Soloking Acura HICC-50 (Doviello): Best Affordable BFS Reel?

The Doviello Soloking Acura HICC-50 has a few tricks up its sleeve that put it right into contention for the very best budget-friendly BFS reel package you can buy right now. It makes a fascinating comparison to the Tsurinoya Genius/Elf with the choices it makes in modifying a common, underlying platform.

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Soloking Acura HICC-50: Specifications & Tale of the Tape

Gear Ratio: 8.1:1  or 7.1:1 

Minimum Line Retrieved per Handle Turn (shallow spool): 62.3 cm or 24.6 inches (8.1) 54.7 cm or 21.5 inches (7.1)

SHALLOW Spool Inner Diameter: 24.5mm

Spool Weight (Shallow): 5.71g (without bearing) 6.58g (with bearing)

Spool Weight (Med Capacity): 7.10g (without bearing) 7.98 (with bearing)

Line Capacity (Shallow Spool): 100m of #1 PE (0.165mm) or 120m of #0.8 PE (0.148mm) diameter

Line Capacity (Med Spool): 220m of #1 PE (0.165mm) diameter or 150m of #1.5 PE (0.205mm) diameter 

Casting Brakes: Magnetic, static, adjustable in the "MagTrax" style with 30 steps (clicks) between "0" and "5"

Audible Drag?: Yes - audible clicker when line is paid out (louder compared to the Tsu Genius/Elf)

Max Drag Force: 4kg (8.8lb)

Line Guide: Conical Ceramic

Reel Body Material: Carbon

Bearing Number: 11 ball bearings plus one anti-reverse bearing

Casting Bearing (spool and side-plate) Sizes: A pair of 834 size bearings (8mm outer diameter, 3mm internal diameter and 4mm wide)

Unboxing and Initial Impressions of Doviello Soloking Acura HICC-50

The Soloking Acura is supplied in several options - including different gear ratios of either 7.1:1 or 8.1:1. But - what I think is the most significant option is the bundle including both a shallow spool and also a medium capacity spool.

While there is no storage pouch or bag - the reel does come with a line-clip that fits into the line-guide (so you can store the reel with the line ready-threaded and with the tag-end neatly controlled).

A big thing I need to dig into is the dual spool option - since this is one of the key areas where you might find this reel a very attractive choice out of the current crop of reels hunting for the title of Dark Wolf Ultra replacement (and the DWU appears to be being phased out)...

BUT first I need to reveal that my very first impression when getting the reel out of the box was "Uh-oh" - I might be about to be massively disappointed here! When I first turned the handle on the reel - there seemed to be a feeling of resistance; almost like the spool tension was set too high to even reel properly. However, after playing with the spool tension and making sure it was set correctly - it STILL felt kind of "stiff". I was worried...

That all changed after I had added line to both spools (30-m of 4lb fluorocarbon to the shallow spool and 115m 13lb braid backing PLUS 50m of 28lb braid on the medium spool. It seems that just by winding the line on, the excess grease was spread out into a thin film throughout the internal workings of the reel. Once that happened - the reel suddenly felt very smooth. 

To get a guided tour of the first impressions of this reel - Peter Kim does a fantastic job on his BFS Fishing Channel on YouTube:

Where Can you Buy the Soloking Acura?

Before we carry on, the two main sources to check prices and availability are Aliexpress (global and best pricing) and Amazon in the USA (faster delivery in North America). 

So back to the spools.

I feel the inclusion of a medium capacity spool is a big game-changer because, suddenly, you can load up a lot of extra line and throw slightly heavier baits much further (without the risk of spooling yourself) PLUS, still have plenty of line in reserve if you hook into a big fish.

The reason it's a potential game changer is the medium capacity spool still weighs only 7.1g (that's less than most shallow "BFS" spools - including the landmark Shimano Aldebaran BFS 2016!)

Obviously, the more line you add to that spool the more it will weigh - but I'll get into the fishing effects of that a bit further down in this article.

