Thoughts on high end bfs?

[City17Banner]

I made the move from spinning gear to BFS casting gear last season and I enjoy fishing with BFS gear far more than I ever enjoyed using spinning gear, despite having plenty of high end JDM fishing tackle options such as Daiwa Steez Type 2, four generations of Stella spinning reels, and a plethora of Evergreen Poseiden Salty Sensation and Superior rods.

My list of high end JDM BFS rods are:

1. Sedition Cristobal: Simply the best finesse bottom contact rod I have ever used! I always have one tied on with a 5g Nories Kameraba Finesse Jig and an Escape Twin trailer. The other rod, is my go-to drop shot rig depending on the water conditions being fished and usually has a 3.5g Ryugi Delta TG Weight with a #4 Owner Mosquito hook and a 2.5" OSP Mylar Minnow or a 3" Fish Arrow Flash J rigged up for use. The Sedition Cristobal has simply off the charts levels of felt sensitivity with plenty of power to get big smallmouth bass out of cover when needed.

2. Megabass Destroyer X7 Super Criffhanger: Perhaps the best combination of smooth casting and slack line sensitivity when using the 5g Imakatsu Spin Jerk finesse jerkbait, late last spring, we had several 100+ fish days on a couple of river backwater sloughs/lakes that were incredible and astounding. The potent combination of the tiny finesse jerkbait and Active Target 2 Foward Facing Sonar (FFS) was unbeatable when the fish were staging for the spawn and we caught everything including a 29" walleye, lots of smallmouth bass, and even a 14.5" crappie with this rod.

3. Daiwa Steez Racing Design STZ RD 641ML+XB-SMT Technical Tune SMT: This solid tip model (Super Metal Top) of the Racing Design model line is perhaps my favorite finesse topwater rod, equally adept at casting the new 5g MB Karashi sinking pencil bait all the way down to the fantastic 3g DUO Tetra Works Poco Poco finesse popper. In a pinch the SMT also does a credible job presenting finesse bottom contact lures but its shorter length compared to the Sedition Cristobal keeps from being ranked higher than the previous rods on this list.

4. Keitech F-Spec KTC762F-SPG: The perfect rod for casting and presenting a weightless wacky-rigged 3" Fat Senko with unmatched casting distance and a great parabolic midsection that put every single smallmouth bass in the boat last season fishing on Chequamegon Bay when fishing conditions precluded faster reaction presentations.

Of these wonderful high end JDM BFS rods, only the Keitech rods are in current production, but the other rods occasionally become available on the secondary market with the Sedition Cristobal being the hardest rod to source on this list followed closely by the MB X7 Super Criffhanger.

Good luck with your BFS fishing journey!

Excellent suggestions for future acquisitions, any JDM reels and lines that you can recommend. Thank you very much!

Thank you for the kind words sir!

I prefer to keep my BFS reels as simple as possible so after trying several different offerings from both Shimano and Daiwa I decided that the Shimano 22 Aldebaran would be my standard BFS reel along with 10# YGK G-Soul SS112 braid for my underwater applications such as bottom contact and finesse jerkbaits. For my BFS topwater setups, I chose Daiwa J-Braid Grand x8 6# in the chartreuse color so I could easily identify where my finesse topwater lure is located at in windy conditions.

From a FC leader perspective, I fish in the land of the "water wolf" AKA northern pike so it's implicit that the use of a heavier than "normal" FC leader is employed, and every BFS setup has 16# Sunline FC100 leader, usually in 10-12" lengths rigged up. Last season, the use of this heavier FC leader helped to ensure there were no nuisance pike bites leading to the loss of expensive JDM lures. It should be noted that on Chequamegon Bay, we use 8" sections of 30# FC100 leader material due to the prevalence of pike over 30" along with the potential for trophy muskie bites.

The selection of the FC leader should be contingent on your local water conditions and if you don't have any nuisance pike bite challenges to deal with, Seaguar Grand Max Fluorocarbon Tippet 4X or 6# works extremely well for almost all fishing situations I have encountered especially for the OSP Rubber Dice lure rigged weightless or on a finesse drop shot rig.

Good luck with your BFS journey!

