The past few years have been great to us North American finesse anglers. BFS anglers, as well as spinning anglers, have been getting a wide variety of lures, rods and reels to enhance our passion for finesse fishing. Daiwa, no stranger to enthusiast anglers, has been, arguably, the long standing front runner for finesse focused baitcasting reels. The release of the Tatula BF TW 70 and the PX BF TW 70 this year marks Daiwa USA’s first finesse-oriented baitcasting reel since the “ahead of its time” PX Type-R way back in 2011.
Shimano North America made a huge statement back in 2021 when they released the Curado BFS to the US. Shimano also brought their 2023 Aldebaran BFS to the North American market shortly after its release in Japan. Although late to the party, will Daiwa make up for lost time with the Tatula BF TW 70?
INITIAL IMPRESSION
My initial impression of the Tatula BF TW 70, even before I received the reel, was “about time Daiwa.” Daiwa had released so many BFS reels in overseas markets the past few years but must have not thought the US market was viable enough to warrant a BFS reel release until now.
When unboxing the Tatula BF TW 70, I was surprised by how smooth it was when rotating the handle. The tolerances were tighter than other reels in the Tatula family I have used. This could be a bit skewed, as my current Tatula reels have been beat up pretty hard and still function well for their age and hours of use.
I thought of my intended uses with the Tatula BF TW 70 as well as “what would someone who is considering BFS want to know about this reel?” My thoughts were those lures that are borderline of needing the control of baitcasting but, may be too light to effectively use without spinning gear such as Ned Rigs, finesse hardbaits and weightless plastics.
After weighing the spool, looking at the bearings and such, I loaded the Tatula BF TW 70 with 7lb VARIVAS MG fluorocarbon and mounted it on the 7’1” Phenix Classic BFS. The intent was to primarily fish for bass, walleye and the occasional bluegill that was bold enough to hit “bigger” lures.
HOW DOES IT PERFORM: CAN I FINALLY GET RID OF MY SPINNING REELS?
The Tatula BF TW 70 met my expectations for casting “bass finesse” lures. Ned Rigs, finesse CrankBaits and other lures in the 1/10-3/8oz range were no challenge for the Tatula BF TW 70. The casting trajectory was flat, which helps keep your lure on track to the intended destination instead of being blown with the wind.
BFS reels are oddly great for skipping, pitching and other short line techniques due to the shallow spool not holding as much line. Not only does this help casting performance, it also is great for picking out backlashes after the occasional “oopsie” when trying to get that little extra out of your cast. The Tatula BF TW 70 made easy work pitching finesse rigs into tight pockets. In clear water, weary fish do not like to come out of their hiding spots and are willing to allow an easy meal to pass if it is not delivered right to their doorstep. The ability to feather the landing of the lure with BFS gear as opposed to spinning gear can greatly increase the bites you get due to the softer landing of the lure. The accuracy and ease of pitching distance, I believe, is the most effective use of BFS reels for bass fishing.
Some of the lures tested:
- Zman Tubez
- Missile Baits Ned Bomb
- Jackson Namazemi
- Rapala X-Rap 07
- Jackson Trout Tune
- Various jig heads such as the EuroTackle Finesse Tungsten
As a token of my appreciation to all the Wired2fish readers, I decided it was only right I take my testing of the Tatula BF TW 70 to the extreme. I went out in 25mph winds on a wide open reservoir to take on some smallmouth, walleye and pike. With some adjustments to the brake dial, I was still able to cast finesse rigs with ease, even into the wind. Luckily for me, plenty of walleye were stacked on some sharp, windblown transitions. Controlling the boat was more difficult than casting with the Tatula BF TW 70.
As an ultralight reel, the Tatula BF TW 70 struggled to effectively cast 1/16oz jigs. Although possible, the attention and also the loss of distance to achieve consistent results leads me to suggest not buying the Tatula BF TW 70 as a dedicated panfish reel. Using 1/16oz jigheads with bulkier soft plastics yielded great results when using the Tatula BF TW 70 for panfish. Go smaller than that and you start to feel the limits of the Tatula BF TW 70. Aftermarket spool bearings and spool could help but, at that point, you may as well save your money and buy spool such as a Roro Lure BFS spool for a reel you already may own and have better ultralight casting performance.
