BFS Training Line

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!
Knotty
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BFS Training Line

Post by Knotty » Sat Aug 17, 2019 2:55 pm

When learning BFS, birds nests are to be expected. So instead of spooling up with high priced JDM mono, I use Trout Magnet SOS 2#. A 350 yard spool is under $10 and at .16mm, the diameter is similar to 4# JDM. After the line gets damaged from picking out nests, just pull it off and respool for only pennies. I have some nice JDM stuff waiting in the wings but my Aldebaran won't see it until my skills improve.

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Re: BFS Training Line

Post by MountainMan 83 » Sat Aug 17, 2019 4:01 pm

Very good advice.

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Re: BFS Training Line

Post by Houndfish » Sat Aug 17, 2019 7:29 pm

I went the other way and found that using 15lb J-Braid (.19mm) worked well to learn on as it was thin enough to still cast well but was thick enough that I could almost always pick a backlash out with a blunt-tipped needle. As braid does not get damaged by my little accidents I rarely had to replace it.

I also got really good at picking out backlashes. Really good.

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Re: BFS Training Line

Post by Knotty » Mon Aug 19, 2019 6:35 pm

Houndfish wrote:
Sat Aug 17, 2019 7:29 pm
I went the other way and found that using 15lb J-Braid (.19mm) worked well to learn on as it was thin enough to still cast well but was thick enough that I could almost always pick a backlash out with a blunt-tipped needle. As braid does not get damaged by my little accidents I rarely had to replace it.

I also got really good at picking out backlashes. Really good.
Also a good option but with one caveat. The micro guides on many BFS rods don't tolerate the braid to leader knot well. I was originally using 10# braid with a lighter leader and an FG knot was the only one which didn't get caught on the guides with any frequency. In general I prefer braid over mono or flouro and like you noted, the nests are easier to pick out.

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Re: BFS Training Line

Post by Dalleinf » Mon Aug 19, 2019 11:31 pm

I use straight braid 0.10-0.12mm (10lb), no leader. No issues whatsoever.

The fish I target are very shy but thin braid does not seem to matter. Leader may be needed in areas where abrasion is a big issue.

Because BfS spools are so shallow with little line capacity, the birdsnests that I get are typically very small and easy to pick out.

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Re: BFS Training Line

Post by Houndfish » Tue Aug 20, 2019 5:48 am

Knotty wrote:
Mon Aug 19, 2019 6:35 pm
Also a good option but with one caveat. The micro guides on many BFS rods don't tolerate the braid to leader knot well.
Yea, I gave up on leaders for that reason. On my UL trout/panfish combo I settled on 8lb braid. It's so thin that I am not worried about line visibility and nothing that I target (stocked trout, panfish, white perch) seem to care much about line in any case.

For my bass BFS combos I stepped up to 10lb Sniper from the 7lb I was using. Casting distance suffers a bit but I think it's worth the line damage forgiveness and ability to more confidently lift a larger bass up with the line if I have to.

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Re: BFS Training Line

Post by Knotty » Tue Aug 20, 2019 4:47 pm

Just found what is possibly an even better mono choice than SOS; Stren Crappie Mono in high-viz gold. Available down to 2#, .15 mm. Provides the much needed visibility that SOS lacks. Normally when I want a visible, light test mono for spin casting, I use Seaguar Yellow Hunter JDM fouro but I have to order from Japan and a spool costs more than double the Stren and has half as much line. In other words it’s more than 4X the price/length. Still a good product for fishing deeper in still water but I doubt mono vs flouro matters much in shallow streams.

So now there’s a line inexpensive enough to learn BFS on w/o needing to upgrade to JDM when you become more proficient. Of course you may still want to.

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Re: BFS Training Line

Post by LowRange » Tue Aug 27, 2019 9:25 am

Houndfish wrote:
Tue Aug 20, 2019 5:48 am
Knotty wrote:
Mon Aug 19, 2019 6:35 pm
Also a good option but with one caveat. The micro guides on many BFS rods don't tolerate the braid to leader knot well.
Yea, I gave up on leaders for that reason. On my UL trout/panfish combo I settled on 8lb braid. It's so thin that I am not worried about line visibility and nothing that I target (stocked trout, panfish, white perch) seem to care much about line in any case.

