Retrieve: Once your bait is in the water and you re-engage the spool, the Zenon LTX-BFS offers very smooth operation. To help keep overall weight down, inside the reel sits an aluminum gear, but Abu Garcia does a nice job engineering the reel so it's devoid of some of that "geariness" reels that are so equipped can exhibit.

The BF6 was very good as a tool for mini cranks and jerkbaits

Success with the X-80 Jr BFS jerkbait by Megabass

Power: As I've mentioned in other BFS tackle reviews, power and BFS are not two terms that are typically associated with one another. What's important to note here for the Zenon MG-LTX BFS, is the fact the platform is offered in two different retrieve ratios. One that's very well suited for vertical bait presentations (the BF8) and the other for horizontal bait presentations (the BF6), or, it can be interpreted, techniques that require a bit more torque. After all, it's only a matter of time before we have some BFS baits you can slow roll in twenty five feet of water.

A very robust drag stack for a finesse reel

Drag: Rated from the factory with a maximum stopping power of eleven pounds, the Zenon MG-LTX BFS's drag composition is typical Abu Garcia - super robust. Far more than is needed for a BFS reel, but the important thing here is that the operation of that drag is smooth and consistent. Oh and yes, that drag is audible.

The stock, carbon fiber handle is 85mm

Design & Ergonomics: Zenon is a relatively new platform for Abu Garcia and while the casting reels in this suite do not share the same asymmetrical approach as its Revo5 cousin, the overall shape and profile is very comfortable to grasp. These reels sit super low in the reel seat and the MG-LTX BFS is no exception. While I was surprised to discover this reel is aluminum and not magnesium like the base LTX, the reel's overall weight makes up for it. I really like the choice in material for both the handle and dragstar - matching carbon fiber. This is a very well appointed reel.

The matching carbon fiber dragstar is a nice touch

Price & Applications: What many anglers won't find as comfortable to grasp, however, is the Zenon MG-LTX BFS's price point. At $549.95, this is definitely an Enthusiast tier product. Matched with their counterpart fishing rods, we're talking a $1,000 combo for finesse applications. Not very difficult to stomach if you're finesse arsenal consists of Stella, Exist, NRX, Megabass, Evergreen International, but if you're on the other end of the spectrum... oh who am I kidding, it's only money.

Conclusion: It really only took a handful of casts before I knew the Zenon MG-LTX BFS was legit. Magnetic braking systems really compliment finesse presentations well. It is why the majority of BFS reels are equipped with these systems, but for this reel, it probably does not hurt that the spool bearings are ceramic.

Thanks to those ceramic spool bearings and the matching carbon handle and dragstar all thrown in to a lightweight, high performing package, Abu Garcia's Zenon MG-LTX earns an Editor's Choice

If that frame reflected the reel's name and was "Mg" instead of aluminum, the Zenon MG-LTX BFS would have probably run away with our Enthusiast Award. Just the same, thanks to those quality ceramic spool bearings and the matching carbon handle and dragstar all thrown into a lightweight, high performing package, Abu Garcia's Zenon MG-LTX is still very worthy of recognition as an Editor's Choice pick, especially considering that with these reels Abu Garcia is offering a complete solution with their matching Zenon BFS rods for the enthusiast BFS angler.

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