Bait Finesse on a Budget, Tsurinoya XF50 Review

My short term review of the Tsurinoya XF50 reel.
Distance Shootout Video:
• Bait Finesse Distance ...
Tsurinoya's Main Site and Catalog:
www.diaozhiwu.cn
(Use google translate if you can't read Mandarin. It's sufficient for navigating the site but the model names are pretty hilarious)
UTS Tackles and Trulinoya Fishing Tackles:
/ supplyforyou
The XF50 sold by UTS comes with BOTH shallow and deep spools.
Aliexpress Links:
Tsurinoya Aliexpress Store:
www.aliexpress.com/store/prod...
Store I bought it from:
www.aliexpress.com/item/TSURI...
Music:
If I could I'd - Joakim Karud
www.joakimkarud.com/
/ joakimkarud
/ joakimkarud

[@southpaw619]

Thank you for taking the time to put this great review together!

[@danielhasthemeatsweats3152]

Love your channel man. You don’t give yourself enough credit. I’m going to buy this reel.

[@AdventuresAbeng]

I bought this reel from Razi Jamaludin (UTS Tackle) last year of 2017, and used it. Pair it with teton 2-4Lbs, main line 4Lbs Asuka 0.4PE (4Lb).. it really satisfy me. I do recommend this reel to my other friend although some of them doubt it 😂 it cast really well, smooth, no rough noise. 9/10 for me about this reel.

[@facepalmfishing]

Love the car and reel analogy. Great review

[@BCSGFishing]

+facepalmfishing thanks bro! We really need to do that collab soon hahaha :)

[@facepalmfishing]

Yea dude haha, just hit me up when you're fishing!!!

[@cuttlefishpie3731]

Dont listen to the non doers! You did it and you got it right, Sounds like a great reel for the money! Keep up the good work.

[@mikebryant9493]

Great review, thank you so much!

[@Grudzien34]

Thanks for the review, very well done.

[@jasonb4915]

Just purchased this reel after watching this. 👍👍👍thanks buddy

[@alexfisher6077]

Excellent review. Thank you. But I have a few questions. 1. How often do you use this coil? 2. How many times reel "saw the water"? 3. Is the smoothness of the work changing? 4. Has the noise of the main gear increased? Thank you.

[@TheCommonFisherman]

Thanks for a fair review. I really enjoy your approach and logic. I am going through the process of selling off all of my premium rods/reels and seeking out value over anything else for the last couple of months. I think it is more fun and rewarding to be happy with a $40 vs $500 rod or reel. I have always been a high end Shimano guy but Daiwa has been really stepping up their game in the US. I have found some interesting budget reels and rods that seriously rival setups 10x+ combos. I rather have 4 Tsurinoya XF50 reels than 1 high end BFS shimano or daiwa.

[@richardbowles7704]

Great review! If I only had 100 USD I would buy that reel. But my budjet was 200 USD so I bought a curado 70 I found on sale for 180 USD. I love the reel and think I made a wise purchase. Like I siad though if my budjet was less I would definatly buy that reel based on your review. Thanks again for a great video!

[@BCSGFishing]

+Richard Bowles great choice! The curado 70 has a shallow spool option from ray's studios too, definitely a good buy if you have the budget

[@georgefisher1719]

Great review I reckon this casting reel has a great line guide, that helps the line get out smooth & fast I wonder what material's it' has in its construction... ?

[@jasonbourne6531]

I bought one and love it.

[@erwinmartinez1702]

I like your videos, just subscribed. So what finesse reels do you like more for main brands. And wich ones finess on ali express abailable ?

[@djzenit1]

Hi! Great review :) What is the lowest diameter of braided line you would put on a baitcaster? BTW, would you consider the revo alx to be a bfs reel? Keep up the good work, and best regards from Norway :)

[@banditoo7]

What size braid did you end up using?

[@mrmisterman999]

@@banditoo7 hopefully he didn't use any. This reel is for ultra light fishing not for braid

[@at0mikutzk]

i bought this reel in 2019, degrease, regrease with special oil, used it on a majorcraft UL n-one rod, pretty heavy weight, but could throw single spoon 1.7 grams after regrease! Currently i placed the bfs spool and added a tailwalk peewee about #0.8 and i found out that the bfs spool is allowing me to add so much line, now i use it on big rivers on current with 10-40g with jig ball and lipless crankbaits. Personally this reel is a monster! i own 2 metaniums 2016 mgl, aldebaran 2018, daiwa tatula 2020, antares 2016... and what can i say... the 3kg drag feels more like 5-6kg (tested), when i opened the reel there is an alluminium main disc. Used it in plenty of application from 1.8g to 40g for 2 years and the reel is in mint condition.