[rocketsurgeon]

I made the move from spinning gear to BFS casting gear last season and I enjoy fishing with BFS gear far more than I ever enjoyed using spinning gear, despite having plenty of high end JDM fishing tackle options such as Daiwa Steez Type 2, four generations of Stella spinning reels, and a plethora of Evergreen Poseiden Salty Sensation and Superior rods.

My list of high end JDM BFS rods are:

1. Sedition Cristobal: Simply the best finesse bottom contact rod I have ever used! I always have one tied on with a 5g Nories Kameraba Finesse Jig and an Escape Twin trailer. The other rod, is my go-to drop shot rig depending on the water conditions being fished and usually has a 3.5g Ryugi Delta TG Weight with a #4 Owner Mosquito hook and a 2.5" OSP Mylar Minnow or a 3" Fish Arrow Flash J rigged up for use. The Sedition Cristobal has simply off the charts levels of felt sensitivity with plenty of power to get big smallmouth bass out of cover when needed.

2. Megabass Destroyer X7 Super Criffhanger: Perhaps the best combination of smooth casting and slack line sensitivity when using the 5g Imakatsu Spin Jerk finesse jerkbait, late last spring, we had several 100+ fish days on a couple of river backwater sloughs/lakes that were incredible and astounding. The potent combination of the tiny finesse jerkbait and Active Target 2 Foward Facing Sonar (FFS) was unbeatable when the fish were staging for the spawn and we caught everything including a 29" walleye, lots of smallmouth bass, and even a 14.5" crappie with this rod.

3. Daiwa Steez Racing Design STZ RD 641ML+XB-SMT Technical Tune SMT: This solid tip model (Super Metal Top) of the Racing Design model line is perhaps my favorite finesse topwater rod, equally adept at casting the new 5g MB Karashi sinking pencil bait all the way down to the fantastic 3g DUO Tetra Works Poco Poco finesse popper. In a pinch the SMT also does a credible job presenting finesse bottom contact lures but its shorter length compared to the Sedition Cristobal keeps from being ranked higher than the previous rods on this list.

4. Keitech F-Spec KTC762F-SPG: The perfect rod for casting and presenting a weightless wacky-rigged 3" Fat Senko with unmatched casting distance and a great parabolic midsection that put every single smallmouth bass in the boat last season fishing on Chequamegon Bay when fishing conditions precluded faster reaction presentations.

Of these wonderful high end JDM BFS rods, only the Keitech rods are in current production, but the other rods occasionally become available on the secondary market with the Sedition Cristobal being the hardest rod to source on this list followed closely by the MB X7 Super Criffhanger.

Good luck with your BFS fishing journey!

Excellent suggestions for future acquisitions, any JDM reels and lines that you can recommend. Thank you very much!

Thank you for the kind words sir!

I prefer to keep my BFS reels as simple as possible so after trying several different offerings from both Shimano and Daiwa I decided that the Shimano 22 Aldebaran would be my standard BFS reel along with 10# YGK G-Soul SS112 braid for my underwater applications such as bottom contact and finesse jerkbaits. For my BFS topwater setups, I chose Daiwa J-Braid Grand x8 6# in the chartreuse color so I could easily identify where my finesse topwater lure is located at in windy conditions.

From a FC leader perspective, I fish in the land of the "water wolf" AKA northern pike so it's implicit that the use of a heavier than "normal" FC leader is employed, and every BFS setup has 16# Sunline FC100 leader, usually in 10-12" lengths rigged up. Last season, the use of this heavier FC leader helped to ensure there were no nuisance pike bites leading to the loss of expensive JDM lures. It should be noted that on Chequamegon Bay, we use 8" sections of 30# FC100 leader material due to the prevalence of pike over 30" along with the potential for trophy muskie bites.

The selection of the FC leader should be contingent on your local water conditions and if you don't have any nuisance pike bite challenges to deal with, Seaguar Grand Max Fluorocarbon Tippet 4X or 6# works extremely well for almost all fishing situations I have encountered especially for the OSP Rubber Dice lure rigged weightless or on a finesse drop shot rig.

Good luck with your BFS journey!

