Trout BFS Rod

Creating a US-specific trout BFS rod is our very first project at barva kopel.

Brucke is barva kopel’s own design: an original UD glass blank, developed from scratch over four years for American wild trout.

The decision came after we experienced an extremely low landing rate on wild fish over 20in.

We imported and fished many JDM trout bfs rods, and our landing ratio for 20in and larger fish was only 20%.

*The exception is the models made for the big wild fish of Hokkaido.

Strong wild fish easily rip their lips off the hook with hard head-shakes and jumps, or an underpowered rod simply can't stop them from running into obstacles.

To be fair, there are many excellent JDM models for smaller fish, and they are pure pleasure to use.

Those JDM models inspired us to build our own. They are treasure to us, and we truly respect all of those brands.

As an experiment, we also used many bass rods, but non-specific rods wipe out the fun factor of the trout bfs game.

One of the most attractive elements of trout bfs is to build the game with the most-finesse equipment, specifically built for it, especially a rod that conveys everything to the angler.

The challenge of our ideal US-spec model is fine-tuning the balance between cast performance and fighting ability, while still leaving the thrill of finesse.

The trout's behavior makes blank modulus a crucial element.

Wild fish are excellent swimmers and sprinters, and their natural instinct makes them ultra-short biters.

A high modulus rod offers superior lure control and is highly responsive, intuitive and fun to operate, but landing fish with PE line is very challenging.

Full nylon line increases the landing ratio but loses that intuitive feel.

A low modulus blank dramatically increases the landing ratio because the blank absorbs the shock, and most importantly, fish can't apply their fighting force against low modulus very well.

Low modulus also adds another layer of finesse fun.

It is much softer, with an ultra-slow recovery compared to traditional rods, and in such a short length it forces the angler to adjust their casting mechanism.

The blank's resilience and the extremely short release point, emphasized by the short blank, will captivate anglers who enjoy a fast-paced approach.

The fun of trout bfs is mastering the backhand cast with a short rod.

Circle and flip casts are standard for models under 5'5", and they are ideal for casting accuracy.

Casting is one of the main fun elements of trout bfs, and this backhand approach makes the game so different from any other method of fishing.

We know both high and low modulus series are important to trout bfs, and each angler should choose by their own priority, purpose and preference.

Our Brucke series is built on low-modulus UD glass, for landing quality wild trout.

The shorter the rod, the stronger the character of the blank material.

Essential to find the model most suited for your style and target fish size.