For now we should keep going with the first impressions - including the overall finish and cosmetics of the Soloking Acura. To be completely fair, I feel that the Tsu Genius paintwork and finish maybe just about edges a tiny bit ahead of the Acura HICC-50. For the single examples of each reel I own (i.e. a sample size of one in both cases!) the finish on the Genius is perhaps a tiny bit smoother and more consistent - but in truth there is little to nothing to pick between them.

With that said, the actual color-scheme and cosmetics of the Acura are really very appealing - and this is a really good looking reel whose overall looks I actually prefer.

Again, based on the examples of each reel in my possession, the drag clicker on the Soloking Acura is very noticeably louder (without being harsh) compared to the Tsu Genius and DWU. Just as with the Genius/Elf though, the "zero" drag setting still has a noticeable degree of resistance. It is not something that will ever cause a problem while fishing (since it is still way too low a drag pressure to use even with 1lb breaking strain line or less). However, you do need to be aware that to thread the guides on your rod, you want to be pulling line away from the reel and out from the rod tip in a straight line - never pulling the rod tip back on itself.

Finally, for first impressions, the thumb-bar is nice and crisp - with a very positive clutch disengage/re-engage operation and I was extremely surprised at how smooth the reel ended up feeling after loading the line. As mentioned already, the first few turns of the handle after taking it out of the box you could definitely feel the over-greased sensation while the lube thinned and distributed itself throughout the workings.  

While there is a fractional amount of "play" when you push and pull on the actual handle knobs - I couldn't find any in and out play at all for the crank or the main drive mechanism. That surprised me - since I can definitely find that play in the crank and main-drive of my Daiwa Alphas Air TW 20.

Perhaps part of that solid and smooth reeling sensation comes from having an extra ball bearing installed compared to the Tsu Elf/Genius. In the Acura, the extra bearing is sited at one end of the worm drive (which shuttles the line guide back and forth). This bearing is on the opposite end of the worm drive to the crank.

Soloking Acura Cast Testing: 1-g Trout Magnet

Taking the shallow spool and loading it with 30m of 4lb Berkley Trilene fluorocarbon let me do a head to head cast test with the Tsurinoya Genius (also loaded with 30m of the same line). Since weather conditions on any given day can make such a big difference, it was important to compare the two reels during the same casting session.

For this test there was almost zero wind, the temperature was 6 °C (42.9 °F) and casting took place on a flat basketball court.

Rod: Tsurinoya Ares C472 UL one-piece blank

Test 1 Bearings: Stock, uncleaned for both reels

Test 2 Bearings: Roro BFS ST for both reels

The take home message for me is that - for the shallow spool - there is really nothing to choose between the Soloking Acura and the Tsurinoya Genius when it comes to casting the super ultralight Trout Magnet lure (the acid test for ultralight BFS and the ability to be confident without a spinning reel). 

That performance - out of the box without cleaning or upgrading the bearings - is better than the amazing Dark Wolf Ultra.

With that said, both the Genius and Acura take SiC BFS bearings (such as those by Roro Studio) and are able to add the bit extra performance too. Just as for the DWU and Genius - the Soloking Acura takes a pair of 834 sized casting bearings (one for the spool-spindle and one for the brakes side-plate).

If you choose to get a pair of Roro bearings for this reel, I recommend choosing the SiC BFS ST   option (834 size) from the drop-down menu options on the link below PLUS - if using the "ST" bearings with the soft "O" ring (pictured below) you'll greatly benefit from ordering Roro's bearing puller tool. The anti-vibration "O" rings make the bearings fit extremely tightly into the recessed housing inside the reel.

Broader-Range Casting & Fishing Experiences

Heavier Lures over Longer Range

The "out of the box" Trout Magnet casting performance gave me great confidence for the performance of the shallow spool for ultralight and light BFS fishing with the Soloking Acura. Basically, it provides an almost unbelievable opportunity for  newcomers to try Bait Finesse System fishing. Anyone can now get the kind of casting performance with super light lures that, until recently, you'd need to be paying upwards of $500 for a reel and tuning components.

With that said, I think that the super light medium capacity reel is a huge advantage for this reel. Spooling up with a combination of 115m of 13lb and 50m of 28lb braid gave me 50-m of increased durability - with the backup of plenty of line to cope with the runs of an unexpectedly large fish.

