Favorite BFS rods and/or blanks?

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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Randingo
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Favorite BFS rods and/or blanks?

Post by Randingo » Tue Jan 24, 2023 10:49 pm

I'm about to jump in the BFS game, and because I'll do it eventually regardless, I'm seriously considering going right to a high-end or high-end custom rod. I'm also considering the Dobyns SUF700F should I decide to spend less, and I'm certainly open to other reasonably priced suggestions as well, but it's tough to find feedback on most of the more available rods.

Although I understand I can't expect one rod to excel at every BFS presentation, this will be the single rod I most often carry when fishing local ponds and rivers (which usually involves wading), so I don't want too much of a specialist rod. I definitely fish more single-hook presentations in this environment than treble, but it will need to handle some small cranks, jerks, and top water in addition to the typical single-hook stuff like small Texas (or Jika, or Tokyo) rigs, Neko, shaky heads, wacky-rigged Senkos or Dingers (specifically 3” Dingers because they're much lighter than the same length Senko), Neds, little swimbaits, dropshot, finesse jigs, hair jigs, etc.

FYI, the closest thing I currently possess to a BFS outfit is a slightly souped-up (but not BFS-specific) Daiwa Sol on a custom St. Croix ML drop shot blank. This isn't bad, but I don't feel like it loads as much as I would like, even when throwing something like a Rico, so I'm looking for something that will load a little bit more deeply on the cast. The fighting power of that rod is more than adequate, and it handles anything on an 1/8oz or larger jighead very nicely, but I fish a lot of 1/16oz (or smaller) jigheads etc. in these environments.

So please, jump in and tell me what rods you've fished or blanks you've built on that I should consider for my purposes. Thanks.

I almost forgot I'm fishing primarily for smallies in the rivers. I'll occasionally tangle with some 4 to 5-pounders, but the majority of fish will be 6-15” specimens. The pond fishing will be for largemouth.
Last edited by Randingo on Wed Jan 25, 2023 1:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Favorite BFS rods and/or blanks?

Post by John2204 » Wed Jan 25, 2023 12:29 am

The Dobyns finesse rods in 7’ or 7-4” will work well for what you are doing. I have had both rods and they are pretty good, however they are delicate, I broke my 7-4” but the good thing is that Dobyns has a good replacement policy, it was only 75 or so to replace. Good luck!

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Re: Favorite BFS rods and/or blanks?

Post by John G » Wed Jan 25, 2023 2:44 am

After more than a decade of BFS fishing with Shimano, JDM Fenwick, Megabass and Major Craft BFS rods, I will say that I'm not going to look to an American rod maker to get the taper right on what they think makes a good or great BFS rod. It's more than just a lighter weight lure rating. The 6'5" Shimano Expride BFS rod that I have has an XF taper but you can do anything you want with it from throwing smaller cranks to wacky rig worms to finesse jigs etc. I've also never considered it to be delicate. LOL
You didn't mention if you like long or short rods or if you are going to invest in a modern day BFS reel.

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Re: Favorite BFS rods and/or blanks?

Post by Aquaftm45 » Wed Jan 25, 2023 4:54 am

Here is a premium that just hit the market. There is alot to say for just going straight to the higher end products.

https://www.evergreen-fishing.com/goods ... lPlus.html
GB-GH.jpg
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Re: Favorite BFS rods and/or blanks?

Post by ss30378 » Wed Jan 25, 2023 8:10 am

I do a lot of the same type fishing that you do and I've had quite a few rods tested in the smaller wade river environment. I've run rods from 6' 1" up to 7'2" in length and have powers from UL trout blank up to a ML St. Croix. I agree the ML St. Croix blank (6'10" ML Legend tournament) is not what I would consider bfs. The JDM ML powered rods are a bit softer than US rods and can be considered a "power bfs" rod.

Some lighter bfs rods ive had:
6'1" custom bfs rod on a phenix mirage UL trout blank
6"4" Light power Megabass Hyuga
6'4" Light power Jackson Super Trickster
6'4" Light power Majorcraft Speedstyle with XF solid tip
6'5" UL power Majorcraft days
6'5" Light power Daiwa Chronos
6'5" ML power Majorcraft Days
6'6" ML power Shimano Poison Adrena
6'6" extra light power St Croix legend inshore
6'6" Light power Edge inshore 662
6"10" ML power St Croix legend tournament drop shot (more power than what i consider bfs)
6'10" M power tatula with XF solid tip (lots of backbone but the tip made it shockingly versatile with light lures)
7'1' Light power Phenix Feather
7'2" UL power Edge Silver Widow 721

I may be missing a few but that covers the gist of it. Of all of them in a smaller river setting I like rods in the 6'4"-6'6" range best. Short enough to get into the branches and make pitches but long enough to get small lures out there when things open up a bit. Going a true light power seems to have the best blend of having enough power to get a hook set with t-rigged plastics and thin wire hooks and not having so much power you rip small trebles out when using micro cranks and topwaters. I still currently run both the edge 662 and 721. The 721 is too soft for consistent hooksets with a 3" dinger but the 662 is about perfect. Of the JDM rods the 6'4" super trickster and the 6'4" MC speedstyle were my favorites and would be great all around bfs rods but the hyuga and Chronos and even the ML days rods would work well for what you're after.

