A niche within the BFS niche, direct drive reels are a rarity in the bfs fishing world. Amongst all the BFS baitcasters on the market, I think the NKmaker custom Langley and Isuzu DD311Sss direct drives embody just how impractical and deep down the rabbit hole bfs fishing can get.
What are direct drive reels, exactly?
A direct-drive baitcasting reel is a reel where the handle is mechanically linked directly to the spool. That means when the spool turns, the handle turns, and when you turn the handle, the spool turns. There is no clutch, or any disengaging gear train.
Instead of a drag system, direct drive reels (most of them at least) feature a tension knob only, which is designed to help with casting lure weights, although braking is expected to be done with your thumb.
Where the brakes would normally be on the non-handle side plate, there’s instead a clicker. The clicker is used to stop baits from falling, instead of having to keep your thumb on the spool to stop your lure.
Why do people use Direct Drive reels for BFS?
Modified direct drive reels are kind of the original BFS. There are stories of people modifying Direct drive reels to cast down to 2g at long distances, and other similar tuning.
Because of the lack of brakes, other than spool friction, there’s really not much holding a direct drive reel back from being able to cast ultra low weights, if you have the proper technique. With only a spool tension knob to slow things down, if you have the right rod to load a cast, smaller direct drive reels are very fishable for BFS.
Why fish with a direct drive bfs reel?
Why not? It’s extremely impractical, it’s harder to cast and easier to mess up, but sometimes that’s more fun. Personally, a lot of my home waters around Pittsburgh, PA don’t have big fish, but they do have plenty of small and hungry smallmouth. I love stretching the boundaries of how far you can take a hobby, and how weird things can get. Direct drive reels really scratch that itch.
An extremely brief history of direct drive baitcasting reels
Made since the 1930s, direct drive reels rose to popularity after WWII, and are the precursors to the round reel baitcasters like the Abu Garcia Ambaassadeur and Shimano Conquest.
Common direct drive manufacturers of the era include Langley, Heddon, and Shakespeare. Because of how mass produced, durable, and generally not user friendly these reels are, they can generally be found in excellent condition around $50 or less, although collectors pieces can go for a few hundred.
For those interested in learning more, Bass Archive knows much more than I do on the topic.
The rise in popularity of direct drive reels in Japan
A lot of niche Japanese bass fishing caters towards highly specific fishing lures, rods, and reels. Some stores and makers specifically target modern vintage fishing techniques. It’s no wonder why eventually, direct drive reels started making a comeback.
Isuzu/Try Angle specifically has made a name for itself at the crossroads of many niches. Isuzu reels are made in limited quantities at a high price and cater to a select few of the highly specific fishing for its Japanese market. Isuze makes reels for the vintage guys, the collectors, the top water-only crowd, and the BFS crowd. All of these groups are the perfect audience for a a direct drive reel.
The Isuzu DD311SSS
In 2025, Isuzu debuted the DD311SSSS (DD310SSS for right hand retrieve) which is one of the first new direct drive reels to come out in decades, and possibly the first that came with an aftermarket spool for BFS.
Sold in black and silver and black and gold, the reel is extremely light and well made. Isuzu makes really high end fishing reels, so their most recent attempt at a direct drive reel really hits with two of their target audiences; impractical vintage top water bass fishermen, and impractical bfs fishermen.
Price
Current price for the DD311SSS is 68000 yen (~$430USD) for the black and silver and 78000 yen (~$500USD) for the black and gold. The shallow spool will run you 13600 yen (~$90USD) . Affordable by Isuzu reel standards, but extremely expensive for something with so many inherent disadvantages.
Fishing with the Isuzu DD311SSS
I fished this reel a good bit in the summer of 2025, and found it to be a challenge compared to any modern reel in existence, but also a barrel of fun.
Fishing with a direct drive made me pay a lot more attention to my rod load, hookset angle and power. I am not used to losing fish after the hookset, but found I needed to re-teach myself more consistent drag pressure (via thumbing the spool) because I lost more than one smallmouth by letting my line go too slack. And all of that made me really appreciate every fish I caught a bit more, and it made really really appreciate lure anglers from the forties. These reels are a constant reminder of how far fishing has come in 80 years.
The thumb and the spool
Thumbing a baitcaster for the cast is an integral part of using a baitcaster. Using direct drive reels goes quite a few steps beyond that.
