BFS Rod Build

When production rods are not enough, it's time to go custom. Come share your experiences building and/or ordering a custom rod and tell us if you'll ever go back to off the shelf.
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trav
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BFS Rod Build

Post by trav » Thu Jun 01, 2023 4:14 pm

Novice rod builder here. Looking to build myself a BFS rod. Have a few questions, as I’ve only every built swimbait rods and a few conventional rods for jigs/flipping. If anyone can guide me in the right direction, I’d greatly appreciate it.

1. Spiral wrap. Normally doesn’t affect casting distance with swimbait and conventional rods, does it affect BFS rods?

2. Guides. Myself only having built swimbait and a few conventional rods, I really have no idea what size guides to use. I imagine 7,6, & 5.5 stripper guides, then 5.5 or 5 for runners? The blank I’m planning on building on is 7’2.

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Cal
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Re: BFS Rod Build

Post by Cal » Thu Jun 01, 2023 4:44 pm

Spiral wrapping does not affect casting on BFS rods either... in case it helps, here's a link to a rod build I did as a BFS stick. Table at the end lays out components and I think guide size - note, I am by no means an expert on building. I just dabble... but the article is more about performance of the blank itself as I built it up:

http://tackletour.com/reviewrainshadowe ... build.html
Cal, Managing Editor
"fish with mindfulness : beware the darkside"

trav
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Re: BFS Rod Build

Post by trav » Thu Jun 01, 2023 5:25 pm

This helps a lot. Thank you. And now I have another blank to consider after seeing the tip on that one

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Hobie-Wan Kenobi
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Re: BFS Rod Build

Post by Hobie-Wan Kenobi » Thu Jun 01, 2023 6:16 pm

I felt a small difference when using spiral wraps on UL moderate blanks when cast super light lures. For bass BFS, won't be any measurable difference. The reduced amount of guides will help more than any perceived reduced casting performance
IG @hobie_wan_kenobi_fishing

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Hogsticker2
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Re: BFS Rod Build

Post by Hogsticker2 » Thu Jun 01, 2023 11:48 pm

Spiral wrapping doesn't so much help with casting distance. For lighter powered casting rods, it does help with torque and twisting when under load and fighting larger more powerful fish - that's essentially the premise of spiral wrapping, so my suggestion would be to go for it. It does help with hand and wrist fatigue imo.
As for the guide sizing, my recommendation would be to use one size 6 double foot guide, followed by size 5 runners all the way up, whatever style you find easier to wrap. Helps keep the weight down and I don't particularly find more than one double foot necessary for most finesse bass duties. You can use two if more comfortable. I like 5s or 5.5s for most builds - 4.5s or lower are kind of a pita, and my eyes are getting kinda poor.

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Cal
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Re: BFS Rod Build

Post by Cal » Fri Jun 02, 2023 5:46 am

Hogsticker2 wrote:
Thu Jun 01, 2023 11:48 pm
I like 5s or 5.5s for most builds - 4.5s or lower are kind of a pita, and my eyes are getting kinda poor.
Same :lol:
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HellaBread
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Re: BFS Rod Build

Post by HellaBread » Wed Dec 27, 2023 3:08 pm

Cal wrote:
Fri Jun 02, 2023 5:46 am
Hogsticker2 wrote:
Thu Jun 01, 2023 11:48 pm
I like 5s or 5.5s for most builds - 4.5s or lower are kind of a pita, and my eyes are getting kinda poor.
Same :lol:
I did a k2 712s bfs build with 3.5 torzite runners and i’ve never wanted to jump off a cliff more than during the wrapping of that rod especially towards the tip. Never again

on all my bass/bfs builds now i go spiral wrap 6rv straight into 4.5-4 kt runners the rest of the way out

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