River & Stream trout & panfish setup advice needed

[Master Bait'r]

Hello all, I'm looking to put together a nice trout and panfish rig, as I'm moving to Vermont and in that specific area the rivers/streams are far more plentiful than the ponds and lakes.  I wouldn't be mad if it still worked for finesse bass tactics too fwiw, which brings me to my main question:

 

Light or ultralight?  I'm looking right now at the Zodias spinning line, and the lower end of the rating is 1/16th for the L vs. 1/32 for the UL.  I'm looking at the 6'8" 1 piece option either way, and a 1000 size reel, likely a Stradic Ci4+ to keep it all in the family and sexy matching because I'm foolish like that.  Do I really need to go Ultralight and give up the bass crossover potential or will that light action do me just fine for light fly spinners, egg rigs and tiny t rigs etc?  I feel like it would, but I would like some more experienced opinions on the matter.  Thanks in advance for your input!  

[jr231]

I'm looking forward to this threads progression. I like fighting bluegill and crappie (no access to trout where I'm at) with the UL. You can still catch bass with it... but if you hook a decent one it's done if she gets buried in the weeds. 

I'm sure you have another rod you can use for bass... I'd get the UL. And make the most of those trout and gills. 

Maybe even a fly rod ? 

[timsford]

A few members on tackle tour said that the BFS rods fish heavier than rated and that the ml fishes more like a medium. I don't have first hand experience though, so hopefully someone that has fished the rods can chime in

[Master Bait'r]

Yeah I've pretty much abandoned the Zodias line.  As much as I like the handle design and love how they look, the weight range just doesn't fit the bill for what I need.  

I will likely just trade my MLXF back in to 13 and get their 6'10" A Series Light action rod.  It's rated from 1/32-1/6, which is literally exactly where I was looking to be.  For only a restocking fee, it's the simplest way- and I already know I like their full grip, blanks and guides.  

[Bassun]

Sounds like you answered your own question :-)  I, personally, do not like a short ultra-light set up, but a longer one is fine with me, and will work fine for multi-species fishing - a short one, IMO, does not lend as well to bigger fish.  (Of course Ice Fishermen will tell me I'm crazy, and would win.)  However, I prefer a long, slow, light action for lite work.  One piece of advice I would offer is to learn back winding with a spinning reel, if you are not confident with it yet.  A fish broadside, or fighting down current will pull like a tank (especially a Smally!!)  

If I'm running 2 or 4 lb line, I generally plan on backwinding to control the fish better.  It feels really odd at first, but after a few fights it becomes second nature and you can really control the entire fight much more smoothly, which to me is key with light line fishing.  The best tip I can give on it, for anyone who doesn't do it often, is to not flip the switch until you want it.  ie don't leave your reel with the anti-reverse turned off.  Too often you end up trying to set a hook, and bam -- things go wrong.  Get comfortable flipping it during the fight, only when you need it.  

Don't be afraid to use it on bigger reels too!  Drag's are great --- but if I'm fighting something big - I like that extra give of me backwinding and controlling the tension how I want it, vs a static drag pressure.  I kind of consider the drag a safety feature on spinning reels.  I'll let it handle the "shocks" while I handle the pulls.

[Master Bait'r]

4 hours ago, Bassun said:

Sounds like you answered your own question :-)  I, personally, do not like a short ultra-light set up, but a longer one is fine with me, and will work fine for multi-species fishing - a short one, IMO, does not lend as well to bigger fish.  (Of course Ice Fishermen will tell me I'm crazy, and would win.)  However, I prefer a long, slow, light action for lite work.  One piece of advice I would offer is to learn back winding with a spinning reel, if you are not confident with it yet.  A fish broadside, or fighting down current will pull like a tank (especially a Smally!!)  

If I'm running 2 or 4 lb line, I generally plan on backwinding to control the fish better.  It feels really odd at first, but after a few fights it becomes second nature and you can really control the entire fight much more smoothly, which to me is key with light line fishing.  The best tip I can give on it, for anyone who doesn't do it often, is to not flip the switch until you want it.  ie don't leave your reel with the anti-reverse turned off.  Too often you end up trying to set a hook, and bam -- things go wrong.  Get comfortable flipping it during the fight, only when you need it.  

Don't be afraid to use it on bigger reels too!  Drag's are great --- but if I'm fighting something big - I like that extra give of me backwinding and controlling the tension how I want it, vs a static drag pressure.  I kind of consider the drag a safety feature on spinning reels.  I'll let it handle the "shocks" while I handle the pulls.

 

Yes I generally like longer rods as well.  Never got into back winding though, I'll have to give that a try sometime.  

[HeavyDluxe]

I use a 7' UL spinning combo for trout and panfish up here... Even the normal stockies are beatable with that rig. Of course they get you in the rocks sometimes, but that's fishing.

I use reels with good drag... I don't trust myself to be good enough with the backreel to maintain steady pressure.

[Subaqua Adinterim]

I use an Okuma ultralight 6.5 foot SST series rod (these are reasonably priced & I got mine at Dicks Sporting Goods) and a small spinning reel with 6# test triline XT mono and 4# floro leader.  I have good luck with panther martin spinners or drifting plain old wriggler worms ( the real living thing) on a small #10 or 12 hook for trout.  Bass will also hit the PM spinners, however, rooster tails work good too.

[Angry John]

I used a dobyns champion 702 and a Daiwa 2000 series reel to dropshot bass and to lay it to trout on grubs worms and small crankbaits like the duo mr series.  The action and power of this rod just worked well for me.  I was catching 15-19 trout so if your looking for smaller fish it might be overpowered for gills.

[smr913]

I am in the process of deciding on a similar setup as well. Right now I am looking at the St. Croix Legend Elite 7 ft Light Action 1 piece. It is rated for 1/16 - 1/4 oz. Probably going to go with a 1000 Stradic Ci4 with 10/2# PP or maybe a 4# mono. I'm targeting more river smallies than trout and panfish so you could probably get by with a true UL. I've had a Premier UL and liked it. I can only assume the Avid UL is really nice. 

[webertime]

7' St Croix Avid UL,  1000 stratic.

 

Where you moving to?