Thank you very much, the reels and lines seem much more attainable than the rods. Time to start sourcing for my waters.

[City17Banner]

I made the move from spinning gear to BFS casting gear last season and I enjoy fishing with BFS gear far more than I ever enjoyed using spinning gear, despite having plenty of high end JDM fishing tackle options such as Daiwa Steez Type 2, four generations of Stella spinning reels, and a plethora of Evergreen Poseiden Salty Sensation and Superior rods.

My list of high end JDM BFS rods are:

1. Sedition Cristobal: Simply the best finesse bottom contact rod I have ever used! I always have one tied on with a 5g Nories Kameraba Finesse Jig and an Escape Twin trailer. The other rod, is my go-to drop shot rig depending on the water conditions being fished and usually has a 3.5g Ryugi Delta TG Weight with a #4 Owner Mosquito hook and a 2.5" OSP Mylar Minnow or a 3" Fish Arrow Flash J rigged up for use. The Sedition Cristobal has simply off the charts levels of felt sensitivity with plenty of power to get big smallmouth bass out of cover when needed.

2. Megabass Destroyer X7 Super Criffhanger: Perhaps the best combination of smooth casting and slack line sensitivity when using the 5g Imakatsu Spin Jerk finesse jerkbait, late last spring, we had several 100+ fish days on a couple of river backwater sloughs/lakes that were incredible and astounding. The potent combination of the tiny finesse jerkbait and Active Target 2 Foward Facing Sonar (FFS) was unbeatable when the fish were staging for the spawn and we caught everything including a 29" walleye, lots of smallmouth bass, and even a 14.5" crappie with this rod.

3. Daiwa Steez Racing Design STZ RD 641ML+XB-SMT Technical Tune SMT: This solid tip model (Super Metal Top) of the Racing Design model line is perhaps my favorite finesse topwater rod, equally adept at casting the new 5g MB Karashi sinking pencil bait all the way down to the fantastic 3g DUO Tetra Works Poco Poco finesse popper. In a pinch the SMT also does a credible job presenting finesse bottom contact lures but its shorter length compared to the Sedition Cristobal keeps from being ranked higher than the previous rods on this list.

4. Keitech F-Spec KTC762F-SPG: The perfect rod for casting and presenting a weightless wacky-rigged 3" Fat Senko with unmatched casting distance and a great parabolic midsection that put every single smallmouth bass in the boat last season fishing on Chequamegon Bay when fishing conditions precluded faster reaction presentations.

Of these wonderful high end JDM BFS rods, only the Keitech rods are in current production, but the other rods occasionally become available on the secondary market with the Sedition Cristobal being the hardest rod to source on this list followed closely by the MB X7 Super Criffhanger.

Good luck with your BFS fishing journey!

Excellent suggestions for future acquisitions, any JDM reels and lines that you can recommend. Thank you very much!

Thank you for the kind words sir!

I prefer to keep my BFS reels as simple as possible so after trying several different offerings from both Shimano and Daiwa I decided that the Shimano 22 Aldebaran would be my standard BFS reel along with 10# YGK G-Soul SS112 braid for my underwater applications such as bottom contact and finesse jerkbaits. For my BFS topwater setups, I chose Daiwa J-Braid Grand x8 6# in the chartreuse color so I could easily identify where my finesse topwater lure is located at in windy conditions.

From a FC leader perspective, I fish in the land of the "water wolf" AKA northern pike so it's implicit that the use of a heavier than "normal" FC leader is employed, and every BFS setup has 16# Sunline FC100 leader, usually in 10-12" lengths rigged up. Last season, the use of this heavier FC leader helped to ensure there were no nuisance pike bites leading to the loss of expensive JDM lures. It should be noted that on Chequamegon Bay, we use 8" sections of 30# FC100 leader material due to the prevalence of pike over 30" along with the potential for trophy muskie bites.

The selection of the FC leader should be contingent on your local water conditions and if you don't have any nuisance pike bite challenges to deal with, Seaguar Grand Max Fluorocarbon Tippet 4X or 6# works extremely well for almost all fishing situations I have encountered especially for the OSP Rubber Dice lure rigged weightless or on a finesse drop shot rig.

