FishUSA Angler Resources

The Top Five BFS Fishing Rods

By: FishUSA Staff

June 20, 2023

A BFS casting rod is a truly unique piece of equipment. When most people think casting rods, they're envisioning a rod with a fast action and heavy tip used for power fishing techniques. A BFS rod is none of the sort. The casting rods we'll highlight below were all built specifically to be used with lightweight reels, light line, and finesse baits. Each one of these rods excels at BFS fishing for bass, crappie, trout, or whatever else you may be targeting.

Table of Contents

  • Best BFS Rods
  • St. Croix Mojo Bass Trigon Casting Rod
  • Shimano Zodias Casting Rod
  • Shimano Zodias Casting Rod
  • Cashion ICON Bait Finesse System Casting Rod
  • Dobyns Sierra Ultra Finesse Casting Rod
  • Conclusion

Best BFS Rods

St. Croix Mojo Bass Trigon Casting Rod

Buy The St. Croix Mojo Bass Trigon Rod
Model Specifications
6'10" Medium Light, Moderate Fast
  • Lure Weight Rating: 1/8 - 7/16oz
  • Line Weight Rating: 6 - 20lbs
7'1" Medium Light, Moderate Fast
  • Lure Weight Rating: 1/8 - 7/16oz
  • Line Weight Rating: 6 - 20lbs

Features

  1. The Mojo Bass Trigon series is new as of 2024.
  2. St. Croix upgraded their extremely popular Mojo Bass line by adding:
    1. Ergonomic TRIGON handle design
    2. Premium SCIII carbon fiber blanks
    3. Aluminum oxide guides with stainless steel frames
    4. Agglomerated cork handles with premium EVA
    5. St. Croix's proprietary new Dynamix reel seat
  3. The 6'10" MLMF Trigon model was designed for lite treble hook baits such as small crankbaits, jerkbaits, and poppers
  4. The moderate fast action allows the rod to properly load up so that small trebles aren't pulled out of the fish's mouth easily
  5. The 7'1" MLMF Trigon model is very similar to its shorter counterpart, but the added length helps when throwing deeper diving finesse crankbaits

Shimano Expride B Casting Rod

Buy The Shimano Expride B Casting Rod
Model Line Weight Lure Weight
7'2" Medium Light, X-Fast action 7 - 14lbs 3/16 - 1/2oz

Features

  1. The Shimano Expride B Casting Rod uses minimal materials for maximum gains
  2. CI4+ reel seat, carbon monocoque handle, and Hi-Power X blank all make this rod as lightweight and sensitive as they come
  3. Medium Light action allows for use of very light line and baits
  4. X-Fast action is excellent for all types of BFS baits
  5. 7'2" length allows for long casts while also being short enough for accurate pitches

Shimano Zodias Casting Rod

Buy The Shimano Zodia Rod
Specification Model ZDC70MLGA Model ZDC72MLBFSA
Length 7' 0" 7' 2"
Power Med. Light Med. Light
Action Moderate Extra Fast
Line Weight 7 - 16 lbs. 7 - 14 lbs.
Lure Weight 3/16 - 3/4 oz. 3/16 - 1/2 oz.
Pieces 1 1
Blank Material Hi-Power X + Glass Hi-Power X

Features

  1. The 7'0" ML Shimano Zodias is a Hi-Power X+ Glass blank
    1. A glass composite allows a rod to have a very moderate action, allowing a fish to get a great hold of the bait before leaning into a hookset
    2. This type of blank also helps keep fish pinned, especially those barely hooked with a treble
    3. Rated to throw 3/16oz - 3/4oz lures on 7 - 16lb line
  2. The 7'2" ML Zodias is a BFS Fishing machine
    1. Incredibly lightweight
    2. Hi-Power X blank wrapped with carbon tape allows for maximum sensitivity
    3. 7'2" length allows for long casts with lures as light as 3/16oz

Cashion ICON Bait Finesse System Casting Rod

Buy The Cashion ICON BFS Casting Rod
Specifications
Model iBFS610MLF iBFS7LF
Length 6' 10" 7' 0"
Power Med. Light Light
Action Fast Fast
Line Weight 4 - 10 lbs. 2 - 8 lbs.
Lure Weight 1/8 - 7/16 oz. 1/16 - 5/16 oz.
Pieces 1 1
Type Soft Baits Hard Baits

Features

  1. The Cashion Icon Bait Finesse System Casting Rod is a newer rod to the BFS market, but Cashion is no stranger to making lightweight, sensitive, and well-balanced rods
  2. Designed specifically for ultra light finesse fishing with casting gear
  3. Micro guides enhance accuaracy when making short pitches and flips
  4. Cashion's hand-rolled CR6r blank brings unmatched sensitivty to BFS rods
  5. Ergonomic reel seat for all day casting comfort

Dobyns Sierra Ultra Finesse Rod

Buy The Dobyns Sierra Ultra Finesse Rod
Model Length Power Action Line Weight Lure Weight Pieces Type
SUF650C 6' 5" Light Moderate 2 - 8 lbs. 1/16 - 5/16 oz. 1 Ultra-Finesse Casting
SUF690C 6' 9" Light Moderate 2 - 8 lbs. 1/16 - 5/16 oz. 1 Ultra-Finesse Casting
SUF691C 6' 9" Light Fast 2 - 8 lbs. 1/16 - 5/16 oz. 1 Ultra-Finesse Casting
SUF700C 7' 0" Light X-Fast 2 - 8 lbs. 1/16 - 5/16 oz. 1 Ultra-Finesse Casting
SUF701C 7' 0" Light Fast 2 - 8 lbs. 1/16 - 5/16 oz. 1 Ultra-Finesse Casting
SUF740C 7' 4" Light X-Fast 2 - 8 lbs. 1/16 - 5/16 oz. 1 Ultra-Finesse Casting

Features

  1. The Dobyns Sierra Ultra Finesse Casting Rod Series was designed specifically for Bait Finesse Fishing with extremely light baits
    1. 1/16oz - 5/16oz
  2. High modulus graphite blanks for supreme sensitivity
  3. Fuji micro guides and reel seats to stay lightweight
  4. Portugal cork split handle design
  5. Solid carbon tip sections
  6. A variety of lengths, powers, and actions to excel at many BFS techniques secures this rod a #1 spot on the list

Conclusion

BFS is only continuing to grow in popularity, and as it does so will the technology involved in it. These are just a few of the excellent BFS rod options available at FishUSA.com, you can find many more in our casting rods section. If you're interested in looking into some casting reels to complete your BFS Fishing setup, check out our article "The Top Five BFS Casting Reels". To learn more about BFS in general and get a complete guide on everything you'll need to know to get started, check out "BFS Fishing - A Complete Guide to Bait Finesse System". We hope this article helps you put some fish in the net with your next BFS Fishing rod!

More on BFS Fishing

  • Best BFS Reels
  • BFS Fishing Guide