Ultra-light Lures

[basszilla]

I've been experimenting lately with small flatfish lures that weight about 1/32 oz. They're not easy to cast with a spinning reel, and there are times I'd like to add 5-10 yards to the reach. Will this improve if I change from 8lb to 4lb mono, or is that likely to be a waste of time?

 

 

[Loomis13]

Yeah it should make a significant distance provided you are using an UL rod. 

[j bab]

^ what he said. It wouldn't surprise me if you doubled your distance. You should never use 8lb line on an ultralight spinning rig

[Bluebasser86]

I have some of those flatfish, but you have to reel them painfully slow to keep them from rolling. I fish them on 2-4 pound test and an ultralight.

 

I like the new ultralight offerings from Rebel that have a single, barbless hook on the back of them. I've had good luck with the small craw crankbait. I have one of the small poppers also but I never remember to use it when I'm out fishing with my ultralight. 

A lot of ultralight baits won't even fish properly on line heavier than 6lb has been my findings. You'll do yourself a big favor dropping to 4lb. 

[j bab]

@Bluebasser86 those Rebels are cool, and Rapala has a fairly new line of ultra light lures too. I like the tiny rippin raps

[the reel ess]

10 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I have some of those flatfish, but you have to reel them painfully slow to keep them from rolling. I fish them on 2-4 pound test and an ultralight.

 

I like the new ultralight offerings from Rebel that have a single, barbless hook on the back of them. I've had good luck with the small craw crankbait. I have one of the small poppers also but I never remember to use it when I'm out fishing with my ultralight. 

A lot of ultralight baits won't even fish properly on line heavier than 6lb has been my findings. You'll do yourself a big favor dropping to 4lb. 

Right on! I bought mine along with the Cicada and Junebug looking cranks and Crickhopper popper before they were offered with the single hook. Panfish love these and always seem to get all three of the rear trebles. But they're an awesome creek fishing line of baits.

[WRB]

Float n fly and clear casting bubble, learn from the trout anglers!

Tom

[kbeeb374]

I might even consider throwing like 6 pound fireline or some other thin braid if casting distance is your goal.  I don't know too much about UL fishing but I would give it a try if it were me.

[everythingthatswims]

4lb seaguar red label is the diameter of 2lb mono, it casts significantly further than other 4lb lines, and it has low stretch. That would be my recommendation.

[WRB]

9 minutes ago, everythingthatswims said:

4lb seaguar red label is the diameter of 2lb mono, it casts significantly further than other 4lb lines, and it has low stretch. That would be my recommendation.

Sunline Super Natural 4# mono is .0065 dia., Seaguar Red label FC 4# is .0070 dia.

FC stretches the same as mono, less stretch isn't a fact. Seaguar new Fineese 5.2 lb is .0065 dia and would be a good choice.

Tom

[everythingthatswims]

Just now, WRB said:

Sunline Super Natural 4# mono is .0065 dia., Seaguar Red label FC 4# is .0070 dia.

FC stretches the same as mono, less stretch isn't a fact. Seaguar new Fineese 5.2 lb is .0065 dia and would be a good choice.

Tom

FC stretches the same as mono? Hundreds of thousands of fishermen would say otherwise.

[WRB]

Just now, everythingthatswims said:

FC stretches the same as mono? Hundreds of thousands of fishermen would say otherwise.

Test it!

[smr913]

Or just read it here:

 

[everythingthatswims]

14 minutes ago, WRB said:

Test it!

Maybe higher end mono doesn't stretch as much, but the stuff I have used sure does.

I have fished many techniques side by side with the same lb test mono vs fluoro, and mono really seems like a rubber band to me. I tend to avoid it for anything but topwater now.

With a big swimbait or Alabama rig on 20lb mono, I can feel the line stretch when the rod loads on a cast (not the case with fluoro). As far as hooksets go on a jig or t-rig when using 15, 17, and 20lb line, the hook is driven in significantly harder on fluoro and you can't feel the line stretch like a rubber band when you set it.

 

Edit: the test linked above was stretching lines for very long periods of time, a hook set or cast doesn't last more than a second, so maybe elasticity would be a better term?

[smr913]

I feel I get the same stretch on hook sets with mono or fc. I do find that fc jumps off the spool and has manageability issues with the smaller diameters, so I have been using 10/2 or 15/4 power pro.

 

[Raul]

1 hour ago, everythingthatswims said:

FC stretches the same as mono? Hundreds of thousands of fishermen would say otherwise.

 

Hundreds of thousands of fishermen have fallen for the " FC less than nylon stretch " myth.

[WRB]

Sunline Deifer Armillo Nylon line has less stretch then nearly every line except braid and Super Natural has less stretch then most othe mono and FC line according to TackleTour tests. 

What you "feel" as stretch is actually line drag creating a bow in the line not the line stretching.

Simple test is tie on a 1 lb weight to a measure length of line and tie off next to your FC line with the same weight and length. Add 1 lb weight using a snap swivel until the starts to stretch. Or just leave the 1 lb line on the line hanging down for a few hours. Measure the line during and after the test. 

Tom

[RoLo]

Several years back a comprehensive shootout was performed that compared the line-stretch

of nylon monofilament to the line-stretch of fluorocarbon monofilament. I looked everywhere

for that article, but was not able to locate it, hopefully someone may be able to produce that study.

Although the research is now several years old, the study was very comprehensive

and very broad-based; it included virtually every popular line brand (wet & dry). 

 

The conclusion reached was that "all" 3 monofilament lines stretch a great deal

(Nylon, Fluorocarbon & Copolymer). Some nylon brands stretched more than

some fluorocarbon brands. Inversely, some fluorocarbon lines stretched more than

some nylon brands, a LOT more! In the final analysis, line material by itself was a poor measure

of line-stretch, which hinged instead on specific line brands rather than line material.

 

Roger

 

[Outdoor Zack]

18 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

 

I like the new ultralight offerings from Rebel that have a single, barbless hook on the back of them. I've had good luck with the small craw crankbait. I have one of the small poppers also but I never remember to use it when I'm out fishing with my ultralight. 

 

I like the 1/16 oz popper on a fly rod.  Good for bluegill and perch

[d-camarena]

16 hours ago, everythingthatswims said:

FC stretches the same as mono? Hundreds of thousands of fishermen would say otherwise.

I dont say otherwise

[basszilla]

Thanks for all the good advice. Just to clarify, I'm not using ultralight tackle (reel/rod). I don't see why that would have much effect on casting distance though. I'll give the 4# line a go and see how it does. The only reason I didn't try it sooner is my concern for what happens when that 12-pounder bites.   

 

[Loomis13]

32 minutes ago, basszilla said:

Thanks for all the good advice. Just to clarify, I'm not using ultralight tackle (reel/rod). I don't see why that would have much effect on casting distance though. I'll give the 4# line a go and see how it does. The only reason I didn't try it sooner is my concern for what happens when that 12-pounder bites.   

 

It will have a bigger impact than the line probably. You are using the rod essentially like a whip and if the the rod doesn't load like it will not with a 1/32oz jig then you are not getting the restoring force of the rod to impact the cast. This is all considering if you are using like a medium powered rod. A light rod is probably okay. 

 

Oh, and if you get a big bite on a 1/32oz jig the line is not going to be a liable as the jig coming out of the mouth.