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Re: Favorite BFS rods and/or blanks?

Post by Hobie-Wan Kenobi » Wed Jan 25, 2023 9:04 am

I have been liking the Cashion Icon BFS 6'10ML. Definitely a "power BFS" rod compared to the Dobyns but, still great for the range of bass you are talking about catching. If going the Dobyns route, I'd lean toward one of the 1 powe Sierra Series. Doesn't have the solid tip. Feels better for bass fishing in my hands for sure over the 0 power ones with the soils tips
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Re: Favorite BFS rods and/or blanks?

Post by LowRange » Wed Jan 25, 2023 9:50 am

Be wary of the Dobyns soild tip BFS rods. I have heard that they take away from the hook setting power when using single hook presentations. I would get Phenix L rod if you want to stay USDM or one of many JDM rods if you don't mind not getting a warranty.

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Re: Favorite BFS rods and/or blanks?

Post by dragon1 » Wed Jan 25, 2023 10:44 am

This one should also be worth considering, if you can find it in stock.

http://www.tackletour.com/reviewlegitdesignsobfs.html
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Re: Favorite BFS rods and/or blanks?

Post by Randingo » Wed Jan 25, 2023 1:56 pm

John G wrote:
Wed Jan 25, 2023 2:44 am
You didn't mention if you like long or short rods or if you are going to invest in a modern day BFS reel.
Thank you for your suggestions and thoughts. I haven't had any issues with a long rod in the waters I fish when using spinning gear (I mostly use the 7’6 Tatula Elite Feider rod), so I'm accustomed to a longer rod. That said, I typically use more sidearm and roll casting techniques with baitcasters, so a shorter rod may be beneficial, especially if I'm wading waist-deep... And not surprisingly given my penchant for buying top-notch gear, I'll definitely be buying a new BFS reel as well. The Daiwa Gekkabijin is at the top of my list at the moment (I'm most comfortable with Daiwa, but I like Shimano as well).
Last edited by Randingo on Wed Jan 25, 2023 8:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Favorite BFS rods and/or blanks?

Post by Randingo » Wed Jan 25, 2023 2:13 pm

Aquaftm45 wrote:
Wed Jan 25, 2023 4:54 am
Here is a premium that just hit the market. There is alot to say for just going straight to the higher end products.

https://www.evergreen-fishing.com/goods ... lPlus.html
I don't believe in buying tackle I'll want to upgrade right away. Don't get me wrong: I don't necessarily *want* to spend top dollar, but neither do I like buying a “bargain” that doesn't perform as well as I want it to. Especially now that I have tons of rods and reels ranging from solid to spectacular, I feel more comfortable just buying something exceptional. And I know I'm going to love BFS, so there is no downside except for my wallet... That Evergreen looks great, and the spec is pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks!

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Re: Favorite BFS rods and/or blanks?

Post by 2por » Wed Jan 25, 2023 3:06 pm

For bass fishing, I use 2 setups because I don’t like using 1 rod for 2 different styles of fishing. I have the Dobyns sierra ultra finesse rod in 0 power for small moving baits like swim baits and cranks. For bottom/contact baits like finesse jigs/drop shot/ned/worms, I use a St. Croix Avid X in medium XF.

The ultra finesse Dobyns rod is not good for making hard hook sets. The rod itself is VERY soft (power wise), but that makes it a great rod for light moving baits, especially with trebles. It casts light lures well, and I have even used it to cast my trout minnow lures, which range from 3-4 grams, while targeting bass.

The St. Croix extra-fast model has about a foot of fairly soft tip before it goes into backbone. For me, it’s perfect for slow fishing. That small amount of soft tip it has is just enough to allow me to cast light lures without much trouble, but it still has the backbone to drive in a hook when using finesse jigs and weedless Ned rigs. Lighten the drag a bit and it works great for light drop shot hooks.

SIDE NOTE:
For bass specifically, I’d say, don’t fall into trap of thinking just because you use light lures with a BFS reel that you have to also use a “BFS” rod. The BFS system, IMO, is there to allow you to deliver a light lure. That doesn’t mean you have to use a flimsy, low-power rod to bring in a fish (even if that is more fun). This is especially true if you have to fight big fish near/in cover where a rod like a medium power (or maybe even stronger power) could help turn a fish better. A proper BFS reel, by itself, will still allow you to cast/pitch light lures on a powerhouse of a rod, even if not ideal.

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Re: Favorite BFS rods and/or blanks?

