Shimano Curado BFS

[slipperybob]

Shimano Curado BFS: retails $189.99

Small low profile casting reel with 6.2 oz weight, 8.2 gear ratio, Finesse Tuned Brake, clicking drag, shallow spool capacity, 7+1 bearing system.

It's about time that there actually exist a bait casting reel that can functionally be tasked for ice fishing available at the local tackle store.  Out of the box impression was that it was not quite as smooth operation as the just recently discontinued Curado 70 casting reel.  This reel is also a bit lighter in weight compared to the Curado 70 reel coming in at 6.8 oz and compared to the older Curado 50E at 6.9 oz. weight. It is just heavier when compared to the much older Chronarch 50Mg at 6.0 oz. weight.

One of the best feature is the shallow spool that's ideal for ice fishing application.  For one thing I don't need to fill it with any line backing.  I can just tie onto with my braid line direct to the spool.  Wait there's that braid slipping if done so.  Well then there's a trick to it.  It's a somewhat complicated chinese finger trap line tie onto the spool.  The reversing pinch of the overhand knots binds the overall line.  It took about five wraps per side to hold it, so a crisscross of 10 wraps.  I spool about 70 cranks of line onto the spool.  That's more than enough for just ice fishing and a flexible safety amount for any possible open water fishing to be done with in the future.  As so far for usage, it's holding and no spool slippage.

The other best feature is the clicking drag sound when the drag is slipping.  It sounds just like a spinning reel drag clicker.  For operation purpose, it provides a very useful feedback on how powerful a fish is.  However from initial checking on the drag operation I was only getting a very light drag force.  Shimano list the drag to have an 8 pound of drag force, but when I pull line off the drag with the drag star basically locked down I was getting about 2 pounds of drag force.  I was using the line tied onto my fish weighing scale.  This showed up while using the reel out on the field.  The drag slipped on just about every fish I hooked into.  Normally I would not expect a 9" crappie to peel drag from my reel so easily.  Yet it was happening.  Even when I hooked into a few 13" to 15" walleyes, the drag was definitely sounding off like a big fish was on the end.  The outcome is that I would get drag slippage the moment I set the hook.  After some use of like three or four trips, the drag on the BFS reel has increased in range on both the lower end setting to a softer light drag pressure and on the high end where locking down the drag star has put a significant increase on the drag pressure.

Unique to this BFS reel is the Finesse Tuned Brake system that was passed down from the development on the Aldebaran BFS reel.  It's takes advantage of a magnetic system that uses a centrifugal force braking concept.  As for ice fishing application there isn't truly a need for a braking mechanism.  Most ice fishing lures are on the light weight spectrum.  1/4 oz. weight feels like a heavyweight.  1/8th oz. weight are solid bottom droppers.  1/16th to 1/32nd oz. weights are good fluttering presentation.  Since I am using braids, I am not sure if that's attributing to or against the performance.  I will note the the sinking braid of YGK G-Soul SS112 in 10# aids in the sink rate of very light lure in 1/32nd oz. or lighter.

Out there on the freezing cold weather, this reel did experience some slight sluggishness.  That is normal operation when all other reels were feeling the cold sluggishness too.  Once in the warmed up shack, the reel started to operate smoothly.  I did had to loosen the spool tension knob, as it seems the cold made the material on the spool shaft ends more stiff on the contact points. I have been using the reel on both the Thorne Bros. Panfish and Perch Sweetheart 32" Custom rods.  Of which I previously were using the Curado 70HG reels on.  From jigging light weight lures, there is a slight difference in reel weight feel compared to the Curado 70HG.

Overall this is a very useful reel for ice fishing.  It's got the right features.

[slipperybob]

1st season in after action review...

There are a lot of good things to be said about this reel, but more notable are the things that needs improvement or becomes a learning experience.  For the first thing is the drag clicker.  I'm used to the silent drags of the other bait casting reels so when I finesse jig down by pushing the spool with my thumb to ever add inches of line, I get that audible click now.  The overall drag is more finesse.  It has less drag force and much less than the specs given to it.  It's suppose to have like 8 pounds of max drag force but it doesn't achieve it.  In a way it's good as it protects the line from breaking on a fish, but not so good as it seems like the fish is more likely to peel line.  For sure if I was gauging a smaller fish to one that's a bit larger, yes the drag clicking away tells me that directly.

I personally have never been a fan of having the external brake adjustments.  For one thing, it's easier to get dust, dirt, grime into that area.  Hence if I was catching lots of fish, yeah and handling lots of minnows.  Since I've been attentive, I hadn't gotten any gunk into that opening.  Just some minnow scales onto the rod handle and handle knobs of the reels. Not that I need to adjust the brakes for vertical ice fishing.  It's set to zero or rather it says 1.

Not that I actually sat there and timed the drop rate of lure from the spool.  In my presumption, I thought the drop rate would've been slower as since the magnetic braking would stay in effect.  While actually out there I did not notice that at all.  It was within the same normal fall rate I was getting with my other casting reels comparing the Chronarch 50Mg, Curado 50E, and Curado 70Hg.  At such finesse presentation, the fall rate was more affected by line diameter size as lures gets much much lighter in weight.

The two braids I used were YGK G-Soul SS112 in 10# and YGK G-Soul Upgrade X-8 in 14# listed.  To my surprise the SS112 line that was a bit more surface texture manages to lay on the spool very well.  Although I could hear some slight buzzing while winching the line back, it is forgotten when there is a fish on the end of the line.  All braids seems to make a humming noise, some very rough texture ones one can feel the vibration along with the noise.  These thin diameter lines that I'm using still give me a slight noise if I listen for it.  For one thing about have an 8.2 gear ratio is that line recovery was quite fast.  Vertical ice fishing, one doesn't notice it as much since often I'm fishing at a depth of 20 feet or less.  However when going back and forth on my other reels of 6 gear ratio it becomes noticeable.

Honestly I am favoring this reel more and more.  Not because it's just newer, but yeah it's functionality really hits the spot.  For sure on the casting reel, the spool plays so much a role.  A lighter, more shallow spool makes a lot of difference.  I spool up less line and it's just ice fishing.  The line on the spool is at a larger diameter circumference, thus should aid in better line drop and much better line retrieval. 

****
These reels will get a little bit of open water fishing before coming back to the ice.

[RapShack]

  It's suppose to have like 8 pounds of max drag force but it doesn't achieve it.  In a way it's good as it protects the line from breaking on a fish, but not so good as it seems like the fish is more likely to peel line.

  Could be a lubricant thing, some drags are dry some are lubed.  If you pull the discs out and they are very oily clean them up a bit and try again.  You can also lightly abrade the discs to create more friction.

I thought the drop rate would've been slower as since the magnetic braking would stay in effect.  While actually out there I did not notice that at all.

  It's not the magnets themselves that apply the breaking force but currents within an electromagnetic field generated by the spool rotating in proximity to the magnets.  The slower the rotation the weaker the field.  The spool doesn't spin fast enough on a straight drop when compared to a cast to have any effect.