[@hbs7333]

Hi, and thanks for the review, I am really considering this reel, along with the ProFlex II rod. I was just wondering if the spools were interchangeable on Tsurinoya reels. I know that the XF 50 comes with both BFS and regular spool. So I thought, is there a better Tsurinoya reel out there - in terms of gears, brakes, materials, etc- wise, on which we can replace the regular deep spool with shallow BFS one, like on the XF 50??

[@nickmarangos2475]

Awesome review

[@JeffGonzales]

wondering how you would compare this to the Haibo Steed reel. they also have a centrifugal brake version.

[@user-uu9np5uf6e]

What are the dimensions of the spool xf50 and xf150? Diameter and dimensions are of interest. I can not find information anywhere.

[@alextsurkan5244]

Hopefully, big brands start offering more affordable bfs reels.

[@mrmisterman999]

Ya they do...for $400 lol

[@MJGEGB]

Any chance you plan on reviewing the Kuying Thunder? The XF50 seems like the best option at this point thanks to it's brakes, but there is little information on the Kuying Thunder and SeaKnight POTM.

[@ifishcatfish]

New sub. Can u recomment something similar but all black? I dont have red reels and dont want to start now.

[@HobieWanKenobi]

Quality budget BFS rods are easier to come by the budget BFS reels. I got a 4'7" Tsurinoya BFS rod on the way. Should be great from stream fishing. I plan on releasing a review video on it.

[@charlesadams1721]

Great review. I liked the analogy. I think your analogies about the car types (although I’ve used the same analogy with an expensive cars and more refined autos such as Mercedes, BMW and Porsche) and your comments about the Teton rod. Perhaps, if you are so inclined, what if you were to upgrade the bearings, and drag, how much might that increase your rating, if any?

[@BCSGFishing]

+Charles Adams so true! After I recorded it I literally thought to myself "Damn, I should have said Porsche instead, I hate Ferrari's!" haha. If I could get my hands on pre-cut carbontex drag that could fit this reel(about $5-10SGD), and found appropriate sized knock off finesse bearings on aliexpress(about $10-15 each). That would definitely improve the ratings in the materials, drag and may improve castability enough to earn a 10/10 for lure weight. However, that would also bring the total cost up to about ~$115 and it would affect the intangibles and value sections cos there are 2nd hand Shimano Brenious's out there that can be had for under $200sgd.

[@charlesadams1721]

BCSG Fishing: Bryan, fishing “reel cranks” are so used to improving our reels, I couldn’t help thinking about your ratings and wondered if you’d mentioned that. Interesting real word experience, I have a VW Touareg and had an acquaintance in Florida who had a Porsche Cayenne. As you might know, they are somewhat the same vehicle, except the Porsche cost over 3x the VW new. Actually, the VW is very much like its rich, refined cousin, but for one thing, it won’t do 160 mph. Although the VW has towed a pretty heavy trailer through Miami traffic at something over the 70 mph speed limit, keeping up with traffic - I’d bet the reel reviewed with be somewhat similar. If the reel fails, I’d imagine it will be one of several things; 1) the one way roller bearing, and 2) the paint will wear off. Keep up with the excellent videos!

[@1964krazyeric]

I bought this reel and really like it but hate the handles. Are there any know knob replacements or covers?

[@hafizshapiee]

I like your in-depth review Sir (Although its part by part but it worth watching).. I am really searching for some insight about a baitcaster to pair with my Storm adventure UL rod.. hope you can help more guys like me who wanna go into bfs & ultralight fishing.. Thank you very much Sir & sorry for my poor English Sir if i got any spelling or terms wrong.. :-)

[@BCSGFishing]

+Hafiz Shapiee thanks for watching, glad it was helpful for you :). As someone mentioned below, a good alternative option that I will be looking into soon is the Abu Black Max with a Ray's studio spool, that could potentially be a contender for bfs reels under $100.

[@hafizshapiee]

BCSG Fishing cool! That's a nice alternative option.. never thought of that.. thanks you for the suggestion😊

[@vire559]

I like this review and your effort to make the review. I have a question, i saw BFS spool for Casitas by Rays Studio, what do think about it?

[@BCSGFishing]

+Aufar Raden thanks! I've seen those on aliexpress and I have 2 ray's spools that i use as my FC only spools for my core 50 and curado 50. I personally find ray's spools very good, not as light as the japanese ones like avail or ktf but definitely very light. Another good thing is they use the same brake holders as avail and are compatible with stock shimano brake blocks. As for whether it'll make the Casitas bfs ready, I can't say for sure because I believe the casitas is a full sized 150/200 reel right? The base spool size is larger so even the ray's shallow spool may be heavier than the ones for smaller reels like my core 50.

