11 g is a practical half ounce (ok, it's 3/8 oz) - is your rod even rated that high? Seven grams is a quarter-ounce.
You should be casting something you can see, about the mid-rated-weight for your rod.
The big weight jerks your spool and creates the need for a centrifugal brake at spool start up, even if your cast is smooth as butter.
You should be casting a weight that you'll fish - start forming good habits.

My back-yard is a acre, and 150' across the short direction, so I have a perfect casting range, with bushes along the edge of the clearing bracketing useful reference distances.
In addition to marking my, .e.g, 110' cast, and working on distance, I'll make short casts into the bottom of my meter-persimmon-bushes for working accuracy. What you learn on the short casts is that the rod makes all the difference.

I most often back-yard toss a 2-g jighead with the hook buried in the head of a plastic lure body, probably another g, for 3 g total.
This is where I set my mag brake, to just eliminate mid-cast wind backlash.

This is especially true of my reels with internal-only set-once mag brakes


I'll admit to free-shrimping a Daiwa Millionaire a little more than 35 years ago (weightless rig - bare hook, live 3" shrimp).
PO'ing a couple of guides because my spiral cast literally doubled the distance of their spinning cast, when they were trying to explain to me why my cast wasn't loading the rod. .
It's OK, I made them each look good at the dock later - guides like that about me.

Once again, here's the primer I wrote on the 3 types of backlash and 4 types of casting brakes
Linear mag brake does its best work on mid-cast wind backlash.
To get the mag brake set right, you have to be casting for distance.

Start-up and finish-cast are both different - finish cast always has to be your thumb to prevent over-run.
Your thumb should be braking the spool before your bait hits the ground /water, and your eyes are part of this.
Get out of the need for spool tension - set it only to adjust-out side play in the spool.

For 1/4 oz, I cast a TSL grasswalker, easy to plant the swimbait hook in the lure body to drag it through the grass, and I would be fishing this lure, but this is an MM bait, not a finesse bait.
For MH, I cast a TSL grasswalker on a 1/4-oz weighted swimbait hook, for a total of a half ounce - but this is with the major bass rod and inshore Corky's (7/8 oz) rod.

(a double-handed cast on my 8' surf-lure rod will throw this lure across the neighbor's back acre, too).

My trial for 1/8 oz (+ a g or 2) is Z-man minnow rigged on 1/8 oz Texas-eye jighead, which I also fish - on inshore ML


Bearings - reducing rotating mass and inertia in your spool improves Everything - easier to start, easier to stop, less brake needed to take energy from your cast.


I'm going to add again here, the advantage of the Daiwa brake, you set the linear mag function for the lightest thing you're going to throw, per above, and SV moving rotor takes care of the heavy stuff for you - does the same function as an added centrifugal brake.
To a limited extent, it will also absorb jerk from bad casting habits.
This makes for a jewel all-range braid reel, from casting 1/16 oz to 1-oz near-offshore plugs.
22-lb X-braid (PE#1) will also fish that full range - you can adjust your fluoro leader to match the target and rod-line-test rating.

It's all about your thumb. In the old days, it was entirely thumb, even with centrifugal + end-tension on Ambassadeur /Millionaire.
You would set the end tension so on a drop from level rod tip, the weight and spool just stop when it touches the ground.
I can't begin to describe the shocking difference when you go back to one of these from a modern system - it's mostly about huge inertia of the old loaded deep spool.

But on that weightless-rig spiral cast, which you can only do on the corner of a dock or boat, your thumb is constantly feeding line during the 140-degree centrifugal sweep, effectively lengthening the rod - the result is total lack of jerk and the highest-possible release speed.

Your thumb should be close enough to feel the "fuzzies" during incipient mid-cast backlash, and apply the lightest-touch brake to mitigate it.
As soon as you recognize the lure is on its way back down, your thumb is there, adjusting final cast distance.

Getting this back to new finesse-spool reel casting light weight, proper mag adjustment, you release with your thumb, and you adjust final cast elevation with your thumb - that's it.
My finesse Ambassadeurs are backlash-proof from 3g to max lure weight for the rig.
Of course the Ambassadeurs drive the LW during cast, which takes energy off the cast distance.
Three grams will go to about 65' on one of my braid Ambassadeurs (set up backlash-proof), while my Daiwa will send it to 130' (equally backlash-proof).

