They have a Rod and Reel I am looking at buying an 11 foot rod with a baitrunner reel. Does thier stuff hold up or am I better off hitting Bass Pro Shops?

The only thing BPS can help you with would be the reel- They have some Shimano Baitrunners.

I haven't ordered from BFS, but the reviews I've heard have been mostly positive- Great for entry level stuff. If you want to think forward a bit, you WILL want to upgrade. I started with an entry level combo from Royal Carp. I had some fun with it, but I ended up upgrading component by component. New rods, then reels, then pod, then alarm. Some guys out there will advise you to wait if you need to and spend the $$ to get a better set to start so that you won't need to upgrade for a while. Do what fits you.

I get most of my stuff from Big Carp Tackle- Quality gear, quick shipping, respected customer service.

Chad

I've never ordered from them, but most everyone that I know who has has been happy with what they got.

With one exception: I know of two different people (one of which is on this forum) who have had the BFS reels just basically self-destruct in the middle of a session, not when there is a fish on or anything, the gearing just suddenly blew out for no apparent reason.

I've never heard anything bad about their rods or pods/alarms before though. They definitely have some great deals! I think I would spend a few more dollars and get an Okuma or Daiwa for the reel though. I have one of each and I've been very happy with both.

Thanks for the advice I am actually headed to academy to see what they have.

I have ordered several times from BFS. Have three of their extreme distance 12 foot rods. Great for the money. Love mine.. Also have alarms and tripods from them. If you order, call and talk directly to John. He is the bossman and can help to make shipping as painless as possible.

Hey BigBart..

here's what I posted before regarding BFS gear:

When I first got into carping last year, I bought some really inexpensive, introductory stuff from www.bankfishingsystems.com, and they haven't failed me so far:

BFS Pole Kit #1
now available for $129.95

Kit includes:
3- BFS Helius Runners with folding handle for quick storage
3- 12 Black Phantom 2 1/2 lb. TC Carp Rod
1 - Deluxe BFS Holdall to store combos (nice, long bag)

BFS-Kit #2 Aluminum Tripod 4-Alarm Kit $69.95
Kit includes:
1- AC73119-4sh Aluminum Tripod with 4 screwheads for alarms
1- AC73119 Aluminum Tripod for rear rod rest
4- BFS 9 Volt electronic Bite Alarms

Fish Weigh sling ($19.95) and extendable folding landing net ($14.95)

Total to have a basic 4 rod/reel/alarm/stand combo with net/weigh sling--somewhere around $235 (not including shipping)

(I would call the owner John Means if you are considering to order something from them.. and he will cut the shipping costs way down)

I know people on this forum will say this stuff is junk, but hey, after surviving a crazy session at Emma Long, pulling in 20+ and 30+ carps without any problem, I haven't needed to upgrade my gear... at least not yet. The rods haven't snapped on me, the reels haven't given out, the bite alarms have survived rain and still beep, and my net hasn't fallen apart... and I have happy memories of holding up nice carp!

you can see my rod/reel/stand setup pics in the topic i posted here for Out of State (CA):
http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...y_d#Post4105780

You can see the BFS gear in action in these old posts from Emma Long:

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...ses#Post3394705
http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...ion#Post3394707
http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...ion#Post3394710
http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...ion#Post3394713
http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...ion#Post3394718
http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...ion#Post3394728
http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...ion#Post3394734
http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt...ion#Post3394741
http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt..._lb#Post3395837

have fun!

Thanks for the tip. I actually found an old Shimano baitrunner from my salt water adventure days. Took it to get it cleaned repaired etc. and found a MH el cheapo 8 foot rod to go with it. This is a temporary rig at least till after x mas I have a 2 year old and have (well want) to buy her every toy under the sun. Lil brat already has more presents than I ever got for x mas lol but I am not done with that IO just hope my cheapo solution holds up till I get better stuff.