Post by John G » Wed Jan 25, 2023 4:37 pm

2por wrote:
Wed Jan 25, 2023 3:06 pm
That doesn’t mean you have to use a flimsy, low-power rod to bring in a fish (even if that is more fun).
From what I've read over the years, this sentence describes your Dobyns and it perfectly makes my earlier point when I said that I would not depend on an American rod company to make a BFS rod for me. I've always heard that the Dobyns is flimsy and the only JDM BFS rod that I can think of that I heard was flimsy was the old 6'10" (I think) Major Craft Volkey. I have never owned a UL or L powered JDM BFS rod that was flimsy and every one that I have owned, could cast a 2.5g Strike King Bitsy Minnow (with the right reel) with no problems at all.

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Re: Favorite BFS rods and/or blanks?

Post by John G » Wed Jan 25, 2023 4:56 pm

To give you a suggestion on an available rod, Tackle Warehouse has a 6'7" L Legit Design Wild Side rod in stock. I recently thought about getting it but I went with a shorter Legit Design Wild Side rod. If you go to the Ultralight/BFS Section of Tackle Tour, you can see mine. I started a thread about the Abu Garcia Ultracast BF8 and I bought a Legit Design Wild Side rod for it. Mine is listed as an Ultralight but in my hands, it feels more like a L. That's not really a bad thing for me either. If you want BFS rod with a little more power, the 6'7" L Wild Side might be perfect for you. If you didn't like it, you can always send it back.

I just noticed that this post is also in the UL/BFS Section. :lol:

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Re: Favorite BFS rods and/or blanks?

Post by Randingo » Wed Jan 25, 2023 6:07 pm

ss30378 wrote:
Wed Jan 25, 2023 8:10 am
I do a lot of the same type fishing that you do and I've had quite a few rods tested in the smaller wade river environment. I've run rods from 6' 1" up to 7'2" in length and have powers from UL trout blank up to a ML St. Croix. I agree the ML St. Croix blank (6'10" ML Legend tournament) is not what I would consider bfs. The JDM ML powered rods are a bit softer than US rods and can be considered a "power bfs" rod.

Some lighter bfs rods ive had:
6'1" custom bfs rod on a phenix mirage UL trout blank
6"4" Light power Megabass Hyuga
6'4" Light power Jackson Super Trickster
6'4" Light power Majorcraft Speedstyle with XF solid tip
6'5" UL power Majorcraft days
6'5" Light power Daiwa Chronos
6'5" ML power Majorcraft Days
6'6" ML power Shimano Poison Adrena
6'6" extra light power St Croix legend inshore
6'6" Light power Edge inshore 662
6"10" ML power St Croix legend tournament drop shot (more power than what i consider bfs)
6'10" M power tatula with XF solid tip (lots of backbone but the tip made it shockingly versatile with light lures)
7'1' Light power Phenix Feather
7'2" UL power Edge Silver Widow 721

I may be missing a few but that covers the gist of it. Of all of them in a smaller river setting I like rods in the 6'4"-6'6" range best. Short enough to get into the branches and make pitches but long enough to get small lures out there when things open up a bit. Going a true light power seems to have the best blend of having enough power to get a hook set with t-rigged plastics and thin wire hooks and not having so much power you rip small trebles out when using micro cranks and topwaters. I still currently run both the edge 662 and 721. The 721 is too soft for consistent hooksets with a 3" dinger but the 662 is about perfect. Of the JDM rods the 6'4" super trickster and the 6'4" MC speedstyle were my favorites and would be great all around bfs rods but the hyuga and Chronos and even the ML days rods would work well for what you're after.
Thank you for your extremely informative post. There’s much here I'll have to look into. I started on the Edge site, and after finally getting a little familiar with the way it’s laid out (it isn't the most intuitive site I've come across...), I found the rods you mentioned. I’m definitely intrigued. At the same time, I want to dig deeper into JDM options. In any case, I appreciate the information and will do some research on my own.

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Re: Favorite BFS rods and/or blanks?

Post by Randingo » Wed Jan 25, 2023 6:19 pm

Hobie-Wan Kenobi wrote:
Wed Jan 25, 2023 9:04 am
I have been liking the Cashion Icon BFS 6'10ML. Definitely a "power BFS" rod compared to the Dobyns but, still great for the range of bass you are talking about catching. If going the Dobyns route, I'd lean toward one of the 1 powe Sierra Series. Doesn't have the solid tip. Feels better for bass fishing in my hands for sure over the 0 power ones with the soils tips
Thank you for your thoughts on the Dobyns rods as well as the recommendation on the Cashion, which I was curious about. It's difficult to buy a rod for a very different kind of application when you have no experience with any of the options and no way to even hold it much less test it, so I have to rely on the internet and people willing to help. I have now heard a few times that the solid-tipped Dobyns rods may not do well with single hook presentations, so I guess I'll have to credit that.

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