The reason braid can backlash less than mono is that lighter-weight braid on a shallow spool reduces the mass/inertia of the loaded spool.
I've said before, don't go there until backlash is a memory.
Braid is totally limp, and backlash forms 180-degree loops in the spool that are hard to find.
I carry a plastic toothpick in case I have to pick one out - usually that's in the back-acre setting mag brake, because I just don't backlash when fishing.

I went to braid when the only backlash in my memory bandwith resulted from a single line wrap on the rod tip.
Mark (ablecane) was with me that day - swapped in my spare reel, and finished a great morning.
Cutting that one out, I reloaded half the (deep) spool with 20 yds of big 20-lb mono, and topped with 120 yds 20-lb Sufix 832, and haven't looked back.

I think it's more accurate to say any dummy can backlash any reel.
Fishing with normal cast effort, understanding your cast and the reel set up, you can set up a backlash-proof reel.
Jerk in your cast is the one thing that can overcome good set-up.
The biggest problem with picking this up is that you can use jerk for 100% load on spinning tackle.
(unless you're free-shrimping, and then you get to watch your free shrimp sail through the air really free)

This is the reel for Meatmaster - also good to educate your thumb.

We're on page 4 of this discussion, and your questions are in charge by now.
You still may not find anyone who has analyzed it like I have.

You're responsible for stopping the spool with your thumb, and for casting without jerk.
Pick something light in your normal fishing range, something you can see, not heavy small and dense.
Or if you throw that casting weight, put a trailing ribbon on it that you can see (you're still better off practicing with what you're going to fish).
You bought a combo made for casting light weight, about 1/8 oz. Mag brakes shine here. For casting heavy, you need centrifugal.

Begin by casting for distance, not hard or fast, but a smooth ballistic arc.
Start with your mag set much higher than halfway. Dial it down a notch at a time and watch your cast distance improve.
When you get to the point of mid cast backlash, dial the mag back up a notch or two.

The mag brake won't do anything else for you. If you throw a lighter weight or face the wind, you can dial it up some more.
If it over-runs at the end of your cast, you're not using your thumb - watch the arc.
If it backlashes at the beginning of your cast, you're throwing too much weight or casting with too much jerk.

Now that your reel is set up, you can practice, not for distance but for smooth and accuracy.

What you gain casting heavy is the heavy weight alone eliminates mid-cast wind backlash.
Centrifugal brake does the job at start-up, but really cuts distance on the light stuff - almost as bad as spool end tension.


When I was setting up my 1500C, the loaded deep stock spool needed centrifugal, but with with shallow weightless Avail spool, centrifugal cut cast distance to only 20'. I replaced the centrifugal on the spool with blank spacer, and found I only needed 2 magnets on the Avail internal mag add-on.
This set-up wouldn't know how to backlash, but with spool-driven LW, it won't get the distance of a low-profile reel - max w/ 3 g is 65'
Note the rod is rated for 6 g max (<1/4 oz). This is a stream set up, and the rod accuracy is a freaking scalpel.


Also for Doug, this diminutive prewar freespool Tournament with 4-lb silk will fish 1/8 oz all day.
It has factory shallow cork arbor on alloy spool - the original BFS.

I’m a dummy, I can backlash anything! just cast like your splitting wood….

I like braid for the lighter stuff. The drag or wind picking up the line really affects the lure. My biggest problem with the small hard baits is tracking them with my sad old eyes…….

Easy cast is king. Watch some guys like hobiewan, bass n bonzai, etc and watch how easy they cast. Was out working on left handed casts today. I think my Zillion with the Roro spool is my best caster, but the Curado is not far behind at a much better price. I have zero interest in a trout magnet, maybe a crappie one…lol… but the 2.8-4 gram hard baits are very nice as well as the Zman trd. As you get the cast better, you can increase speed. But it takes way less than you think.

Played with an Ajing rod today, man such a nice caster. 2-10g. Not sure if it has enough backbone for a redfish, but trout no problem.

Thanks all for the tips. I've been practicing for about a month and a half now, but hadn't actually fished the gear, until yesterday.

