1st BFS reel-Aldebaran BFS

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!
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1st BFS reel-Aldebaran BFS

Post by DirtyD64 » Mon Mar 27, 2023 5:19 pm

So I got the Aldebaran in today, grabbed the HG for torque. I got tired of waiting for the Conquest BFS and just wanted to try one. First thing I noticed was the reel feels very toy like. Just so light and small. I spooled up with some heavily used 7lb FC Sniper to test the capacity and it seemed to be around 65 or more yards, probably overfilled the spool a bit. From where I took the picture, I had a jighead attached to the blue road sign down the street, 2790. Will switch to the Sunline Invisible Camo 7lb once I start fishing hard.

Had a question: is it okay to leave fluorocarbon spooled for a while on these reels? I know running it is okay, but wondered about leaving it spoiled for years, with intermittent fishing.

Back to the initial thoughts, this reel is fast. Like much faster casting than I thought. I tried a 1/16 bare head and it slung pretty good. Regular sized finesse lures should be very fun, and I think the really light stuff will take practice. Still haven't decided on a rod, have to do that next.

Apologize for this sloppy post, as always I will do a long user review. Just busy today with a baby and wife in nursing school, but the new reel excited me so I had to say something. If there is anything else anyone would suggest about how to use the reel, what rod, care tips, etc., I would greatly appreciate it. As soon as I get a few weeks of fishing on it I will have more input for other potential buyers.
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Re: 1st BFS reel-Aldebaran BFS

Post by Hobie-Wan Kenobi » Mon Mar 27, 2023 5:25 pm

The Aldebaran BFS is one of my favorites!

Most stock BFS reels are robust enough to not worry much about line. If you spool the line up with a ton of force and overfill it, may have issues. If you use light pressure to spool the line on, you will be fine.

Don't be afraid to really lay into the fish with that reel. The internals are pretty much the same as "normal" baitcasting reels.
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Re: 1st BFS reel-Aldebaran BFS

Post by City17Banner » Mon Mar 27, 2023 6:12 pm

DirtyD64 wrote:
Mon Mar 27, 2023 5:19 pm
So I got the Aldebaran in today, grabbed the HG for torque. I got tired of waiting for the Conquest BFS and just wanted to try one. First thing I noticed was the reel feels very toy like. Just so light and small. I spooled up with some heavily used 7lb FC Sniper to test the capacity and it seemed to be around 65 or more yards, probably overfilled the spool a bit. From where I took the picture, I had a jighead attached to the blue road sign down the street, 2790. Will switch to the Sunline Invisible Camo 7lb once I start fishing hard.

Had a question: is it okay to leave fluorocarbon spooled for a while on these reels? I know running it is okay, but wondered about leaving it spoiled for years, with intermittent fishing.

Back to the initial thoughts, this reel is fast. Like much faster casting than I thought. I tried a 1/16 bare head and it slung pretty good. Regular sized finesse lures should be very fun, and I think the really light stuff will take practice. Still haven't decided on a rod, have to do that next.

Apologize for this sloppy post, as always I will do a long user review. Just busy today with a baby and wife in nursing school, but the new reel excited me so I had to say something. If there is anything else anyone would suggest about how to use the reel, what rod, care tips, etc., I would greatly appreciate it. As soon as I get a few weeks of fishing on it I will have more input for other potential buyers.
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Thank you for the pictures and initial thoughts on the Shimano 22 Aldebaran BFS reel. I also decided to order two of these reels after acquiring a third Sedition SDC-702ML Cristobal casting rod and realizing that pairing such a light rod with the heavier Conquest BFS reel may not be the optimum decision.

I still plan to order the new Conquest BFS right hand reel whenever it actually is available as I have a gently used Zenaq Spirado Blackart B65 Finesse that might benefit from a slightly heavier reel. Only time on the water will truly determine whether or not these new BFS reels pass the test of time fishing for smallmouth bass but I'm looking forward to not having to run any spinning gear for finesse presentations in either bass boat this season! \:D/
2022 Vexus VX20/Mercury 250 Pro XS | 2021 Vexus AVX 1980/Mercury 150 Pro XS

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Re: 1st BFS reel-Aldebaran BFS

Post by Slazmo » Tue Mar 28, 2023 12:29 am

Usually HG gears have less torque, just a FYI.

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Re: 1st BFS reel-Aldebaran BFS

Post by DirtyD64 » Tue Mar 28, 2023 2:44 am

Slazmo wrote:
Tue Mar 28, 2023 12:29 am
Usually HG gears have less torque, just a FYI.
In comparison to the XG (8.9) model, the 7.8 (HG) should have more torque. The 8.9 has more speed and IPT, so the HG should be slightly stronger. Generally a slightly larger pinion lasts longer too I would think.

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Re: 1st BFS reel-Aldebaran BFS

Post by dv1 » Wed Mar 29, 2023 4:19 am

I just orders the XG version in left hand. I wanted the HG, but have not seen a left handed version available in ages, so grabbed it while I could.

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Re: 1st BFS reel-Aldebaran BFS

Post by DirtyD64 » Wed Mar 29, 2023 4:37 am

Few more initial thoughts and questions... I went to the pond yesterday and caught 3 fish. This Aldebaran will sling some baits, even the super light ones. Next I will try it on my true BFS rod, a 6'3"UL Proflex 2, but yesterday I ran it on a 6'9"ML TFO rod. The TFO has a good, soft tip, but it didn't really load appropriately for the lightest stuff. I started by throwing a 1.8gram Decoy head with a 2" Keitech. The Aldebaran threw well, but with a slight wind I had to run brakes at 4.5-5.5.