Good luck with your BFS journey!

Thank you very much, the reels and lines seem much more attainable than the rods. Time to start sourcing for my waters.

I agree that the BFS reels and lines are the easiest components of the BFS system to acquire but it all depends on your budget and how much risk you are willing to tolerate in your efforts to secure some of these high end BFS rods. Since I enjoy the casting portion of the BFS experience a great deal, to me it makes sense to seek the best BFS rod available and sometimes that entails taking risks to acquire these wonderful rods. As many members here on TT can attest to, the secondary market for JDM rods can often be a confusing and frustrating place to try and navigate, let alone ensure that the rod you are buying is truly the one you are actually seeking.

Despite the inherent challenges, I was fortunate enough last night to find two more JDM rods to add to my collection, a brand new Megabass Destroyer X7 F5ST-611X7 - Bearing Down Type-X (perhaps the finest fluke rod I've ever used) and more importantly for this thread: a Megabass 10 Orochi X4 F2.5-64X4 The Hedgehog which is the best BFS rod I have ever used for presenting a weightless wacky-rigged 3" Fat Senko and its little brother, the discontinued 2" Panfish Senko!

A few high end BFS gems still exist out there in the secondary market, but only you can determine your level of engagement and risk tolerance in acquiring these fantastic BFS rods.

Good luck with your BFS Journey!

[rocketsurgeon]

I made the move from spinning gear to BFS casting gear last season and I enjoy fishing with BFS gear far more than I ever enjoyed using spinning gear, despite having plenty of high end JDM fishing tackle options such as Daiwa Steez Type 2, four generations of Stella spinning reels, and a plethora of Evergreen Poseiden Salty Sensation and Superior rods.

My list of high end JDM BFS rods are:

1. Sedition Cristobal: Simply the best finesse bottom contact rod I have ever used! I always have one tied on with a 5g Nories Kameraba Finesse Jig and an Escape Twin trailer. The other rod, is my go-to drop shot rig depending on the water conditions being fished and usually has a 3.5g Ryugi Delta TG Weight with a #4 Owner Mosquito hook and a 2.5" OSP Mylar Minnow or a 3" Fish Arrow Flash J rigged up for use. The Sedition Cristobal has simply off the charts levels of felt sensitivity with plenty of power to get big smallmouth bass out of cover when needed.

2. Megabass Destroyer X7 Super Criffhanger: Perhaps the best combination of smooth casting and slack line sensitivity when using the 5g Imakatsu Spin Jerk finesse jerkbait, late last spring, we had several 100+ fish days on a couple of river backwater sloughs/lakes that were incredible and astounding. The potent combination of the tiny finesse jerkbait and Active Target 2 Foward Facing Sonar (FFS) was unbeatable when the fish were staging for the spawn and we caught everything including a 29" walleye, lots of smallmouth bass, and even a 14.5" crappie with this rod.

3. Daiwa Steez Racing Design STZ RD 641ML+XB-SMT Technical Tune SMT: This solid tip model (Super Metal Top) of the Racing Design model line is perhaps my favorite finesse topwater rod, equally adept at casting the new 5g MB Karashi sinking pencil bait all the way down to the fantastic 3g DUO Tetra Works Poco Poco finesse popper. In a pinch the SMT also does a credible job presenting finesse bottom contact lures but its shorter length compared to the Sedition Cristobal keeps from being ranked higher than the previous rods on this list.

4. Keitech F-Spec KTC762F-SPG: The perfect rod for casting and presenting a weightless wacky-rigged 3" Fat Senko with unmatched casting distance and a great parabolic midsection that put every single smallmouth bass in the boat last season fishing on Chequamegon Bay when fishing conditions precluded faster reaction presentations.

Of these wonderful high end JDM BFS rods, only the Keitech rods are in current production, but the other rods occasionally become available on the secondary market with the Sedition Cristobal being the hardest rod to source on this list followed closely by the MB X7 Super Criffhanger.

Good luck with your BFS fishing journey!

Excellent suggestions for future acquisitions, any JDM reels and lines that you can recommend. Thank you very much!

Thank you for the kind words sir!

