Fishing Lures’ BFS Combo – As used by The Ginger Fisherman
HiStar are an up and coming brand within the fishing industry. I stumbled upon their brand about six months ago and decided to buy a few of their rods, reels and line to test and check their suitability to replace our previous BFS set up. I duplicated these orders and sent off the spares to my mate, Chris – aka The Ginger Fisherman – and asked for his opinion on the various rods and reels. Not only did Ginge love the combo we finally decided upon, but he uses this set up almost exclusively for his ultra-light to light sessions.
One of the considerations we had was hitting that ‘sweet spot’ on both the rod and the reel. Each rod and reel have a rating with a minimum and maximum suggested casting weight. Often going too low creates issues with poor casting distance and accuracy, whereas going too heavy can feel like stressing the rod too much and feeling a little out of control with the reel and the braking system not coping from the excess weight.
From experience most anglers tend to cast 3-6g when BFS fishing and we decided the HiStar Solomon II with a rating of 1-8g was perfect when paired with the HiStar Giu Carbon BFS reel. This set up completely nailed everything we’d hoped for in the combo and then began around six months of testing to check out both the hardiness and limitations of the set up.
And here we are!
The Rod – HiStar Solomon II
HiStar’s Solomon II is 183cm, 1.83m or 6 six feet long (choose your desired measurement!). A great size for the bank angler nipping in amongst cover and for travelling by either bike, car or public transport whether made up or stored in half. The action of rod is ‘fast’ which is ideal for not only soft plastics but hard lures. And to top it off – it looks stunning! The feedback from Ginge’s videos has been fantastic and I think that is partly down to the rod’s presentation on top of it’s great action.
Key facts about the rod
- Fast action
- 6 feet long
- 1-8g casting weight
- 2 piece
The Reel – HiStar Giu Carbon Edition - Left Hand Wind (marketing images were only available in right hand wind but this is LEFT hand wind)
Admittedly I was unsure about the reel. It’s ridiculously light. Light to the point of if you’re ‘of an age’ where you think heavy = quality, you’re probably going to scoff at the reel and think it’s crap. It’s not!
Mechanically the reel is fantastic. It has a great braking system, smooth as silk and a 4.4kg drag system to play those larger perch, chub and pike. The reel also features a higher gear ratio of 8.1.1 which is great for cranks and twitch baits.
The Giu comprises of an aluminium spool for speed without sacrificing strength, a carbon fiber rotor, ceramic bearings (6+1) and a magnetic braking system.
Key facts about the reel
- 6+1 bearings
- 99g
- 8.1.1 gear ratio
- 4.4kg drag
- Carbon Edition
- Magnetic Braking System
The Line – HiStar Braid 8x
HiStar’s 8x braid is supplied in 0.5PE which is 0.11mm thick and provides a suggested breaking strain of 5kg or 11lb. 8x braid is generally the bench mark for decent braid and 0.11mm is the ideal thickness for distance but also providing some strength to set those hooks. Each spool contains 150m of braid and is enough to spool your reel entirely.