How Can I Throw Lighter Lures?

[Sp032o]

hey everyone, quick question... I have a 6'6" medium action spinning rod for bass fishing, but I also like panfishing with lighter lures such as beetle spins, small jigs and grubs, and small crankbaits. however, when I try and cast these lures on my rod, they don't cast far out enough to reach the fish! I know that my rod isn't meant for these light lures, but I want to know if there is an alternative to having to spend more money on an ultralight rod. can I put a few splitshot weights on my line to help the lures cast further, or will that affect the lures and make them not work correctly? also, if I do need to get an ultralight rod to make these baits cast further, would a "pen fishing rod" be a good choice? I really don't want to spend more than $30 on a rod and reel ultralight combo if I need to buy one... thanks for all input and opinions!

[Ben Eipert]

I would either lighten your line, switch to braid, or do both. It should help some

[scaleface]

Do you have an extra spool for your reel ?

[RoLo]

Do you have an extra spool for your reel ?

 

Bingo!

[gulfcaptain]

^^^^All of the above should help with what you are trying to accomplish.

[livetofish28]

One a pen fishing rod is a bad idea second an ultralight that will work well enough can be found for less than 30 just my 2 cents

 

       tight lines

 

           Andrew

[IntroC]

The setup you have should be fine. Use 6 or 8lb berkley xl in the red package. Stay away from the xt(blue packages). The xl stands for extra limp. Xt stands for extra tough. The Xt is a stiffer line and does not work well on spinning equipment.

[papajoe222]

Try letting the lighter lures hang down farther from the rod tip when casting. That will help to load the rod a little more and increase the distance. Oh yea, stick to 10lb. line or under for best results.

[wisconsin heat]

Good info here. Yeah I would also suggest making sure your line is a small enough diameter for what you are fishing. I have a 6'6" M action Vengeance spinning rod and I can wing out lighter lures no problem. I use 10lb powerpro (braid) as the mainline, which is a very small diameter and casts well. Otherwise 6lb monofilament is a good option. If you have a spare spool, you could just spool up wiht different diameter lines and switch when you want to target panfish. If you don't have a spool you could purchase a quality reel in the $20-30 range that comes with a spare spool.

[Comfortably Numb]

8 or 10# Power Pro braid as said

[Fisher-O-men]

6lb nanofil will cast a country mile.  Use cheap Mono to pre-fill your spool then finish it off with the more expensive line.

[CRANKENSTIEN]

Lots of good advice. Set up as above a 66 m spinning reel should cast most anything plenty far. Make sure your Line is spoiled to about 1/8 in to the top.

[RoLo]

With respect to casting lightweight lures,

A topshot of 10-lb braid has a line diameter equivalent to 2-lb nylon mono.

Howya gonna beat that?

 

Roger

[Choporoz]

What lure weights is your rod rated for?  I'm going to go against the grain here and suggest you consider the ultra-light combo.  I have 1/32 oz beetle spins and I don't care if I put 2lb test on my medium spinning rod, they aren't going more than about 15 ft.  You can pick up an ultra-light combo for super cheap and see if it does you right.  May not last into next season, but by then you'll get your money's worth and know if you want to upgrade to have a super light set-up in the boat.

[livemusic]

I do not think a person needs to spend big money to have a decent setup but IMO, $30 won't buy decent quality rod/reel. I've done that and, yes, they work ok but... you get what you pay for. I'd try to save up and double or triple that budget. Or, buy used.

[Sir Real]

I do not think a person needs to spend big money to have a decent setup but IMO, $30 won't buy decent quality rod/reel. I've done that and, yes, they work ok but... you get what you pay for. I'd try to save up and double or triple that budget. Or, buy used.

I like to try to fish for some panfish every once in awhile just for fun, but there is no way I would have spent $60-$90 on a rig to do that.  I bought a light action Lew's spinning rod and reel for less than $20 on Ebay and it has served it's purpose perfectly, with no problems at all.  I think the same seller has a 2 for $30 listing right now.  I may jump on that deal just to have a couple extra rods around so when I take my young nephews fishing.

[new2BC4bass]

What lure weights is your rod rated for?  I'm going to go against the grain here and suggest you consider the ultra-light combo.  I have 1/32 oz beetle spins and I don't care if I put 2lb test on my medium spinning rod, they aren't going more than about 15 ft.  You can pick up an ultra-light combo for super cheap and see if it does you right.  May not last into next season, but by then you'll get your money's worth and know if you want to upgrade to have a super light set-up in the boat.

 

I have to agree.  If a rod won't load with the lure you are using, it won't cast very far regardless of line size or line type.  Weight ratings are not always written in stone.  Some rods will throw lighter than their listing, some won't.  I have a Villain ML spinning rod.  Low limit is 1/8 oz.  I tried a 1/16 oz. lure figuring what the heck...it's a spinning rod so it should be no problem, right?  Wrong.  I can almost spit as far as I can cast that weight, and I can't spit worth a darn.  I have 10# 832 on it...4# equivalent as I felt the 2# equivalent PP would be a little too small for my eyes to work with.

[FrogTastic]

Like everyone is saying, use lighter line. Maybe go down to a light or medium light

[wuchr20]

add some braid to it

[Hyrule Bass]

The setup you have should be fine. Use 6 or 8lb berkley xl in the red package. Stay away from the xt(blue packages). The xl stands for extra limp. Xt stands for extra tough. The Xt is a stiffer line and does not work well on spinning equipment.

i had 8lb XT on my pflueger trion spinning reel, worked just fine. im not sure about larger sizes of XT though

 

 

 

I do not think a person needs to spend big money to have a decent setup but IMO, $30 won't buy decent quality rod/reel. I've done that and, yes, they work ok but... you get what you pay for. I'd try to save up and double or triple that budget. Or, buy used.

 

for 30 bucks i can buy a panfish reel that will last quite awhile. youre just spoiled

[WIGuide]

In the long run, I think you'll be better off picking up an ultra light combo. When you're panfishing, there's not a lot of strain put on a reel so you don't need anything fancy. Bass Pro usually has a cheap UL combo for right around $20. It's not super fancy but gets the job done for panfish

[J Francho]

If I liked a certain kind of fishing, I'd be looking at a setup geared for that like.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

A full spool of the lightest, softest line you can get will help maximize casting but you can only do so much within the limitations of the rod. In the grand scheme of things a second setup for ultra light fishing is probably one of the least expensive yet useful additions you can make. Nothing sucks the fun out of a project quicker than not having the right tools.