I prefer to keep my BFS reels as simple as possible so after trying several different offerings from both Shimano and Daiwa I decided that the Shimano 22 Aldebaran would be my standard BFS reel along with 10# YGK G-Soul SS112 braid for my underwater applications such as bottom contact and finesse jerkbaits. For my BFS topwater setups, I chose Daiwa J-Braid Grand x8 6# in the chartreuse color so I could easily identify where my finesse topwater lure is located at in windy conditions.

From a FC leader perspective, I fish in the land of the "water wolf" AKA northern pike so it's implicit that the use of a heavier than "normal" FC leader is employed, and every BFS setup has 16# Sunline FC100 leader, usually in 10-12" lengths rigged up. Last season, the use of this heavier FC leader helped to ensure there were no nuisance pike bites leading to the loss of expensive JDM lures. It should be noted that on Chequamegon Bay, we use 8" sections of 30# FC100 leader material due to the prevalence of pike over 30" along with the potential for trophy muskie bites.

The selection of the FC leader should be contingent on your local water conditions and if you don't have any nuisance pike bite challenges to deal with, Seaguar Grand Max Fluorocarbon Tippet 4X or 6# works extremely well for almost all fishing situations I have encountered especially for the OSP Rubber Dice lure rigged weightless or on a finesse drop shot rig.

Good luck with your BFS journey!

Thank you very much, the reels and lines seem much more attainable than the rods. Time to start sourcing for my waters.

I agree that the BFS reels and lines are the easiest components of the BFS system to acquire but it all depends on your budget and how much risk you are willing to tolerate in your efforts to secure some of these high end BFS rods. Since I enjoy the casting portion of the BFS experience a great deal, to me it makes sense to seek the best BFS rod available and sometimes that entails taking risks to acquire these wonderful rods. As many members here on TT can attest to, the secondary market for JDM rods can often be a confusing and frustrating place to try and navigate, let alone ensure that the rod you are buying is truly the one you are actually seeking.

Despite the inherent challenges, I was fortunate enough last night to find two more JDM rods to add to my collection, a brand new Megabass Destroyer X7 F5ST-611X7 - Bearing Down Type-X (perhaps the finest fluke rod I've ever used) and more importantly for this thread: a Megabass 10 Orochi X4 F2.5-64X4 The Hedgehog which is the best BFS rod I have ever used for presenting a weightless wacky-rigged 3" Fat Senko and its little brother, the discontinued 2" Panfish Senko!

A few high end BFS gems still exist out there in the secondary market, but only you can determine your level of engagement and risk tolerance in acquiring these fantastic BFS rods.

Good luck with your BFS Journey!

Congrats, as they say"fortune favors the bold". Right now my BFS collection includes the MB Destroyer Siglet, PopX Stick and Shimano Poison Adrena BFS. Thinking about grabbing the new P5 F2st-73X when available. Will keep my eyes peeled for other offerings though. Have a great season up there!

[Dalleinf]

I agree with others, BFS reels and lines are the easiest components of the BFS system to acquire.
I also find that reel and line is most important as long as the rod suits the purpose (cheap or not). Good reels and lines give me more enjoyment when BFS fishing than good rods.
I have some very good BFS rods from various brands including custom builds, but when I used cheaper rods I caught just as many fish with as little frustration.

[City17Banner]

I agree with others, BFS reels and lines are the easiest components of the BFS system to acquire.
I also find that reel and line is most important as long as the rod suits the purpose (cheap or not). Good reels and lines give me more enjoyment when BFS fishing than good rods.
I have some very good BFS rods from various brands including custom builds, but when I used cheaper rods I caught just as many fish with as little frustration.

It's always great to get a different perspective sir! I'm always envious of the giant European Perch and Pike that exists in Europe!

In fact, I'm getting ready to watch Episode #5 of Fly vs Jerk 15 now! Tak skal du have!

[Dalleinf]

Fishing and travel go well together. I fish for perch and pike, but my main interest is BFS for trout and light tackle salmon fishing. Swing by and I will show you some waters...

[City17Banner]

Fishing and travel go well together. I fish for perch and pike, but my main interest is BFS for trout and light tackle salmon fishing. Swing by and I will show you some waters...

