By Bradley Stringfield
Special To BassFan
The world of bass fishing is constantly evolving. New trends come and go every year, but few have had the staying power of Bait Finesse System (BFS).
If you’ve somehow missed this craze, BFS is a style of fishing that allows anglers to target fish on baitcasting equipment with ultra-light line that's typically only reserved for spinning setups.
With fisheries seeing more pressure than ever before, it’s no surprise anglers are looking for any advantage to help catch more bass. BFS setups allow for longer casts with ultra-light lures, often 1/16-ounce or smaller, which helps present these small packages to bass without sitting directly on top of them.
While this style of fishing has been popularized by bank fishermen looking for unique ways to target bass from shore, serious bass anglers have started finding room in their rotation for this unique approach.
Building Your BFS Setup
The most important element of BFS fishing is your setup. More than any other style of fishing, your rod, reel, and line choices can make or break your success on the water.
When it comes to your rod, it’s incredibly important to opt for a light to ultra-light, but one of the most important factors is the number of guides. Specifically designed BFS rods will feature an increased number of guides compared to standard rods of the same length, which helps with casting distance and accuracy.
The new Daiwa Tatula XT Bait Finesse BF 6’5” has a total of 10 guides, while none of the traditional Dawa Tatula XT models have more than 9. It’s not uncommon to see BFS rods under 7’ with 11 or 12 guides – like the new Cashion ICON Series BF rods.
The Z-Man Jackhammer is a staple ChatterBait for anglers around the country, but the Micro ChatterBait allows anglers to utilize the bait's unique movement in a 1/8-ounce package.
Length, however, is more dependent on the technique and the angler. While it’s true many BFS anglers opt for rods under 7 feet, brands like Cashion offer 7’2” and 7’6” models, which are especially useful for bombing tiny crankbaits.
While the right rod will help improve the castability of your bite-sized bait, having the right BFS reel will make or break your ability to effectively fish this way. BFS reels offer fairly significant differences from traditional low-profile baitcasting reels, which makes them crucial for the whole system to work as intended.
The most obvious difference is the spool.
BFS reels come with a shallow spool, which holds significantly less line than traditional casting reels. While this can limit anglers on the depth they can fish, it also reduces the cost of line.
These reels also come with different drag systems to account for the lighter line used to make sure anglers are actually able to fight and land their catch.
For several years, the Kast King Zephyr stood alone as the BFS reel of choice in the United States, but other manufacturers have jumped on board as the popularity of this style of fishing has grown. Shimano now offers BFS versions of its popular Curado and Aldebaran models. Diawa has released a Tatula model targeting BFS anglers. Meanwhile, Lew's Abu Garcia and several other companies also have BFS-style reels on the market now.
Reel selections come down to preference more than anything, but don’t forget this is the engine that makes the entire setup work efficiently.
Line selection is where it gets interesting for some – and terrifying for others.
Some bass anglers are hesitant to dropshot with a 6-pound leader line, but some BFS anglers are throwing micro-crankbaits with 2-pound line.
Like many things in bass fishing, BFS fishing line all comes down to preference. There are arguments to be made for braid, fluorocarbon, monofilament or any combination of the three. Ultimately, your style of fishing and preferences will determine the type of line you opt for.
The real conversation comes down to the size of the line.
It’s easy to always look at the pound-test rating and solely go by that, but diameter plays a role as well. When you’re focused on downsizing, it’s important to realize that one person’s 4-pound test may be the same diameter as another person’s 6-pound.
As a general rule, most anglers stay somewhere between 4- to 8-pound line – opting for the heavier 8-pound when flipping.
BFS Lures
As BFS has continued to grow in popularity, bait companies have hopped on the trend by putting out a variety of different options for anglers looking to expand their arsenal.
The Strike King Red Eye Shad is one of the most popular lipless crankbaits on the market. As baitfish begin their fall migrations, opting for the 1/8-ounce Bitsy Shad will help mimic the size of smaller baitfish to target pressured bass pursuing an easy meal.
When the technique first began to get popular, tiny Texas rigs and micro-crankbaits were the only options, but that is not the case today. Companies like Megabass, Strike King, Z-Man, Rapalaand Yo-Zuri have all released their own lines of BFS-specific baits.
Do you like throwing a Red Eye Shad? Try Strike King’s Bitsy Shad, which is a 1/8-ounce version of the popular lipless crankbait. For the ChatterBait devotees, Z-Man offers the Chatterbait Mini – although it is on the heavier side of this conversation at 1/4-ounce.
If you’re lucky enough to find one in stock, the Megabass Karashi is probably the most popular hard bait across all of BFS fishing. The Karashi is a 3/16-ounce, slow-sinking, twitch bait that when fished correctly has a walk-the-dog motion commonly found in topwater baits. As baitfish begin their fall migrations into the creeks, fishing the Karashi on a BFS setup is a fun alternative to your more traditional topwaters and jerkbaits for schooling bass.
On the soft plastics side, one of the newest additions is the X Zone Stealth Finesse Series, which features 2.5-inch versions of a creature bait, craw, tube and minnow in some of their more popular colors.
There aren’t a lot of soft plastics companies with clearly labeled BFS lines of baits. However, Z-Man, Yamamoto, Strike King, Zoom, and basically every other soft plastic company you can think of make baits under 3 inches that can be rigged on ultra-light line setups.
Pairing an X Zone Scented Stealth Craw with a 1/0 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Hybrid Worm Hook and a 1/8-ounce tungsten weight will allow you to flip around docks and brush piles like few other anglers on your body of water.
What’s Next?
Whether you’re a bank angler seeking new challenges or a seasoned pro looking to enhance your arsenal, BFS opens up a world of possibilities for targeting bass with ultra-light tackle.
As anglers continue to learn about the style, some are even using BFS setups to replace spinning rods for fishing finesse baits.
Ultimately, only you can decide if it’s worth adding to your arsenal, but there are few things more exciting than fighting a big bass on light line.
