joerobert

I fish almost exclusively for smallmouth and rock bass in the streams in the Smoky Mountains with small crank baits and jigs. The fish here are usually on the small side. So, I use ultra lite spinning gear. My favorite rod for these small fish is a vintage Berkley Cherrywood 5 1/2'. Joe

Thanks for all the replies. I guess the best thing is to just try some and see how they work (or don't work) for me. Will post my results. Joe

So when is ultra lite too light? Some of the ultra lite spinning reels available today are so tiny and lite that at least in my experience, are just too lite to use. They are more like toys. I have had a couple and they were difficult to cast and often would get tangled up. Lite is OK, but ultra lite is just too lite. Rods that are called ultra lite seem to be OK as long as they are not over 5'6". I prefer the older stuff and have some pretty lite vintage reels that are just right. Some of these have been labeled as "ultra lite" but they are still not as lite as some of the newer offerings available today. Joe

Just wondering if anyone has experience with fishing a flatfish lure on smallmouth. The Little River in Townsend, Tennessee where I fish is pretty shallow with a rocky bottom. Sinking lures like jigs seem to hang up on the rocks pretty fast. I usually use a small floating Rapala and it is excellent in that it stays afloat yet can dive when I want it to. It rarely hangs up on the rocks. I was thinking that maybe a floating flatfish would work also, though I have not tried one yet. Joe