[@vire559]

BCSG Fishing Thank you very much for the advice.

[@zydcaluya1437]

Sr. Can you do a reel review on DIAO DE LAI Lj9000 Metal Spool Spinning Fishing Reel 12 + 1 .....thank you....

[@habibfarizal9229]

Bosku I dont understand. What u mean? This reel not suitable for 2-6lb rod?

[@anglerandy5736]

Is there a reason this reel is $140 on eBay and $69 on Amazon prime and even cheaper on AliExpress? Also where can I buy spare or upgraded spools? AliExpress seems to be out of the shallow spools.

[@Red_Horizon]

I wonder how Haibo Smart 50 (shallow spool option), piscifun saex elite with shallow spool and kuying thunder also with its shallow spool deal with bait finnesse. Which all spools are in range of 10.5g to 12g in weight.

[@BCSGFishing]

+Xero lullaby i have the thunder and mine was pretty bad, lots of issues, but I have heard enough good things about it so maybe I got a bad reel. I hear the Smart 51 is one of the best finesse reels coming out from china but at $130 I'm not sure if I would call it a budget reel. Piscifun sent me their saex elite and I am in the process of reviewing/testing it, ran into some problems but I am working them out with Piscifun to see if it is just problems with the particular piece i got.

[@TeamRippnLipz1]

Nice review

[@arabarran]

So, you own this reel more than a year. Can you say something more about durability? Thanks!

[@texbassman681]

New to BFS; I fish bass tournaments and have the high priced rod and reel combos but am intrigued with using a BFS for when the bite gets tough. I ordered a Tsurinoya XF-50 but I am unsure on what rod to use with it. If you had only $100 for a “project rod;” what rod would you pair with the XF-50???

[@mojondro]

The kuying Teton light is absolutely perfect for this reel and is like 60 some dollars on AliExpress

[@ronapaklek]

Nice review! I'm so interested to buy that reel But i have a little problem with the red knob :) Can I change the knob with daiwa or megabass cork knob? Does the knob fit for tsurinoya handle?

[@BCSGFishing]

That's something I actually never tried. Unfortunately I don't have the reel with me at the moment, it's on loan to a friend. I'll see if I can ask around and find out more.

[@lgsmarttv3879]

Yes sir I do agree.....its has good quality and cheap price, and it could compare with the premium brand.....a while its look like daiwa tatula.....right ?

[@BCSGFishing]

I would not say it can compare to a premium brand, premium brands really do make better quality reels but this one is definitely good for the money. Yes it does look like a tatula hahaha

[@banditoo7]

Hi, what weight braid would you recommend with this reel and trout fishing? Thanks

[@mojondro]

Hey bro he uses 15 pounds braid but for trout's i guess you can use 8 or 6 pounds braid there's a lot of cheap braid in AliExpress

[@banditoo7]

@@mojondro thanks man. I didn't get a reply so took a guess and bought 6lb braid. It's very thin, but haven't been out to try it yet. Only arrived the other day.

[@yamerayamera3042]

What the best lbs rod I should use for this reel?

[@lazyharpo]

Have you considered the SeaKnight POTM 7.6:1 High Speed Baitcasting Reel for a budget BFS reel? It has a shallow spool, weighs 155g and cost $50 from aliexpress. I am tempted to order one to go with a Kuying Teton rod, I can't find any reviews in English.

[@AgradeCPteam]

Hope you did not

[@keithgoh7137]

Do you think this reel is good for begginers?

[@lesterchua1144]

Hi, you have any idea about daiwa impressa reel ?? Is like 100 bucks but i dont know about the spect and stuff. I can cast 5g.

[@BCSGFishing]

+Lester Chua hey sorry I'm virtually clueless about daiwa reels, but I know 5g is quite comfortable for most branded reels, even the budget ones. However, for any reel to be labeled as a BFS reel I feel it should be able to go down to at least 3g or less comfortably.

[@ferrulewax]

I can't find the line capacity for this reel anywhere, what wight and diameters do you have on it, and how much does it hold?

[@georgefisher1719]

Go to Ali Express site for the maker has all the information...

[@giuvude80]

Hi what line do you use for casting finesse for Xf 50? florcarbon or braid? how many lbs? thank you

[@BCSGFishing]

I use FC on some of my reels and Duel Armored f+ pro fused line on most of the others. I have a cheap china braid on the XF-50.

