I guess my being 'open minded' was when I started fishing ultra light last year. I had spent the winter of '07 reading up on it and I got the bug.
I've increased my overall numbers dramatically, without really sacrificing size. I've gotten quite a few 3 -4 lb fish. What it really did was open me up to more species of fish that I never saw much of when I fished heavier gear. I still fish heavy gear when the situation calls for it, but light is my preference now. The quality of ul gear these days is awesome, it makes all the difference.
This year I'm trying jigs, cranks and small paddletail swimbaits. I always mainly relied on soft plastics (worms) in the past because they were good for me, but I feel like I relied on them too much.
My goal is to learn a new technique every season.
BTW Chris, what's your biggest fish caught on ul ? what # line ?