This reel is substantially faster than I thought it would be. I assumed a magnetic braking system designed for light lures would be used friendly. I was very wrong. This reel is quick and requires some experience to use. My wife can comfortably cast light lures with my SV reels and even use the DIY 1016 spool when we panfish, but the Aldebaran spool is very fast. I like this fact, but with a top stout rod and old line it made for a few lashes and overruns. It wouldn't be totally fair to blame the reel for casting issues, I spooled it directly off an old SV105 loaded with worn 7lb FC Sniper. The line needs to be chunked and I only used it for test purposes of line capacity and a casting feel.

I plan to add 7lb JDM green camo Sniper next, hoping it will help with an issue I noticed. The issue I noticed is this reel is not the smoothest. It isn't broken or grinding, and I don't think I got a bad one, just isn't the smoothest reel. It feels like my Chronarch MGL did. When turning the handle slow, I don't feel a tick, but more of a faint tap. I think this could be due to the line laying. As previously mentioned, this line is very old. The reel is also very new and might need slight break in. I cast 3-4 times and retrieved quickly to maybe spread some grease and oil around the moving parts, this also seemed to help.

I might be over examining things, I'm by no means complaining about the little reel, but just mentioning what was noticed. When I say it isn't smooth, it just doesn't feel on the level of say the Conquest 100HG, new Zillion, or even the newest Alphas SVTW. This isn't bad, I might just be feeling more from the super light frame and micro aluminum gears. I will go into more detail and do a full review when I've tested the reel on multiple rods.

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Re: 1st BFS reel-Aldebaran BFS

Post by Hobie-Wan Kenobi » Wed Mar 29, 2023 2:22 pm

The Aldebaran BFS takes more brakes that previous versions. I do like the smooth flat casting. I think mine usually sits around setting 4 for stream fishing and a little higher for lake fishing.
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Re: 1st BFS reel-Aldebaran BFS

Post by DirtyD64 » Wed Mar 29, 2023 3:27 pm

Hobie-Wan Kenobi wrote:
Wed Mar 29, 2023 2:22 pm
The Aldebaran BFS takes more brakes that previous versions. I do like the smooth flat casting. I think mine usually sits around setting 4 for stream fishing and a little higher for lake fishing.
Glad to hear this feedback. I was worried I was the only one setting it that high. Interestingly, this reel opens up well with lures over 1/8 for me. I think back to something you mentioned, a regular finesse reel with this brake system would be formidable. How smooth would you say your Aldebaran is when compared to other reels?

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Re: 1st BFS reel-Aldebaran BFS

Post by Hobie-Wan Kenobi » Wed Mar 29, 2023 7:36 pm

My Aldebaran BFS is quite smooth. Idk what Shimano did with their aluminum gears but, the Aldebaran BFS is smooth. Even under load it is smooth. I haven't abused it too much on heavy bass fishing so, maybe that's something to do with it.

I had an HG for a while and that was smooth as well. I currently only have an XG...kinda regret selling my HG
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Re: 1st BFS reel-Aldebaran BFS

Post by DirtyD64 » Thu Mar 30, 2023 9:31 am

Hobie-Wan Kenobi wrote:
Wed Mar 29, 2023 7:36 pm
My Aldebaran BFS is quite smooth. Idk what Shimano did with their aluminum gears but, the Aldebaran BFS is smooth. Even under load it is smooth. I haven't abused it too much on heavy bass fishing so, maybe that's something to do with it.

I had an HG for a while and that was smooth as well. I currently only have an XG...kinda regret selling my HG
I am for sure liking the HG, helps me slow down. As far as smoothness goes, it is very early to form an opinion. I'd say it is closest still to my Chronarch MGL. I'd like to know if the new Metanium Shallow aluminum gears hold up well. Now just have to find a rod, hard to decide L or ML, then put fresh line and fish the Aldebaran hard...

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Re: 1st BFS reel-Aldebaran BFS

Post by DirtyD64 » Fri Mar 31, 2023 4:06 am

I am still confused over the Aldebaran's feel. It is by no means grindy or bad, but directly compared to the Zillion SVTW (old 1016 one), the Aldebaran does not have that floaty, air feeling. It has more of a connected gear feel. Not sure this is a bad thing, I have just always had Daiwa reels I guess and gotten used to them. The only other Shimano casting reel I have is a Conquest, so that sets a pretty high bar for the Aldebaran to match.

I am just looking for more feedback from others to make sure I am not crazy. I still need another reel for a chatterbait rod, would like another mid tier Shimano to see if they all feel this way or my Aldebaran is actually a bit off. I have fresh 7lb Sunline on there now, and hopefully after a few trips it will break in and smooth out.

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Re: 1st BFS reel-Aldebaran BFS

Post by fffishing » Fri Mar 31, 2023 4:21 am

Then you can take a new 23 Conquest BFS,should be better feeling for sure.

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Re: 1st BFS reel-Aldebaran BFS

Post by DirtyD64 » Fri Mar 31, 2023 6:52 am

fffishing wrote:
Fri Mar 31, 2023 4:21 am
Then you can take a new 23 Conquest BFS,should be better feeling for sure.
That is initially what I was waiting for, but decided for the Aldebaran. They have the same gears and spool, but i do figure the extra bearings and higher tolerance machined aluminum frame help the Conquest smoothness. I think I have just not used a mid priced Shimano in a while. I want to go everyday to use the Aldebaran, very addictive little reel, just was surprised it didn't match others in smoothness.

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Re: 1st BFS reel-Aldebaran BFS

Post by fffishing » Fri Mar 31, 2023 11:03 am

Completely agreed and understand. The reel need to work properly,and be a nice toy))),for me Ald 22 good enough ,plus I have already 3 extra microspool for it.
I ordered 23 CC BFS just for "upgraded" brakes... so,if it's same like in Ald 22,I will put on sale NIB ;)

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