I also topped this rig off by FG-knotting a a bite-proof trace of 7-strand, knottable 6lb Nitinol by Cahira (click here for details) - for a Finesse lure fishing rig that would also be able to stand up to a pike attack if needed. I fished this using the 2-12g lure tip on my twin-tipped Kingdom King Pro BFS/Power BFS rod.

Having the braided titanium allow trace FG-knotted to the braid means you get bite-proof performance while still being able to wind the lure right up to the rod tip for accurate BFS-style casting. My disclaimer here is that, over time, you may experience more wear on the rod tip guide by doing this...

The lure in the picture above FLEW out across the full width of the river on the medium capacity spool - and I did not have to worry about back-lashes over the entire session; despite backing the brakes off to a lower setting (of around "3") compared to the setting used on the shallow spool for throwing Trout Magnets (either "4" or one click under "4").

Practical Fishing with the Trout Magnet

As well as casting against the tape, is it practical to actually fish with a Trout Magnet in a real "field situation"?

Small stream fishing means you often need to cast off either side as well as improvising flip casts to get into/underneath gaps in tree branches. I've found that these lures fished using BFS gear are a really excellent way to target both grayling and chub on my home rivers and streams. While I will, in future, be permanently installing a set of Roro BFS bearings - I wanted to try out a short session using the reel as it is supplied.

That way, I can give an informed opinion of whether the Trout Magnet approach is truly practical as a fishing method with this reel without needing to even clean (let alone replace) the bearings. In other words, can you just pick the reel up and strap it straight on to an UL rod and expect to be able to fish 1-g lures?

Long story short - yes; it worked seamlessly and while all the grayling and (numerous) chub stubbornly remained asleep on my local stream; an out of season trout managed to grab the lure from a very slow, deep and "non-trout-like" pool. 

Since the fish was sitting calmly in the net, passing water over its gills, I took a quick photo for proof of "1-g lure fishing concept" using the Soloking Acura in its "fresh from the factory" state. I wouldn't normally photograph an out of season fish - but this didn't require any additional handling and it is a true reflection of what happened on my tackle test fishing session.

Performance Verdict

Based on the variety of both casting and fishing trials I've done, the Soloking Acura puts forward a very strong case for being the best Budget BFS reel available today. The extra bearing on the worm drive seems to add some smoothness. Casting and fishing performance across both spools covers a lot of possible fishing scenarios. Having a slightly louder clicking drag also gives another edge compared to either non-clicking or more subtle clickers.

Will the gears, paint-finish durability, and spool/body tolerances beat a top-flight Japanese reel? No, that's where the cost savings have to be made - and it is why there isn't ever just one "silver bullet" best reel option.

However, if you're on a budget will it deliver stunning casting performance - often beating out much more expensive Japanese competition for super ultralight lures?

Yes, I believe it will achieve that remarkable feat at a shockingly affordable price.

Good Options for Bundles?

As well as making sure to go for the twin-spool option - it's important to choose the gear ratio that suits the speed of presentation you want (working baits slowly in cold water can be a bit more difficult with higher gear ratios for example). Then there's the obvious importance of selecting your preference from Left Hand or Right Hand wind (this is labelled according to which hand turns the crank).

That still leaves the ideal rod(s) to pair the reel with...

The "Trying out BFS to see if its for you" Option

For guaranteeing a good and fair "BFS Experience" for first-time triallists on a budget, it's going to be hard to beat the main Kuying Teton range. The spread of lure weights and rod lengths should let you find your ideal setup.

The "Covering the Bases" Twin-Tip Option

The 1.8m "C" (casting) option with the UL/L rating (1x Ultralight tip and 1 x L tip) will give a fantastic spread of 1g to 8g lures (UL tip) and also 2g to 12g lures (L tip) in the Kingdom King Pro. So, with just one rod and one reel, there's an incredible range of fishing experiences covered - and again available at a highly affordable price-point for the full combo.

I hope these combos give you some memorable red letter days on the water!

Paul