[@mojondro]

Great review man, actually you can pimp this reel with ceramic bearings and a lighter spool so it cast way better and the drag washers can be replaced with carbon ones to other than that great job

[@TheRadivoje]

Can you change magnets on the break and what size Carbon washers did you use?

[@tomassnorkuss1983]

I intrested in abu revo LT7 can be found as cheap as 130 - 160 USD is it worth the money?

[@BCSGFishing]

Unfortunately I am not as experienced with abu as I am with shimano. I can say it does look good and abu definitely is a good brand but beyond that I can't really help much.

[@johnhanes3450]

Have you done the Piscifun Spark Pro?

[@MorrisOutdoors98]

You said your "core" is your favorite?

[@antoniusaditya1508]

How about kuying thunder? It's worth ?

[@rainzer0]

Have you heard of the Kuying Thunder?

[@iffatpopy4566]

Pls vdo on soft plastic bait and hook size.

[@Afterburner_productions]

As of 25th July 2022, I have realised that this reel is out of production. An era of cheap BFS has come to an end. Was probably the best BC reel I had that was under $100 but unfortunately I sold it off after realising that BFS is not very suitable for my preferred fishing spots due to the weedy conditions.

[@muhdharith1808]

1 question, can it cast 3g lure comfortably on shorter rod (6'0 and shorter) with line rating 4-10lb?

[@vire559]

Muhammad Harith you should look at the lure weight rating written on the rod. Even 5' rod can cast well if match with the lure weight

[@muhdharith1808]

if so, then the rod length does not affect the reel performance aside from the distance? like that?

[@vire559]

Yes it is

[@BCSGFishing]

Yep! What Aufar Raden said is spot on. Any length can cast a 3g lure if it is rated appropriately for it. I guess a 7ft rod would cast further than a 4.5ft rod but it's really situational and for most types of fishing it doesnt really matter. Get a length that is comfortable for you and ensure the rating covers whatever you want to cast.

[@muhdharith1808]

isee... orite2... tyvm guys

[@silentangler8104]

What size bearing on xf50 ?

[@joskejos8530]

what size bearings

[@trungtranminh3938]

Bro ... fx50 or Haibo ... which one you choose?

[@mojondro]

Xf 50 ,the haibo only tye with the xf50 with hybrid ceramic bearings so if you put the bearings on the xf 50 it will destroy pretty much any china brand and some branded reels too

[@fishyoutdoors83]

Typically I finally recived my XF50...the same day that I broke the only rod in that category I own...so testing it will have to wait for 2-3 weeks as they don't even sell BFS rods in my country.

[@sgtpavlov]

This thread is old but, if you live in the US or other country with walmart stores, and need an emergency BFS capable rod, go to walmart and look at UL,L,or ML rated rods for spin cast /push button reels or cheap spin cast combos with UL,L or ML rated rods. These rods are basically baitcasting rods, and will work with BFS reels,so long as the rod is rated for it. Check how the rod bends, and check the lure and line ratings before you buy it. I literally have 2 xf50L's on such rods, and they work fine. One is on a red zebco 2 piece slingshot 5'6 ML rod that was part of a 10$+ change spin cast combo. I ended up gorilla gluing the rod into one piece because the sections moved around together while using it. My other xf50L is on a shakespeare micro graphite series 4'6" rod from a 17$+ change spin cast combo. There are also cheap rods like this on amazon. Hope this helps.

[@dakotalewis5324]

For a good water target get a pool clorine floating thingy

[@jarnoturula2447]

Waiting Haibo steed 51ms test!

[@phongphanp]

Are you know about the code of reel ? Spare part is more important .

[@phongphanp]

I'm think that no value on the low price reel about the cote color of this reel , no service !

[@THEREELTEST]

Thumbs up :) I doubt the big brands will go any lower for BFS as capitalism dictates that you have to pay to play when it comes to specialized items, as if those ultralight spools cost more to make. I saw a few other shallow spool reels on Aliexpress the other night that may give it a run for its money. I may buy them all and do a reel contest for less than the cost of 1 Scorpion BFS lol

[@BCSGFishing]

+THE REEL TEST great idea! But heads up, i just received and spooled up the Seaknight POTM. Looks great but I'm not impressed by the casting performance at all. 3g has been a challenge so far for me with that reel.

[@THEREELTEST]

lol that may have been one of the reels i saw. Cant wait for that review.

