the blank needs to load, the guides had to be smooth and spaced correctly, the line has to glide through the guides smoothly. Super light weights are hyper sensitive to any kind of resistance.

I've had blanks that load better than others not cast as far as stiffer rods and I believe this was due to inferior guides or guide spacing. Example: My edge inshore 6'6" light rod would always come up 5-10ft short of my majorcraft days 6'5" UL rod even though the inshore actually loaded better than the majorcraft. The edge rod had no name SIC guides and the majorcraft runs fuji SIC guides, the MC also had one more guide overall even though it was an inch shorter. You can feel the smoothness in casts with the MC rod vs the Edge.

I've tried a few super thin braids that felt super soft but was disappointed. The braids still wasn't as smooth on the surface as a fluoro or mono which caused a little more friction in the guides putting the brakes on the tiny baits. Above 2g the momentum of the lure seems to offset the extra friction but under 2g I still get my best results with a soft mono or fluoro even though its heavier than braid.

So what is the holy grail rod? For what you're looking for with more of a flick of the wrist roll cast and consistency I'd say go with a custom rod. I had one built off a 6'1" phenix mirage trout blank with spiral wrapped micro guides and the super soft blank loads with a flick of the wrist. It's the type of rod that gets the same distance whether I just do a simple roll cast or if I wind up and aim for the moon. If I were to do anything differently with this rod I would have ponied up for a nicer fuji SIC or torzite guide train as I think I left a little bit of distance left on the table with this one.

With super ultra light BFS you're at the very edge of capability with casting gear, similar to an F1 car everything has to be fine tuned or performance falls off quickly.

eklikewhoa
Elite Angler
Elite Angler
Posts: 214
Joined: Tue Feb 21, 2017 1:09 am

Re: Bfs casts........... and a trout magnet

Post by eklikewhoa » Tue Apr 20, 2021 6:11 am

It definitely is great sensitive and tags show getting use to but possible.

User avatar
Hobie-Wan Kenobi
Pro Angler
Pro Angler
Posts: 3014
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2014 1:25 pm
Location: Michigan (U.P)
Contact:

Re: Bfs casts........... and a trout magnet

Post by Hobie-Wan Kenobi » Tue Apr 20, 2021 9:38 am

Hahaha...I enjoy a good ol BFS trout magnet video. The ability to whip a light lure 30ft and get hype wanes quickly.

Those trout magenta and other jigs can weight more or less than packaged. Like SS said above, the rod is the biggest factor. The reel is important too but, a rod that loads with the weight will allow you to not have to "force load" the rod for results.

I like to have my side to side play in my reel to have the slightest amount of side to side play via the cast control knob. I allow the brakes to do their job. With that weight, you will need a lower brake setting and a disciplined thumb. If you are right handed and the lure keeps hooking left, turn down your brakes a touch at a time.

My preferred rod is the Tsurinoya Ares. It's a 4'7" XUL BFS rod with a deep taper to it. As SS said, the 6'1 mirage is nice too but, the Ares is better with that weight
IG @hobie_wan_kenobi_fishing

Knotty
Elite Angler
Elite Angler
Posts: 261
Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 9:06 am
Location: Northern NJ

Re: Bfs casts........... and a trout magnet

Post by Knotty » Sun Apr 25, 2021 6:51 pm

Hobie-Wan Kenobi wrote:
Tue Apr 20, 2021 9:38 am
...My preferred rod is the Tsurinoya Ares. It's a 4'7" XUL BFS rod with a deep taper to it. As SS said, the 6'1 mirage is nice too but, the Ares is better with that weight
Daniel, a 1/64th Trout Magnet jig head plus the plastic is about 1 g and, like you, being able to cast it on BFS was my goal. Tried a few rods but not until I followed Hobie-Wan's advice did it even come close to being a reality. The Tsurinoya Ares can do it but I still wouldn't want to spend much of my time with the TM as my primary lure. It's just nice to know you can do it in a pinch.

User avatar
jvelth74
Platinum Angler
Platinum Angler
Posts: 944
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2018 7:03 am
Location: Finland
Contact:

Re: Bfs casts........... and a trout magnet

Post by jvelth74 » Mon Apr 26, 2021 3:06 am

In my short tests, 1 g (0,6 g + 0,4 g) Trout Magnets are hard to cast with standard BFS tackle. Line and rod and spool must be correct. In this test I had worn SpiderWire Stealth smooth, and bearings could be better and I had limited space for casting.