My testing also brought me to the streams to test how viable the Tatula BF TW 70 is for some BFS trout fishing. With the spool at 11 grams, I was not optimistic the Tatula BF TW 70 would be a worthwhile stream fishing reel. To the benefit of the small, yet growing population of anglers who use BFS tackle to chase trout, the Tatula BF TW 70 is a very capable BFS reel for stream fishing. With the Tatula BFS TW 70’s proven open water pitching abilities, I was able to toss light lures with ease into small pockets of cover. I should have known that effortless close range casting would have translated directly into stream fishing. I believe my skepticism came from how similar the Shimano Curado BFS performed to the Tatula BF TW 70 that I assumed it’s excellent bass fishing performance wouldn’t translate to stream fishing. If you are interested in further reading on BFS trout fishing, here is a full BFS trout fishing guide published in April 2024.
DURABILITY
If you are new to BFS fishing, you may think that finesse oriented tackle cannot stand up to the abuse of jarring hooksets and horsing fish from cover. Luckily for you, BFS reel are generally made from the same gears, bearings, frames and other components as “normal” baitcasting reels. The only difference, many times, is the spool and the braking system. The Tatula BF TW 70 has stayed as smooth as it was the first day I spooled it with line.
Ever since I tested the Daiwa SS AIR TW, I have made it a point to REALLY test BFS reels for durability. I often skip weightless soft plastic lures under docks with my drag locked down. I do not go easy with the hookset or pulling fish from their cover. As the lighter line I do not want to give the fish any chance of rubbing my light line against abrasion or getting tangled in the dock. The Tatula BF TW 70 received the same treatment and continues to hold strong.
It is worth mentioning that I have used monofilament, fluorocarbon and braided lines with the Tatula BF TW 70. I have had no issue with the spool deforming. Many BFS reels say not to use monofilament because the stretch of the monofilament can compound and crush the frail spools. The Tatula BF TW 70’s spool has a rather robust BFS spool and can handle any line you choose. The main issue with line capacity is running out of line when casting with heavier lines. A tactic I like to use BFS reels for is to use heavier line such as 10lb or 14lb and use the reel for pitching and skipping exclusively. This allows me to have great short range performance and cut down on the amount of line I need to fill the spool, saving money while getting wicked good performance from the niche setup.
LIMITATIONS
The most obvious limitation is line capacity. Holding about 50 yards of 6-8lb mono/fluorocarbon, you aren’t going to cast heavy CrankBaits or other long range baits. Using braid can net you a little more distance but, I feel that if the lure is capable of being cast beyond the line capacity of the Tatula BF TW 70, that lure can probably be cast with a traditional baitcasting reel. Staying within the realistic realm of what most anglers would use the Tatula BF TW 70 for, I found the reel to perform well in a wide variety of conditions and lures.
A more subjective limitation is the lack of a clicking drag while line is being pulled. Although not common on most baitcasting reels, a clicking drag is very common on a BFS reel and the Tatula BFS definitely should have one. Perhaps the silent drag is by design as to not bring too many changes to the North American market at once. Whether it is drag ripping bluegill diving into nearby weeds or a darting trout around hazardous snags in a stream, the sound of the drag being pulled is a very useful tool for fighting fish. Daiwa already has plenty of baitcasting reels with a clicking drag in other markets. It would have been an easy addition that would make a huge impact for finesse fishing.
VERDICT: RECOMMEND…ISH
Comparing the Tatula BF70 TW with other BFS reels, it doesn’t really stand out as being ahead or behind other reels in its price point. The KastKing Kestrel Elite is $40 less and I believe edges the Tatula BF70 TW in all aspects besides stream fishing and casting ultralight lures. The Curado BFS is about $50 less and although not as capable with lighter lures, the Curado BFS casts “bass finesse” lures just as well. The Curado BFS did get a “gear-y” feeling to it after some extended use, so choose wisely.
The competitive scene of BFS tackle in the past few years has made it more challenging for Daiwa and Shimano to keep themselves at the top of the BFS food chain. As customers, this increase in competition is great and gives us the best products at the best price. Although the Tatula BF70 TW is an all-around great finesse reel, don’t be afraid to broaden your search for a BFS reel that fits your needs.
