CattaiBass Posted March 31, 2023 Share Posted March 31, 2023 Interested in opinions about the SLX dc baitcaster. I mainly fish for bass in the Hawkesbury and am looking for something to cast lightweight lures. Thinking about the 150 size but don’t know if the dc is just a gimmick or not. I use a diawa alphas now which is OK but struggles on the lighter stuff. I generally use a egg beater for lighter lures but prefer the accuracy of the baitcaster. Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lastworm Posted April 1, 2023 Share Posted April 1, 2023 Hey mate, see if you can get yourself the SLX BFS from Japan, I can PM you a couple of sites that sell them. Will do a far better job with light lures, I fish for bass myself and have gone high end on BFS gear with a couple of Aldebaran BFS reels, but the SLX BFS is a good intro into BFS and probably cheaper than the DC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little_Flatty Posted April 1, 2023 Share Posted April 1, 2023 I was hoping @lastworm would reply. Excellent advice there. If budget is an issue, you might be able to find a KastKing Zephyr BFS. I got one from an Australian seller - I'm sure you'll be able to find them but if you can't, send me a PM. The DC is nice (I'm actually hugely curious myself) but if you educate your thumb (maybe it might take one session at most) it becomes a non-issue. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CattaiBass Posted April 1, 2023 Author Share Posted April 1, 2023 Thanks for the advice. Now I need to decide how much I want to spend. Am also thinking about the Bantam as it is made in Japan but is a couple of hundred more. Or am I better of getting a better threadline instead. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lastworm Posted April 1, 2023 Share Posted April 1, 2023 The bantam won’t cast as light as a BFS reel will, as it’s not suited to that kind of fishing. A thread line is easier to cast lighter weights, but I enjoy fishing with a baitcaster and find it far more accurate, hence the BFS obsession. It depends what suits you really. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big Neil Posted April 2, 2023 Share Posted April 2, 2023 On 3/31/2023 at 8:36 PM, CattaiBass said: Interested in opinions about the SLX dc baitcaster. I mainly fish for bass in the Hawkesbury and am looking for something to cast lightweight lures. Thinking about the 150 size but don’t know if the dc is just a gimmick or not. I use a diawa alphas now which is OK but struggles on the lighter stuff. I generally use a egg beater for lighter lures but prefer the accuracy of the baitcaster. Wayne What are you targeting and what weight braid line are you planning to use? What weight of lure do you have in mind? True that baitcast outfits allow for more accurate casting, but if you were targeting Bass or EPs the 150 would be overkill. Chasing bigger species of fish would suit its primary function better, in my opinion. Cheers, bn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CattaiBass Posted April 3, 2023 Author Share Posted April 3, 2023 On 4/2/2023 at 12:29 PM, big Neil said: What are you targeting and what weight braid line are you planning to use? What weight of lure do you have in mind? True that baitcast outfits allow for more accurate casting, but if you were targeting Bass or EPs the 150 would be overkill. Chasing bigger species of fish would suit its primary function better, in my opinion. Cheers, bn I mainly target bass and EPs with 10 lb braid line. Current alphas is great for heavier lures but difficult for lighter ones like small feralcats, beetle spins, Taylor made nuggets or similar. Is there anything smaller than the 150? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lastworm Posted April 3, 2023 Share Posted April 3, 2023 Aldebaran for comparison is a 30 sized reel (ultra light and very small to palm) If you already have an Alphas and like it then consider the Alphas Air TW - there is a new model coming out in a few months so these are going for reasonable prices now. directly from Japan. All of the below will handle the lures you mentioned: Shimano 22 Aldebaran BFS - Japan Shimano SLX BFS - Japan Shimano Curado BFS - USA Daiwa Alphas Air - Japan Daiwa Gekkabijin - Japan Daiwa Air Stream Custom - USA Kastking Zephyr - USA Plus there are a multitude of chinese made BFS baitcasters available from Chinese manufacturers, a lot cheaper but you get what you pay for. You might also want to consider upgrading to a lighter rod rated to around 2-8lb (I use a 4-10lb) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big Neil Posted April 3, 2023 Share Posted April 3, 2023 10 hours ago, CattaiBass said: I mainly target bass and EPs with 10 lb braid line. Current alphas is great for heavier lures but difficult for lighter ones like small feralcats, beetle spins, Taylor made nuggets or similar. Is there anything smaller than the 150? Sure, there are size 100 baitcaster reels available. Lightweight, hold plenty of braid for what you have in mind, and is suited to those types of lure. Paired with a 2-4 kg rod should see you casting all day with no problems. bn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amelia1992 Posted August 16, 2023 Share Posted August 16, 2023 (edited) On 3/31/2023 at 2:36 PM, CattaiBass said: Interested in opinions about the SLX dc baitcaster. I mainly fish for bass in the Hawkesbury and am looking for something to cast lightweight lures. Thinking about the 150 size but don’t know if the dc is just a gimmick or not. I use a diawa alphas now which is OK but struggles on the lighter stuff. I generally use a egg beater for lighter lures but prefer the accuracy of the baitcaster. Wayne I would recommend Shimano Curado K specifically for Bass Fishing! Edited August 25, 2023 by amelia1992 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirvin21 Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 With practice you can cast just as accurately with spin especially if you get a short rod I solely use spin outfits for my bass fishing I find them way more versatile 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antonywardle Posted August 17, 2023 Share Posted August 17, 2023 HI I have that reel and I used it for Barra. The DC part works pretty well. It has four settings and they are directly related to the casting distance I have to put in for a service as it has got a bit stuck. I suspect a rusty bearing cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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