Born in Japan as a niche, enthusiast-driven technique for trout fishing, the bait finesse category has emerged as one of the fastest growing segments of the domestic bass industry in recent years. At its core, bait finesse is simply using smaller than average baits for fishing. With these micro-sized baits comes light line ranging from 8lb on the high end, down to 2lb on the low end. While this might sound simple in theory, anyone who has downsized to such light line can tell you, it’s easier said than done.

When dealing with twine that thin, especially with casting equipment, line management becomes paramount to maintain its integrity, which means that standard bass equipment won’t cut it. Luckily, vendors have rushed to fill the demand for casting reels that are capable of flicking feather light lures, resulting in an arms race for the best bait finesse reel.

To help anglers cut through the noise and bring to light some of the best bait finesse reels on the market, we did the only logical thing we could:spend 8-hours casting all of the bait finesse reels on the market, measuring distances, tabulating results, and synthesizing our findings. The goal? Answer all of the questions that a customer might have when looking to purchase a new bait finesse casting reel.

Top Pick - Daiwa PX BF70 Casting Reel

In total, we put eleven reels to the test – and the Daiwa PX BF70 BF Casting Reel stood above them all. In terms of total casting distance, the PX was not the outright winner, but we felt there was enough nuance to the title of “best overall” that it required looking beyond casting distance. When you take into consideration ease of use, value, and accuracy, the Daiwa PX BF70 BF Casting Reel was the clear-cut winner, ranking high enough in each category to take top honors.

During our testing period, we utilized four different line types (10# braid, 8# fluoro, 6# fluoro, 4# fluoro), and it became apparent that there was an inverse relationship between performance and line size with the PX BF70. To put it simply, as the line got smaller, the performance got better. It’s worth noting that this was the only reel that both testers were able to empty the spool with 8lb fluorocarbon, which was another reason it leads us to believe that the PX BF70 was engineered purely for bait finesse tactics.

We found that the braking system in the Daiwa PX BF70 Casting Reel was so dialed into light weights that it allowed for fine adjustments when bouncing between weights down to 1/32oz of variance. For anglers who prefer turning all of the brakes off, the A7075 Air Spool requires minimal thumb input. These two features work in conjunction to keep backlashing to a minimum, extending every single cast, not just the good ones.

Of the eleven reels tested, the median price was $285. The Daiwa PX BF70 BF Casting Reels comes in slightly above the average price at $349.99—far from the most expensive, but an incredible value when you consider its all-out performance. At home with light line and light lures, the Daiwa PX BF70 BF Casting Reel delivers enough of a technological leg-up that it will drastically offset the learning curve for those getting introduced to bait finesse fishing, while also providing high-end performance that will satisfy the most discerning enthusiast.

Top Pick - Ark Fishing Gravity BFS Casting Reel

Punching WAY above its price point, the Ark Fishing Gravity BFS Casting Reel was one of the most surprising revelations of this entire experiment. Finishing close to the top of the list when it came to total casting distance, and providing minimal reel “fluff,” the Ark Fishing Gravity BFS Casting Reel proved to be a serious contender. Hitting the scales at only 5.2 ounces, the Gravity BFS is comparable weight-wise to some of the more expensive reels, like the Abu Garcia ZENON MG-LTX BFS Casting Reel ($550 and 5.4oz) and the Bates Hundo LTS Casting Reel ($395 and 5.1oz).

A couple things stood out to us when we were testing at this reel, the first of which was the braking system. Utilizing Ark’s GCS (Gravity Control System), which offers three different brake settings that can be changed with the press of an internal button, the Gravity BFS can be further fine-tuned with an external knob. Inside the box, Ark includes printed instructions that show how/when to adjust the braking system.

The wiffled spool was another feature that grabbed our attention. It utilizes much less material than the other spools due to the perforations, and also sits much deeper inside of the reel; so much so that you have to be careful when applying line because it’s easy to overfill. There’s no way for us to know definitively why this powerhouse reel was so effective, but it caught us by surprise so much that we started to theorize what makes it so good. Either way, if you are looking to get into bait finesse fishing without spending an arm and a leg, the ARK Fishing Gravity BFS Casting Reel is a smart choice.