But adding float to rig, then it's usually castable with std. bfs set.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFGF4DBunDc

User avatar
jvelth74
Platinum Angler
Platinum Angler
Posts: 944
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2018 7:03 am
Location: Finland
Contact:

Re: Bfs casts........... and a trout magnet

Post by jvelth74 » Sun May 02, 2021 11:07 am

I was fishing with TroutMagnets today. First cast went pretty far, and just only jig, not with float. Second casts were horrible. I added float and after that I could fish with it. But once when line got wet in a long distance, casting was horrible again. Obvious it's time to trash those worn Spiderwires. I'm actually considering to switch to monofil, despite of I don't like to use mono. But friction of old and worn Spiderwire was awfull when line got wet. Actually I ordered Sufix Nanobraid, if that would be better in light use than Spiderwire. But Nanobraid don't feel as smooth and slick than Spiderwire (in a new). So, I'm not sure am I going to use Nanobraid.

In a local store is available Stroft GTM 0.16 mm (~6 lbs). Is that too thick and strong for Trout Magnets?

...I decided at least to try PE 0.2 / 7 lb / 0,06 mm Sufix Nanobraid (or PE 0.4 / 11 lb / 0,10 mm Nanobraid) because I have ordered those...

Yesterday casting Trout Magnets was pain in the ass, but I managed to get nice fight with rainbow trout for a ~4 minutes, in much fished place, and trout was planted in the last summer =D> Also got it to video, but there is much editing...

Rainbow Trout.JPG
Rainbow Trout.JPG (37.58 KiB) Viewed 3940 times
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Changed that Nanobraid to my spool. This is much better casting than worn 8 braid:

https://youtu.be/BTrYyQT9tFs

River of Vantaa can be nice place, at least in the sunset :-)
Catched one roach at time 3:35 in a video.

But after that video I changed to Mono, which is significantly better in casting Trout Magnets than Nanobraid. Despite of that my current line is Stroft GTM 0.18 mm / 3,6 kg / 8 lbs(?)

User avatar
Daltontribe
Angler
Angler
Posts: 25
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2008 10:00 am
Location: Washington

Re: Bfs casts........... and a trout magnet

Post by Daltontribe » Fri May 21, 2021 11:15 am

So I see the recommendation of the Tsurinoya Ares but after looking on Ali Express I cannot seem to find the Ares anymore. Am I missing it or did Tsurinoya discontinue or peplace that model?

User avatar
Hobie-Wan Kenobi
Pro Angler
Pro Angler
Posts: 3014
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2014 1:25 pm
Location: Michigan (U.P)
Contact:

Re: Bfs casts........... and a trout magnet

Post by Hobie-Wan Kenobi » Fri May 21, 2021 11:20 am

Daltontribe wrote:
Fri May 21, 2021 11:15 am
So I see the recommendation of the Tsurinoya Ares but after looking on Ali Express I cannot seem to find the Ares anymore. Am I missing it or did Tsurinoya discontinue or peplace that model?
It is kinda hard to find on their. There is no mention of Ares on the rod but, I saw that name on their website a while back. I think Bait Finesse Empire is getting some in stock. It's been a while since I ordered mine so, I couldn't help you with a current link.
IG @hobie_wan_kenobi_fishing

User avatar
jvelth74
Platinum Angler
Platinum Angler
Posts: 944
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2018 7:03 am
Location: Finland
Contact:

Re: Bfs casts........... and a trout magnet

Post by jvelth74 » Wed May 26, 2021 10:17 am

Tsurinoya Ares.JPG
Tsurinoya Ares.JPG (40.61 KiB) Viewed 3516 times
Currently I can find those in Aliexpress by Search..

User avatar
jvelth74
Platinum Angler
Platinum Angler
Posts: 944
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2018 7:03 am
Location: Finland
Contact:

Re: Bfs casts........... and a trout magnet

Post by jvelth74 » Sat Jun 19, 2021 2:36 am

Rainbow Trout with Trout Magnet:

I was using braid, but it's bad for TroutMagnets. Now I have mono in that lightest Roro spool.

Post Reply