Thank you for the offer! It's been more than two decades since I last traveled to Europe and there's a certain "old world charm" that exists there (Germany) that is certainly lacking in the US. I think what makes TT and other online forums so interesting is the vast array of different methods and fishing tackle we all employ to catch fish in the waters we fish.

I'll make a reciprocal offer and invite you to fish Chequamegon Bay for trophy smallmouth bass, pike, and muskie if you are ever in the "neighborhood", there's nothing quite like making a brisk 18-mile run-on wide-open throttle to fish majestic locations where you don't see another boat the entire fishing trip and hundred fish days are as common as the sunrise!

[dragon1]

Fishing and travel go well together. I fish for perch and pike, but my main interest is BFS for trout and light tackle salmon fishing. Swing by and I will show you some waters...

Thank you for the offer! It's been more than two decades since I last traveled to Europe and there's a certain "old world charm" that exists there (Germany) that is certainly lacking in the US. I think what makes TT and other online forums so interesting is the vast array of different methods and fishing tackle we all employ to catch fish in the waters we fish.

I'll make a reciprocal offer and invite you to fish Chequamegon Bay for trophy smallmouth bass, pike, and muskie if you are ever in the "neighborhood", there's nothing quite like making a brisk 18-mile run-on wide-open throttle to fish majestic locations where you don't see another boat the entire fishing trip and hundred fish days are as common as the sunrise!

WOW...common hundred fish days with nary another boat.

[City17Banner]

Fishing and travel go well together. I fish for perch and pike, but my main interest is BFS for trout and light tackle salmon fishing. Swing by and I will show you some waters...

Thank you for the offer! It's been more than two decades since I last traveled to Europe and there's a certain "old world charm" that exists there (Germany) that is certainly lacking in the US. I think what makes TT and other online forums so interesting is the vast array of different methods and fishing tackle we all employ to catch fish in the waters we fish.

I'll make a reciprocal offer and invite you to fish Chequamegon Bay for trophy smallmouth bass, pike, and muskie if you are ever in the "neighborhood", there's nothing quite like making a brisk 18-mile run-on wide-open throttle to fish majestic locations where you don't see another boat the entire fishing trip and hundred fish days are as common as the sunrise!

WOW...common hundred fish days with nary another boat.

I suspect sir that much of that "splendid isolation" is due to the quite interesting effort required to safely traverse 18-miles of very cold Lake Superior water and returning in a timely manner after the 100-fish day! Although if you don't prefer dealing with nuisance pike bites, then you may not wish to expend the effort, they are, unfortunately, a fact of life in the Northwoods and dealing with them is as necessary as breathing air.

[ormet]

I would love a few suggestion of higher end JDM (USDM is a hassle to get shipped to Sweden) offerings in production. Looking for a super sensitive rod for Jika/Free rig/link head/ned fishing for redfin perch in Europe.

Fishing (often semislack/slack) 4-6lb flouro with an Aldebaran BFS reel. If posibble for lures up to almost 3/8oz

Asked on Reddit and the only suggestion i got was Shimano Expride BFS. I have fished Expride and its very nice but cant help to think there are even better offerings out there.

TiA

[City17Banner]

I would love a few suggestion of higher end JDM (USDM is a hassle to get shipped to Sweden) offerings in production. Looking for a super sensitive rod for Jika/Free rig/link head/ned fishing for redfin perch in Europe.

Fishing (often semislack/slack) 4-6lb flouro with an Aldebaran BFS reel. If posibble for lures up to almost 3/8oz

Asked on Reddit and the only suggestion i got was Shimano Expride BFS. I have fished Expride and its very nice but cant help to think there are even better offerings out there.

TiA

From what you describe, there's only one JDM casting rod that meets your stringent requirements and it's readily available in Europe for not too much money. Please do not let the modest price tag fool you, the Valley Hill Raison Odessa rods are extremely underrated and the ROC-67MMM is the best rod in the series!