The absolute biggest thing I learned with the DD3111 is to keep a thumb on the spool at all times. Not just when casting.
- When the lure was out of the water and I was looking around or moving, I had to keep a thumb on the spool or put the clicker on until ready to cast.
- When reeling in a lure, keep a gentle thumb on the spool in case you get a moving bait bite to be able to set the hook.
- When the lure is in the water and not moving, there still needs to be a thumb on the spool, or else any slight and sudden bait movement will overrun the spool. Just keep a thumb on at all times.
- When you’re fighting a fish, your thumb is your drag. Let too much out and the line over spools or goes loose and the fish will pop off. If you thumb too strong, expect a break off, even with small fish. Finding a good balance that keeps consistent pressure without breaking off is easier said than done.
And don’t forget, if your hand is on the handle, the handle will be spinning as a fish takes line out. Definitely something to get used to after a lifetime using modern reels.
Even with an extra shallow spool, bearings and a whole lot of practice, these reels are difficult to accurately cast 1g lures. What’s interesting is that the spool will start moving at less than half a gram, so there’s very little resistance to get the spool in movement, but at the same time the fishability of this reel at anything under 2g or 1/16 has been extremely difficult for me.
Around 3g-7g (1/8-1/4oz) though, the DD311SSS sings. Casting, while not quite effortless, is definitely easy to get the hang of. It can go toe to toe with the most modern reels in accuracy and distance, assuming you can feather your casts with your thumb.
The NKmaker custom reels
As bespoke as they come, NKmaker takes vintage direct drive reels and shrinks and modifies them into bfs functional works of art.
Starting with top of the line vintage reels from Langley and Heddon mostly, NKmaker really goes mad scientist with reel modification by turning right hand retrieve reels to left hand retrieve AND shortening both the spool and the sides, effectively flipping and cutting reels in half. Add in some bearings, cleaning and oil, and you have a one of one modern antique masterpiece.
I saw these first pop up on Fiberglass Flyrodders after reading about other folks who had grabbed the DD311SSS. For as many reels that exist in my ever growing BFS collection, none of them were made in the USA. At least not until I stumbled upon NkMaker and his modded USA made/Japan modded Langleys. Kind of a best of both worlds.
Within a few hours I had used Google Translate on years worth of blog posts, and within a few weeks I had a lefty Langley 330 Lurecast ordered and en route to the USA.
The NKmaker Langley 330 Lurecast is wildly small, wildly impractical, and wildly awesome. To turn the reel from a righty to a lefty, the main handle side plate was essentially inverted. In the image below, you can see where he replaced the reel foot with two studs. He presumably cut a small hole for the reel foot into the side plates to finalize the transition. This would be impossible on modern (or even vintage) baitcasters, but because theirs so few moving parts with direct drive reels, it works.
Startup inertia is easy and the reel (and handle) spins and spins. For how old and how many modifications this old Langley has undergone, it’s in remarkably good shape. Some scratches and some brassing, but great for something 80 years old.
Price:
I paid $220 for the reel and $65 to have it shipped to the states. I used Buyee as the proxy to purchase and for shipping.
Wait, Who is NKmaker?
NKmaker is the nickname of a Japanese reel builder/modder who does all these direct drive modifications. His blog details his projects and how he does everything.
NKmaker’s blog – https://www.ameba.jp/profile/general/nkmaker/
NKmaker’s yahoo auction page – https://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/seller/E4sNhr2sXCDapRMLFeoLrRMUF5DYs?user_type=c
Conclusion
The direct drive game isn’t for most people, and even for those interested, if be hesitant to recommend these two examples that are the priciest end of the spectrum. For those few who have grown bored of modifying and fine tuning their Ambassadeurs and vintage Bantams, though, it may be the next step down the rabbit hole.
Additional resources for those interested
Ashlin Fishing – The dude who runs this is a great for reel modifications and direct drives, and might be able to help with questions, cleaning, tunings, or making your own direct driver. https://www.ashlin-fishing.com
Bass Archives – The guy who runs this has a ton of great information on vintage reels, as well as a great pulse on the Japanese market. His website is a goldmine of information, especially regarding direct drive reels. https://bass-archives.com
Detonics – For those who are more video watchers than readers, here’s a Japan-based angler’s Youtube page, almost entirely dedicated to BFS trout fishing with modified direct drive reels: https://www.youtube.com/@マキオの小部屋2020 and here’s his blog: https://ameblo.jp/detonics/
