I have seen many things in the fishing industry, so I thought, I could not be surprised. Then I became aware of Favourite Synapse BFS Casting Limited rod, with 1-5 grams casting weight. It’s a very special rod and it took me by surprise. 

A real surprise!

My taste has changed in recent years. Years ago, I was totally focused on super-hard rods, especially when I started fishing with casting reels. Casting rods are usually really fast and have a tough backbone due to several factors and causes. Well, I looked for the toughest ones and it was a unique experience to fish with these sticks. Later on I realized that among the many benefits, there are also disadvantages of these sticks: on a fishing trip, I lost three enormous pikes, I realized that truth, as always, is more subtle.

Nothing Special, but good looking

Of course, it's not just a hard and soft stick, but there are countless transitions. After visiting Wobblerek.com Tackle Store during the summer, the owner Varga Pali gave me a handful of sticky rods and a bait finesse rod that I have never tried so far. I have to admit that I smiled a little bit, but Pali assured me I wouldn’t be disappointed. Let's see my experience with this rod !

Stylish carbon insters are cool

I've been spotting the Favourite products for a long time. During a few years of the company’s existence, it has exploded as a comet into the fishing tackle market with its excellent value-for-money equipment. The Russian-Ukrainian lure fishing scene is extremely demanding, so the one who operates there must produce extraordinary quality. They are now expanding in the United States, so the momentum has not decreased. The Synapse series is the flagship of the company. Essentially, all of its parts made of premium components, high-quality blanks have the highest quality titanium-framed rings, and other decorative elements are also comparable to the biggest Japanese brands, and the quality of assembly is first class. Nevertheless, it's still cost the half or the third of Japanese sticks of the same quality. I think, it does matter!

 The magical word: limited

A butt-view

A simple description of the rod's features would be boring. It is simply nice and well-done, as you can see in the pictures. The emphasis is on the characteristics of the rod: it is very very very soft! I had no idea, what would be the best situation to try it. Fortunately, my buddy Zoli had invited me to a kayak-trip on Lake Balaton, so I took this stick with me, trying to lure an asp with a tiny wobbler. This seemed to be the best idea…

Kayak fishing on Lake Balaton. It's summertime!

Double dynamite

Kayak-fishing has an unbelievable mood

Kayakfishing is truly a delightful experience. Kayaks, that meet the special needs of a fisherman, give an unbelievable ergonomics and practicality for the angler, all the features are handy, and we have the maximum comfort. Zoli (kajakpeca.hu) is an excellent guide, well acquainted with the fishes of Lake Balaton, welcoming the adventurous and enthusiastic fishermen to a real life experience. As I said, the rod is extremely soft, so I attached a small Spinmad Amazona (5g) to the line, which is suitable for many fish species. This choice was proved to be good, as the first volga-zander came with a hard knocking bite, and then they continued one by one. The rod blank bent almost to the butt section. Interestingly, in spite of the softness, the hooking was firm, even though the Spinmad’s hooks are not particularly good. The 20 to 30 cm fishes were not worthy opponents, but what about a larger one?

My buddy, Zoli, with a nice Volga-zander

I found only these little ones

Well, sometimes miracles happen. One kilometer from the beach on the open water I managed to hook a pretty pike. The hook was sitting properly in the mouth. The fish, as if reading in my mind, was trying to get rid of the lure, jumping high out of the water. Fortunately, Zoli is master of photography. The rod worked out all the acrobat tricks, and there was no doubt of landing the fish successfully. I started to get used to the rod, even though the best part was about to come! The kayak can not only be enjoyed on Lake Balaton, but it is even more practical on smaller rivers where bigger boats cannot be driven.

Fish on the hook. The rod is soft, yet controlled.

The photo of the year. Zoli has done a good job. And the rod too, az can be seen...

My next trip led to a little highland river, where I was pursuing chubs. Chub fishing is effective when you can present the bait under the bushes in the water and in the currents behind the stones. The careful chubs are waiting the food swim to the mouth there, as they do not move much to the bait. The more accurate your casting is, the more bite you get. With a small routine, it is possible to know which currents, which barriers worth to fish, and these must be fished accurately. Only a good cast, nothing more or less… By the way, I cannot cast accurate enough with spinning tackle, but a bait casting setup is much handier for me. Nevertheless, I was always envious of the fact that the Japanese angler-wizards cast the lure with a few centimetres of accuracy, of course, immediately having a bite. Well, knowledge and routine are important, but it is necessary to have the right gear as well.

The rod was born for this type of fishing

The evidence of effectiveness 

And this rod is really the right choice for that. Its softness has proved to be an incredible benefit to this type of fishing. Hardbody lures of 3-4 grams could be casted with astonishing ease. The 80 grams rod and the 140 grams reel is so easy to handle, casting is extremely easy with a very quick swing from the wrist. It helps greatly in accurate targeting. I really swear to you that the 5 to 10 cm accuracy (from 10-12m distance) is not an exaggeration. I was really surprised, I did not even thought I could do that. I think this rod is really the surprise of the year! To make use of the advantages of the rod can be done not only from kayaks but also from other watercrafts (eg. belly boats). In addition, it may be particularly practical for those, who stalk in the jungle for fish. In such a situation, the elastic blank is a huge advantage, and with little practice the hardest places can be fished. This experience was extremely instructive on the question of how much UL casting is practical. I have not been a big supporter of this before, but this rod has shown that it is fortunate if you sometimes broaden your horizons. With a suitable rod and reel (and a thin line) it is not a magic to get the 2-3 grams of lures in the right place, on the other hand I have not had in my hand a rod that would have helped this kind of casting. But we are all developing, and sometimes we realize that we were wrong. So did I, fortunately. :D