I got out in my IK on a local reservoir yesterday, and decided on a whim to bring a BFS rig. I had fished this lake once or twice a few years ago, but never had any luck. That said, I have no idea how to fish reservoirs. I figured it would be good casting practice anyway.

KastKing Zephyr BFS spooled with 8# Daiwa x8 grand, rod is a no-name 6' UL 2-piece I got on ebay for $30




Nikko hellgrammite / Z-man 1/15 oz mushroom head (Ned rig ?)


Yikes ! So there are actually fish in this lake ...


The fish really put the drag and my UL rod to the test ! I think it's time to get something stouter for the kayak, but not too spendy. Tsurinoya Dragon 7' L perhaps.

excellent !

took my Abu Black Max 1600 out for the local pike pond opener, fished old against new - 1950s wooden Creek Chub versus a laser holographic yada yada Yo-zuri minnow. One 12" pikelet on the Yo-zuri, another decent 26" looked at it briefly. Insufficient data, will have to go fishing agin..
Not quite BFS though I did confirm a stock Black Max 1600 throws 1/8oz well, 1/16 is too much (little) for the stock heavyish spool.

Both the lures looked terrific to me, the minnow can be made to dart left and right on a steady retrieve. I think those pike are jaded, get to see a lot of lures every day.

I took the plunge about a week ago although not with old tech. A 2022 Aldebaran XG is in hand and I am HOPING the rod I ordered just at the start of Golden Week is actually in stock and leaves the dealer tomorrow when they reopen.

My targeted species with BFS will be trout and panfish and I am excited to try some of the tiny lures and stuff I throw now with my vintage Orvis 50A & 5'0" Superlight bamboo spinning outfit. One of the things I do now with spinning gear is fish flies (nymphs, soft hackles, etc.) with a couple of split shot using a small slip float and a bobber stop as an indicator. It's a blast and effective but it will be the bomb if I can pull it off with BFS gear.

I ordered the reel from Plat JUST before Golden Week and had it in hand in about a week even with the holiday. Now they have no inventory so I was dang lucky I pulled the trigger when I did.

Plat didn't have the rod I was after and still don't nor did anyone else I looked at at the time, but I found one and ordered it from JDM Tackle Heaven when they were closed for Golden Week. They don't reopen until May 9 so I guess I'll find out in about 8 or 9 hours if I need to look elsewhere.

One thing I discovered about Plat when I tried to buy some stuff last year is even if they are unsure of their inventory, they will process your order and do the PayPal transaction immediately, even if it goes in back order status. In that instance, I cancelled the order and all is well.

JDM on the other hand didn't do the PayPal transaction until a few days after I placed the order so that makes me feel like they checked and they have inventory.

Here's hopin'.

Bulldog pointed me to fishingshop.kiwi for a mobile rod and I ended up buying two. They charge $40 to ship rods, but they seemed to have good base prices and their packing was probably the most bulletproof I have ever seen.

Fed-Ex is the key there. They run a nonstop flight from Sennan-Shi to Memphis. They added this route, in lieu of Anchorage, in summer '20, when JP Post was completely shut down. Hungry Japan vendors picked up on it, switching delivery method. Plat was the first.
My best delivery from Japan has been 44 hours door to door. Fed-Ex also usually treats Express parcels as morning delivery.

DHL comes pretty close with nonstop to Cincinnati. If there's a difference, DHL occasionally holds either in Japan or Cincinnati for 24 hours, probably giving time for their cargo load to fill up. I've even had DHL deliver on Sunday morning, but they don't make Express delivery a habit.

The big advantage to all couriers is US Customs clearance while still in flight, vs. Express Mail backing up at Chicago and LA ISC, followed by delays to USPS hub, which seem to get worse from week to week.

If you sign in for an account with any of the couriers, you can "signature release" with a delivery preference such as leave at the front door. Same preferences will be applied to all your packages, unless you change them. You can also have your package held at a pick-up office.
Every time you log in, they'll already have your tracking waiting for you.

Asian Portal is so bad about about communicating, having a Fed-Ex account is often the only way to know they confirmed your purchase and shipped it out.
Logged into your account at AP, Plat, fishingshop,kiwi, JapanTackle, etc., you can more often learn about your purchases and shipping than you'll receive in e-mail notices.