[@piaoliang5467]

Capitalism is simply the word that Socialists use to refer to Free Market. And as such, it 'dictates' nothing. You are free to make reels that cost 200 and sell them for 100, but people with brain don't do that. And since companies have limited resources, they chose not to invest money in R&D in a market that consists of 1000 people. I don't see Venezuela or North Korea making great BFS reel, and neither did China, until it ditched socialism and opened markets. The very term 'Free Market dictates something' is a logical absurd and you should stay out of such terminology not only in fishing circles, but altogether, until u get familiar with their meaning.

[@fishyoutdoors83]

Where I am, capitalism dictates that tackle shops don't even carry bfs rods. Nobody knows what BFS is, except a few nerds like me.

[@johnhamel8525]

@@BCSGFishing I know this is an old comment thread now but I wanted to thank you for the heads up on the potm, I was close to spending money on that one, I have had luck so far with my haibo steed and Mr . Charles t rex but had to buy the 10 magnet repack ment discs for both. I may give the xf50 a shot for trout and panfish here in Arizona. Great review!

[@kaiwen1807]

How to differentiate bfs and normal

[@mojondro]

If the reel is a 50size and really expensive is bfs

[@giuvude80]

hello spinning the spool without braid and without brakes how many seconds does it turn ??

[@hmmmkok8540]

What's the best bfs line???

[@BCSGFishing]

+ahmad haiqal i believe line is highly personal preference, there are 4 lines i would recommend 2 that i use personally, and the rest are what I have heard others talk about. 1) Duel Armored F+ lines, a fused line that is round, as smooth as mono, no stretch, very good long term durability. Good distance, good sensitivity, I use this. 2) Using 4-8lbs FC as your main line. Good distance, good sensitivity, may be slightly more challenging to cast for those who are coming from braid but it generally eliminates the need to tie a leader. 3) Fireline Crystal, I'm not a fan personally but I know a ton of folks who use it and rave about it. 4) Gliss Line, I have no experience at all with this line, but have heard good things.

[@vire559]

I have use 0.10mm Fireline Crystal on Scorpion BFS, the line has rough surface just make sure your ring guide is strong or it will grove. My Aldebaran 16 BFS has full spool 60 meter 0.16mm Seaguar leader FC. My other unbranded reel has Daiwa JBraid X8 braid line. The line is smooth and it will last long with PE Conditioner.

[@justinogg4685]

How long did this take to ship

[@sgtpavlov]

you can find it on Amazon and get it shipped in just a few days

[@noahhobbs8929]

Can I cast a 1/32 oz jig on it

[@BCSGFishing]

+Noah Hobbs I would put that as a definite no, but perhaps in the hands of a more skillrd angler with better line and stuff. I still doubt it tho, 1/16 maybe possible.

[@sgtpavlov]

I have cast 1/16 oz jigs with 2" curl tail grubs without too much issues. I think I've cast some 1/32 oz ones too, if I remember correctly. The 1/32 oz jig heads I used have a bigger #4 sized sickle hook,instead of the smaller hook sizes on typical 1/32 oz jigs. I've cast things even lighter with the xf50L reels I have though.

[@QUEEROSEXUAL-GENDERMANCER]

Actually there is an option for BFS from a branded company. Get a Black Max or a Silver Max (can be had for $20-30 from Walmart) with a Ray's Studio DIY spool from Aliexpress. Spool is $30, the black max is $20-30. Cheaper than this Noname reel and you have Abu's warranty.

[@BCSGFishing]

+SaltF4 yes you are absolutely right! I have seen the black max spool from rays on aliexpress and I've been wanting to explore that in a future video, it could be the only option for a sub $100 bfs big brand reel. However what I meant by no other options was that the big brands have no entry level stock bfs offerings, the cheapest that comes to mind would be the Brenious and the cheapest I have seen it 2nd hand is $180. Not everyone will readily venture into even something as simple as swapping spools, as specially newer/less experienced anglers, many prefer just going for out of the box stuff, plug and play so to speak.

[@BCSGFishing]

+SaltF4 on the note of branded bfs offerings, you seem to have a good deal of experience with branded stuff, are there any good daiwa bfs reels worth a look, besides the t3 air? For personal use of course, I'm definitely not buying a daiwa to simply review it haha

[@tomassnorkuss1983]

BCSG Fishing Daiwa alpas air is bfs oriented and cheaper then T3 air

[@kaiwen1807]

so much female shoes though,must have spent alot on mrs BSCG

[@junelopez9520]

Come on bro

[@marbinbarrios5866]

dude i love your wife's or yours (not judging) high heels lol

[@markjohnston7135]

Ummmmm Hmmmm review?