I own several hundred high end JDM rods and it's funny that this relatively affordable BFS/Mag Bass casting rod is better than 95% of the JDM rods I currently own from both an on-the-water performance perspective and in its exceptional build quality! I've been able to borrow my friend's rod (it's a 2015 rod model so very hard to find) several time over the last three seasons for smallmouth bass fishing in NW Wisconsin and have been fortunate enough to catch several 20" or 50cm smallmouth bass with this rod without any challenges. The rod can handle any lure or technique from 1/16oz-5/8oz or 1.8g-17.7g with no problems and the fit and finish is comparable to any of my Evergreen Kaleido Inspirare and Daiwa Steez Racing Design rods at a much more reasonable acquisition price.

Good luck with your BFS rod search!

Link to Pescare.it shop: https://www.pescare.it/gb/1-piece-spinn ... na-c_67mmm

More information about this rod in use (scroll down the page): https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishi ... in-vs-bfs/

[ormet]

Thank you for your reply. I am familiar with Valley Hill as i have parts from them in my small ambassadeurs. Did not know they made casting rods suitable for BFS though!

Unfortunatly i am a sucker for split grips, but i will put it on my wishlist anyway

I will however find a very good use of your post when trying to convince my wife that 30 rods is not enough rods.

And to clarify, rods do not need to be readily available in Europe. JDM/CDM is fine and easy to procure for me. Only USDM is usually a problem with cost/time.

[tincanary]

I would love a few suggestion of higher end JDM (USDM is a hassle to get shipped to Sweden) offerings in production. Looking for a super sensitive rod for Jika/Free rig/link head/ned fishing for redfin perch in Europe.

Fishing (often semislack/slack) 4-6lb flouro with an Aldebaran BFS reel. If posibble for lures up to almost 3/8oz

Asked on Reddit and the only suggestion i got was Shimano Expride BFS. I have fished Expride and its very nice but cant help to think there are even better offerings out there.

TiA

From what you describe, there's only one JDM casting rod that meets your stringent requirements and it's readily available in Europe for not too much money. Please do not let the modest price tag fool you, the Valley Hill Raison Odessa rods are extremely underrated and the ROC-67MMM is the best rod in the series!

I own several hundred high end JDM rods and it's funny that this relatively affordable BFS/Mag Bass casting rod is better than 95% of the JDM rods I currently own from both an on-the-water performance perspective and in its exceptional build quality! I've been able to borrow my friend's rod (it's a 2015 rod model so very hard to find) several time over the last three seasons for smallmouth bass fishing in NW Wisconsin and have been fortunate enough to catch several 20" or 50cm smallmouth bass with this rod without any challenges. The rod can handle any lure or technique from 1/16oz-5/8oz or 1.8g-17.7g with no problems and the fit and finish is comparable to any of my Evergreen Kaleido Inspirare and Daiwa Steez Racing Design rods at a much more reasonable acquisition price.

Good luck with your BFS rod search!

Link to Pescare.it shop: https://www.pescare.it/gb/1-piece-spinn ... na-c_67mmm

More information about this rod in use (scroll down the page): https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishi ... in-vs-bfs/

I wish this rod was made in a 2 piece. I've been drooling over it a few years now. There is another option that does come in a 2 piece, the Abu Salty Stage Bait Finesse models which have a lower limit similar to the Raison and an upper limit of 15 to 20g depending on model. The price is pretty comparable with the Valley Hill as well.

[City17Banner]

Thank you for your reply. I am familiar with Valley Hill as i have parts from them in my small ambassadeurs. Did not know they made casting rods suitable for BFS though!

Unfortunatly i am a sucker for split grips, but i will put it on my wishlist anyway

I will however find a very good use of your post when trying to convince my wife that 30 rods is not enough rods.

And to clarify, rods do not need to be readily available in Europe. JDM/CDM is fine and easy to procure for me. Only USDM is usually a problem with cost/time.

You see that's where the advantage of being a confirmed bachelor is useful, the only members of the "finance committee" is me, myself, and I, and none of the members of the finance committee take very much convincing at all! Indeed, if it was left up to me, I'd keep all three bass boats instead of performing some consolidation/rationalization (I was the one that insisted on this course of action since we can't truly utilize three bass boats at our retirement age anymore) once the new 2024 Vexus VXs20 is built and delivered in May!