Top Picks - Shimano Curado BFS Casting Reel

An extension of the well-established Curado K family of reels, the Shimano Curado BFS Casting Reels deliver the same dependable, workhorse performance that competitive anglers know and expect.

Our overall winner when it came to total casting distance, the Curado BFS delivered outstanding distance with slightly “heavier” weights, like 3/32oz and 1/8oz, which is still incredibly light by traditional bass angling standards.

Carrying the same iconic cosmetics as the rest of the K’s, the Curado BFS allows access to the spool through a hinged sideplate, but relies on an exterior brake adjustment to dial in your settings. Simple numbering from 1-6 makes it easy to find the exact brake setting for your lure weight and line type.

Priced at just $209.99, the Curado BFS Casting Reel falls way below the median ($285) price for this sampling, making it an attractive option for anglers who are focused on getting the most out of their dollars. To put it simply, it's just hard to beat a Curado—you know you are going to get outstanding dependability at a great price.

Top Pick - Kast King Kestrel Elite Bait Finesse Casting Reels

You might be asking what makes a reel the “best with braid?” To us, two major factors come into play when fishing with braided line: management and total casting distance. The KastKing Kestrel Elite Bait Finesse Casting Reels delivered both in spades.

While testing with braid, the Kestrel Elite was able to sidestep a lot of the follies that tripped up some of the other reels, like constant backlashing and wrapping around the spool shaft, ranking it towards the top of the list solely on line manageability. When you factor in its competitive price point ($199.99) and the fact that it was responsible for some of the longest casts of the entire testing period, it’s easy to see why the KastKing Kestrel Elite Bait Finesse Casting Reel came out on top.

Considering our four-man testing team had zero collective hours with a KastKing reel in hand, this finding came as a bit of a shock to us. Once we started poking around some reviews (both online and our website), we found that a lot of anglers echoed our sentiments when it came to the Kestrel. In our humble opinion, it's definitely worth the investment if you enjoy utilizing braid to a leader for your bait finesse fishing.

Top Pick - Daiwa Tatula BF70 Casting Reel

When outlining this experiment, one of the questions we felt that a prospective customer might have is “which reel is the hardest to backlash?” To answer that question we paid close attention while casting and slowly eliminated reels based on the number of backlashes (and there were a few). In the end, the Daiwa Tatula BF70 Casting Reels took top honors for the best braking system.

If you have ever fished with a reel that utilizes Daiwa’s SV Boost Spool you know how forgiving it is towards sub optimal casting, which is what makes that Tatula BF70 so exceptional when it comes to fishing light lures. While slightly better suited towards 6# and MAYBE even 8# In comparison to the mind-blowing performance of the PX70, the Tatula BF70 was at the head of the class in terms of casting distance, but was most well-noted for its ability to prevent a backlash.

“There were several casts that I knew were not great, but when I looked down at the spool it was as if nothing ever happened. This reel takes a lot of the pressure off of the angler when casting lures that weigh next to nothing.” - Charlie

If you aren’t ready to step into that true bait finesse arena with 4# and a 1/32oz weight, or you are not ready to spend $350 on PX70, the Tatula BF70 is the next best choice. Delivering exceptional performance from end to end, the Daiwa Tatula BF70 Casting Reel is going to be hard to beat, especially for someone who is just tipping their toes into bait finesse fishing.

In each of the above categories there was engaging discussion surrounding the winners. While some of the reels below didn’t take the top spot on the podium, that’s not to discredit their capabilities. There are tons of great reels on the market that are capable of meeting and exceeding your bait finesse demands, and we encourage anglers to check them out and make an informed decision of their own.

In planning this experiment we knew that we would need to utilize the same exact rod across all of the reels to hopefully eliminate as many variables as possible. How did we land on the Dobyns Sierra Ultra Finesse Series? Well, for starters, Dobyns makes fantastic rods. Beyond that, the Ultra Finesse series is one of our highest volume movers in the bait finesse genre and so approachably priced at $189.99 that it lowers the barrier to entry.

