BFS Trout Setups - worth the expense?

That is a beautiful fish    Thanks for the report and picture Mel.

I on the other land trolled the entire lake with my go to kastmasters and Yozuri minnows. I ended the day with a 2 nice trout, biggest was a 5.5 lb lightning.

BFST (Big Effing Trout)

Oh boy this thread might make me spend some money haha I didn't really know any specifics about BFS until now, but the story at Quarry lakes sounds interesting to me as someone who has skunked many times at that place.  I'm curious why the extra casting distance will have that big of an effect on bites?

I think maybe somewhat related to BFS, last summer I got into throwing ned jigs on ultralight spinning setups and managed to catch smallies, rainbow trout, and largemouth all on the same TRD jig nearby San Jose, so I'm curious to learn more about BFS for a similar finesse tool to try when the bite is tough.

Oh boy this thread might make me spend some money haha I didn't really know any specifics about BFS until now, but the story at Quarry lakes sounds interesting to me as someone who has skunked many times at that place.  I'm curious why the extra casting distance will have that big of an effect on bites?

I think maybe somewhat related to BFS, last summer I got into throwing ned jigs on ultralight spinning setups and managed to catch smallies, rainbow trout, and largemouth all on the same TRD jig nearby San Jose, so I'm curious to learn more about BFS for a similar finesse tool to try when the bite is tough.

I went for walk at Quarry today, there was a hot bite on the dfw trout. I saw 4 BFS casters hooked up at the same time.

Al you can always order a JDM reel from Japan and pair it with a Dobyns

Ernest is right, looks like a big money hole to throw into if I'm not really sure it's going to be worth while.  I do plan to do a bit more shore fishing for trout this winter though, so it was starting to appeal to me.

If I'm anywhere nearby I'd be happy to bring some bfs gear out both for you to try and for me to knock some of the dust off! Consider that zephyr and aliexpress rod as long term loaners.

I think if there's any advantage to stillwater BFS it's just that one can increase the rate of casting, but at the cost of some distance. Depending on how dialed your brakes/thumb are that might not actually work out after a mean birds nest though.

My preference is to bring my BFS gear for trout or smallmouth that are in tricky tight quarters where accurate casting and the ability to control the speed of the cast (or possibly bring things to a hard stop) are a huge benefit. Or in some cases where I would otherwise bring a fly rod but want to move a little faster.

I bought a shit ton of BFS stuff after watching those YB videos in the last three years. The problem is, I don't have any opportunity to use those gears because I'm nowhere near any fishery that can benefit from BFS fishing. I can tell you that the Shimano Curado BFS does not cast any further than the Chinese BFS reels, but the Shimano feels the most solid in your hand. I literally have over a hundred BFS hard jerk bait and never caught a fish with them. BFS fishing is just another money pit to me. Unless you know where you're gonna use BFS gear, you'll probably never end up using them But if you have the itch to try them out, why not.
Btw, I just came back from Japan and picked up a couple of electric reels. That's another money pit. I hope I get some use out of them 

This post just summed up my 40 years of fishing experience.


Slightly off topic but I used to fish a lot of ultra small baits for bluegill and bass.  Tiny rattle traps, rapalas etc. I started throwing some of the smaller stuff again on tbe delta last year when the big baits were not producing. Still lots of fun. 

I did a quick afternoon trip at Quarry Lakes yesterday from 2pm to 4:30pm. I came across 2 kayakers with high end gear both BFS and on their yaks. They were casting mini spoons. They told me at the boat ramp that between the 2 of them they C&R around 50 dfw trout that were about 8 inches. They stayed in one area near the fishing pier.

I on the other hand trolled the entire lake with my go to kastmasters and Yozuri minnows. I ended the day with a 2 nice trout, biggest was a 5.5 lb lightning.

Here's the kayakers I came across at Quarry Lakes fishing BFS style.
https://youtu.be/bl-w1JwhqZg?si=OtpEmmr7SG1g9psT

I've had days fishing just like that after a plant using kastmasters with barbless siwash hooks.  Thanks for the inspection reminder too, LDV is the worst... 

Thanks for the link! I feel like I'm going crazy because of the amount of casts I've thrown from my kayak in that exact spot without a bite haha.   Interestingly I've never had anyone take more than a brief glance at my kayak at Del Valle.  Last time actually I had to just laugh because he took one quick look at my kayak on the roof rack and I said do you want to check my life vest and mirage drive and he said Oh trust me I'm a kayak fisherman too I know it's dry and passed me, strange and kinda funny.

Just put 2 lb test line on your spinning reel. You'll be fine. 

I can already see you with a huge bird's nest on a bait caster.  . J.K. , Al.

Just put 2 lb test line on your spinning reel. You'll be fine. 

I can already see you with a huge bird's nest on a bait caster.  . J.K. , Al.

Hah, it was the first thing I thought about actually.  Because you spool with so little line that if you birds-nest it your probably done unless you can untangle it.

Just put 2 lb test line on your spinning reel. You'll be fine. 

I can already see you with a huge bird's nest on a bait caster.  . J.K. , Al.

Hah, it was the first thing I thought about actually.  Because you spool with so little line that if you birds-nest it your probably done unless you can untangle it.

I have actually been having fun with the micro-lures and jigs. (Catching)The retrieve on such a light lure is to have it flutter instead of rotating and letting it sink to the desired depth before retrieving. Its a quick hook set.

Enjoy Fishing Channel is posting new videos again if you want to see some crazy accurate casting in tight quarters. He's not using 1gram trout magnets or anything, but IMO that was never really the strength of BFS anyway.

Those super whippy fiberglass rods look like a lot of fun.