Kastking Zephyr BFS Reel REVIEW After ONE YEAR [Still RELEVANT?!]
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- čas přidán 10. 09. 2024
- Bait Finesse System (BFS) fishing is a trend in sport angling that appears to be on the rise in the US. Originally developed in Japan, bait finesse is simply the use of light and ultralight baitcasting outfits. Traditionally, baitcasting is considered best for heavy lines and lures and the targeting of large, powerful gamefish, but specialized reels and rods have made baitcasters effective for casting very small lures.
BFS has been around for a while and was originally a high-end category of the fishing gear market, but in recent years, budget-friendly options have appeared. The Kastking Zephyr bait finesse casting reel is a prime example. Developed with input from experienced bait finesse fishermen, this reel has been on the market for several years. It's also one of the few BFS reels available on the US domestic market. Retailing at just $75, the reel is priced low, making it an attractive option for anglers hoping to experiment with BFS without sinking a ton of money into it. So come along with me as I discuss my experience this past year fishing with the reel, some of its pros and cons, and whether I think the Zephyr is a worthwhile purchase in 2024.
You can still pick up this reel at a variety of retailers, with the version with the added drag clicker now being much easier to find.
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The Zephyr is a serviceable reel but for BFS I prefer the Dark Wolf Ultra and their clones. They cast lighter lures better than the Zephyr. But if you cast heavier lures and if you don't want to buy overseas, the Zephyr will work.
I picked up one of the DWU clones recently, I'm looking forward to trying it. Thanks for watching
Good review had about a year fishing it. Turn brakes to max till you get used to it typically stayed close to max in wind. Every once and again line gets caught in spool. Overall totally solid reel in agreement casts 1/16 oz good. Great review if people are wondering do I get it. Yes get it kinda like the Abu Black Max solid reel does a great job getting your lures out there and reeling fish in.
Yep, it's pretty solid all around and is a good place to start with BFS. Thanks for watching
I honesty like the zephyr. It’s a basic and practical reel. It’s good for throwing certain size lures but not good for really light weight lures like 1/32 oz and below. Some people change the bearings which prob helps out a bit more. The other thing to note is that there other CDM bfs reels around the same price or even cheaper that would be nice to compare to. Personally I haven’t had the time and money to do that but I did order a comparable cdm reel soon . I’ll see how that matches up to it. Thanks for sharing brother.
I like it too, it is a solid and affordable option for getting into BFS. There are definitely a lot more options around the price point than there used to be if you go CDM though. Thanks for watching 😎
I still use mine. I did upgrade the bearing by speed spool. They were not micro bearings. It is a decent BFS reel, I got caught up with the UL or Sub UL with this BFS trend and kept trying to throw 1/32 and lighter, but kept having issues with the Zephyr. The Zephyr was good for 1/16 and heavier. Its also a very fast reel for it's retrieve length. I got a TSU Elf which can cast much lighter, but came a few years after the Zephyr. The technoligy for budget reels is coming along pretty fast. The Zephyr is a good budget entry but there is better out there (from my experience.) Still going to keep and use mine.
I agree that there are reels out there now that are better for the very light lures...and can probably be had for a similar, or even lower, price. Perhaps the Zephyr's sweet spot is for finesse bass fishing applications as opposed to micro finesse. Thanks for watching
Just got this reel what pound test and brand of line would you recommend for bass and catfish
I don’t have specific brand recommendations. I’ve mostly used 7 lb mono and that has performed well for me. If you’re expecting bass or catfish you could up to 8 lb mono/fluoro or maybe 10-12 lb braid. You could go lighter too but this reel does have the issue of the line getting caught between the spool and frame with very thin lines. Thanks for watching 😎
On your spool, tension knob. Do you have the parts 55 56. 57. 58. My real was a display and they take the Spool cover off so no one will steal them. The parts are not in the box and I can't return it. I bought it at sportsman's warehouse.
I don't know. If you think you have parts missing, I would try to contact KastKing.
@@crosscountrybankangler Yes I'll call casking on monday. Because I want to upgrade the bearings from bait finesse empire. I can turn an eighty dollar real into a three hundred dollar bill for twenty dollars with new bearings. Where I can switch back-and-forth to a 1 32nd ounce. Wait and then go back to an eight pound test line if I want to.
I have been doing BFS fishing since 2009, and KastKing is not the first company that try bring BFS to the USA, Daiwa was the first would it back in 2012, but for the price ($300+) they're asking bit too much for most customer accept; let alone for a reel that doesn't holds a lot line at all. the ideal didn't catch on until recently (late of 2019) kastking can make one that is affordable. BFS is already a thing in Japan in the late 90's, i know this because i used to travel back and forth from Japan to the US
Thanks for watching 😎
I like the zephyr. I paired it up with a sougayilang 6 ft ultra light rod and i have no problems casting 1/16oz lures 28:00
Sounds like a solid budget combo!!
I had that rod an snapped it before I got to use it. I did glue a new tip on, so I turned it more into a light rod or ML rod from an UL rod...lol.
Nice reel ! I got one’s f this on temu but unfortunately it was a fake one
Gotta be careful on Temu 😎 thanks for watching