For my bass BFS combos I stepped up to 10lb Sniper from the 7lb I was using. Casting distance suffers a bit but I think it's worth the line damage forgiveness and ability to more confidently lift a larger bass up with the line if I have to.
Same here. The 7# Seagar Finesse Fluorocarbon seemed really fragile to me. I have much more confidence with 10# Sniper. For my real shallow UL bait finesse spools I use 8# Nanofil green. No complaints.

I also no longer use leaders with any of my BFS rods. I lost my 1st rod to a breakage caused by swapping the reel on it to one with a higher pound test line and a tighter set drag. I ended up blowing thr spool of light braid up on the Haibo Smart so I swapped in an Alphas SV with 14# from my 72M Zodias which is a really powerful medium rod. That poor Trulinoya Volkey 65UL knockoff broke in half on hookset trying to get a monster come up bit and away from the dense weedbed. It came to the surface after the rod broke and the line went slack and threw my bait and was gone forever. I'll never forget that. 2.8 Crazy Flapper on a 1/20 ned head.

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Re: BFS Training Line

Post by Houndfish » Tue Aug 27, 2019 3:56 pm

I wish I had a way to test the strength of 10lb Sniper, it seems a good bit stronger then it’s diameter would indicate.

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Re: BFS Training Line

Post by Dalleinf » Tue Aug 27, 2019 4:07 pm

Houndfish wrote:
Tue Aug 27, 2019 3:56 pm
I wish I had a way to test the strength of 10lb Sniper, it seems a good bit stronger then it’s diameter would indicate.
It is a great line in 10# and has turned me on to FC as mainline. I use the 10# on my Steez SV w ZPI NRC001m and it is great (also for BFS). I will have to try thinner FC on my more dedicated BFS reels (Conquest BFS and Alphas ASC, Revo BF etc). Have found some good prices on Invizx and Hi-Seas 100% in 6# and hope they perform as good as Sniper...

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Re: BFS Training Line

Post by earthworm77 » Tue Aug 27, 2019 4:17 pm

LowRange wrote:
Tue Aug 27, 2019 9:25 am
That poor Trulinoya Volkey 65UL knockoff broke in half on hookset.
What is this Volkey Knockoff you speak of?

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Re: BFS Training Line

Post by Houndfish » Wed Aug 28, 2019 6:29 am

Dalleinf wrote:
Tue Aug 27, 2019 4:07 pm
It is a great line in 10# and has turned me on to FC as mainline. I use the 10# on my Steez SV w ZPI NRC001m and it is great (also for BFS). I will have to try thinner FC on my more dedicated BFS reels (Conquest BFS and Alphas ASC, Revo BF etc). Have found some good prices on Invizx and Hi-Seas 100% in 6# and hope they perform as good as Sniper...
The only issue I have had with thinner fluoro is how easily it is damaged by even the mildest of backlashes. If I were more skilled at casting and less likely to try and push my limits I don't think thinner fluoro would have any issues.

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Re: BFS Training Line

Post by jvelth74 » Wed Aug 28, 2019 6:58 am

I have been training myself with 24 lb / 0.12 mm Spiderwire Stealth Smooth 8. I haven't lost any inch of line because this line is very manageable and easy to solve out of bird nests and it's stong (for BFS). And I have lost 0 lure with this line.

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Re: BFS Training Line

Post by LowRange » Wed Aug 28, 2019 1:18 pm

earthworm77 wrote:
Tue Aug 27, 2019 4:17 pm
LowRange wrote:
Tue Aug 27, 2019 9:25 am
That poor Trulinoya Volkey 65UL knockoff broke in half on hookset.
What is this Volkey Knockoff you speak of?
The older Trulinoya Elite. I think I jammed the ferrule into the top section too hard and weakened it. This was my 1st ned rig and 1st BFS fish. I was testing the BFS waters with the Elite 65UL and Haibo Smart.
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Re: BFS Training Line

Post by toddmc » Wed Aug 28, 2019 2:35 pm

Houndfish wrote:
Tue Aug 27, 2019 3:56 pm
I wish I had a way to test the strength of 10lb Sniper, it seems a good bit stronger then it’s diameter would indicate.
The Sniper breaks close to the IGFA ratings based on my decade or so of fishing it, and the articles that I have seen. USDM lines tend to break much higher unless it is rated as an IGFA line.

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