We chose the 7’ light-fast model partially due to popularity, and partially due to our range of testing weights. On that note, we did feel that the two lightest weights (1/32oz and 1/16oz) were pushing the limits of this rod, and you could probably optimize casting distance if you dropped down to an ultra-light action. Overall, everyone loved the performance offered by the Dobyns Sierra Ultra Finesse Rods.

During the preliminary stages of this experiment we listed out all of the questions a customer might have when it came to purchasing a bait finesse reel. One of the primary questions that we felt a sharp customer might have is “how does this reel perform with 4lb, 6lb, 8lb and braid?” This meant spooling and unspooling the reels every round, and being critical of the changes in performance. Some reels seemed to pick up momentum when we dropped in line size, while it was clear that other reels were not up to the task, so we felt that it was well worth the labor when drawing these comparisons between reels.

No matter how the reels performed, one thing was clear – we could not have been more impressed by the small sizes of the Sunline Super Sniper FC Fluorocarbon and the new Sunline PEX4. It stood up to all of the sub-optimal casts, and kept on ticking. Whether we were casting or spooling, we all noticed the surprisingly thin diameter of the PEX4 braid (.132mm for 10#). We would recommend upsizing your line choice by one or two sizes, if you choose to explore this super thin braid.

In our office, we are always a little leery of reel manufacturer’s suggested line ratings because they tend to be slightly inflated. Also, since there’s no industry standard for measuring line capacity, it’s never an apples-to-apples comparison between brands. To remedy these issues and provide customers with an accurate line capacity measurement we took matters into our own hands with the Rapala Digital Line Counter.

To further level the playing field when it came to casting, we intentionally employed testers with different casting styles. These mechanical differences resulted in varied approaches to braking. In the over-the-shoulder, all-or-nothing approach, the brakes are essential and it was very apparent which braking systems stood out as intuitive, and effective. With a more refined side arm approach, the braking systems were almost always turned off, shining a light on the reels performance sans the brakes.

After every cast, the results were recorded and inputted into a spreadsheet, and at the end of the experiment all of the results were inputted and averaged by total length, total average casting distance per weight size, and average casting distance by line type. Once we had the results, we took into consideration the price points and line management capabilities to narrow down our results inside of each category.

Average Casting Distance by Weight (in feet)

*represents distances that were capped due to line capacity

Average Casting Distance by Line Type (in feet)

*represents casting distance that were capped by line capacity

While the testing ended up being more involved than originally envisioned, we felt that the effort was rewarded with some helpful insight for customers when it comes to purchasing a bait finesse reel. See our related articles below to see our winners for best spinning reels, casting reels, and rods!

Related Articles:
Best Spinning Reels of 2024
Best Casting Reels of 2024
Best Rods of 2024

What are BFS Reels used for?

Bait finesse reels are specially designed to handle super light lures and ultra-light line. This technique is particularly effective when targeting smaller fish, like spotted bass, crappie, and trout. These specialized reels are built specifically with finely-tuned braking systems and spools that cater specifically towards super light line.

What is the best line for BFS fishing?

Traditionally, most bait finesse applications utilize fluorocarbon lines from 2lbs on the low end, to 8lb on the high end. Alternatively, some anglers choose to utilize braid in the 8-14lb range with a leader for fluorocarbon line. This setup minimizes stretch and maximizes sensitivity.

What is the best rod to pair with my BFS reel?

When you are identifying a rod to match your BFS reel, its always good to start with these two questions: what are you going to use the rod for? and how much do you want to spend?

For single hook applications, lean towards a slightly quicker taper (for a bait finesse rod) that is capable of driving the single hook through the roof of the fish's mouth. Something with a fast or extra fast rating will get the job done. If you plan on using the rod for treble hook applications, a rod with a moderate taper will allow fish to fully engulf the bait and provide enough give to not rip the hooks our during the ight.