Fortunately, casting the sinking version of the Daiwa 5 Minnow, is readily castable and doesnt doesn’t spook fish - and I’ve been using them since I found them on EBay some years ago. Daiwa has several versions of the sinking 5 minnow. The Dr. Minnow comes in a 5S (3 grams) and a 5FS (fast sinking ...

I don't use Crappie Magnets, but I do use jig heads and small plastics. I like the Cultiva JH-85 jig heads, which come in 5 different weights from .7 grams up to 2.2 grams. If you use the tie in point at the front of the jig head rather than on top, they slide over rocks pretty well. http://www.fine...

snatch it right by your feet. That's the thing that surprised me the most when I started spin fishing again after 50 years as a fly fisherman. The times when they nail the lure with just 4 feet of line beyond the rod tip and then just start jumping. If that doesn't raise your pulse rate nothing wil...

I love the Conquest BFS and Finetail pairing. It has a traditional yet modern appearance. The rod is a Tenryu Rayz RZ53UL-BC. http://www.finesse-fishing.com/images/calcutta-conquest-tenryu.jpg http://www.finesse-fishing.com/images/calcutta-conquest-tenryu-4.jpg The rod looks pretty good with an Ald...

I've caught a more trout with spoons than any other lure.


A Daiwa Presso Step Dart is catching up, though

Has anybody experience with the Scorpion BFS against any other BFS reel (Aldebaran, Conquest, Daiwa Air)? I am wondering how the performance holds up as well a quality of the reel in general in terms of build, retrieve, refinement. Thanks! I have not fished with the Scorpion BFS, but based on the s...

In the market for a BFS reel. Can anyone give a opinion on the Conquest BFS vs the Aldebaran BFS, Scorpion BFS , other BFS reels? THanks a ton! I have fished with the Conquest BFS and the Aldebaran BFS. Of the two, I prefer the Aldebaran, mostly because it is lighter weight. A guy I fish with has a...

The spool holds from 65 to 90 yards of line, based on recommended line weights.

Do you really cast 65 yards with an ultralight rod? Or make 50 foot casts and then hook a fish that runs 50 yards?

If you are fishing with an ultralight rod, and 2# or 3# line, how much line do you really need?

I think you'll find that the Area rods are softer and slower than the stream rods.

Tenryu has a 5'3" UL BFS rod, made in Japan. Very nice but not cheap.

Shimano has a 5 footer that feels like it would be a nice rod but I have not fished with it.

I have no experience with the Kuying or Major Craft rods so I can't compare them.

What size are you looking for? The Cultiva single hook barbless replacements come as small as a size 12.

Thank you for that report. I had seen the ester lines but not knowing anything about them didn't buy any. I will, though! I found a hi-vis 1.75# line that I'll try. I'm a line watcher so I really prefer hi-vis lines.

Have you considered a Shimano Cardiff CI4+ C2000HGS? It has a 6.0 gear ratio.

Smead wrote:I think that the number of wraps per spool cycle is set, no matter what line diameter line you use, as this is controlled by the oscillation gearing.

OOPS - Right you are. That's why I aren't an enjineer.

This may be my hillbilly heritage showing...reckoning & figuring...but if a properly filled 500 size spool of 4# test at .008" diameter will give you a capacity of 100 yards, then wouldn't line that is .001" in diameter yield a capacity of 800 yards? No, hillbilly math would give you 6400 yards! It...