lightest weight lure

[jimmyjoe]

   I've decided to thin out my rods and reels from the lightest on up, and that means the lures that go with them. I've got lures from 1/8th to one full ounce. The light stuff has to go; the rods, the reels, the line and the lures. I just don't know where to draw the line.

   What's the lightest lure weight that you figure you really need, considering fishing from ice out until ice up? I don't mean something like a 1/8th ounce jighead, because when you put a plastic body on it it'll weight 1/4 to 3/8 ounce. I mean the real, true weight. I figure if I know that, I can figure where to draw the limits on my equipment.     Thnx.    jj

[Catt]

Don't know about up yonder but I still throw Wacky Rigged Trick Worms weightless.

[jimmyjoe]

21 minutes ago, Catt said:

Don't know about up yonder but I still throw Wacky Rigged Trick Worms weightless.

   Ouch. I forgot about those. Blankety-blank floaters. And there's' nothing that I know of that's heavier that will do the same thing.

   What is the heaviest rod you'd use to throw those, @Catt?                  jj

[Catt]

Shimano Crucial 6' 10" medium heavy extra fast 

 

Shimano Calcutta 100A spooled with Berkley Big Game 15#

 

If ya want floating worms Google Double Z Custom Lures T-Worm & Magnum T-Worm!

[jimmyjoe]

5 minutes ago, Catt said:

Shimano Crucial 6' 10" medium heavy extra fast 

 

Shimano Calcutta 100A spooled with Berkley Big Game 15#

   Good. That's a lot heavier than I use, but I can learn. It fits right in with what I'd like to keep.    jj

[papajoe222]

Think of me when you're thinning out.

The lightest I throw on a baitcaster is a 1/8oz. hair jig.  On spinning gear...................what was I thinking, I don't use spinning gear.

 

[jimmyjoe]

1 minute ago, papajoe222 said:

Think of me when you're thinning out.

The lightest I throw on a baitcaster is a 1/8oz. hair jig.  On spinning gear...................what was I thinking, I don't use spinning gear.

 

   I want to make sure you understand what I'm trying to ask. I'm not very good at getting my ideas across. I'm not asking about the lightest I can throw, I'm asking what the lightest I'd need to reliably catch fish if I kept heavier rods and lines.

   Right now, I have 2 ultralights, one light, 2 medium lights, 2 medium and two medium heavy setups. And that's after selling 5 rods and 1 reel.

   I'm keeping the 2 MH setups, I know that. I know I'll keep at least one medium, a M/F spinning. But I don't know whether I need any of the lighter stuff.  For instance; Catt mentioned trick worms. I throw them right now on a ML/XF casting rod. Do I need to? Evidently not. If Catt can throw them on a MH rig, that means I can get rid of the ML/XF.

   Unless there's another reason to keep the ML/XF. Maybe there is. Maybe I'm just not thinking about it. Maybe there's a dynamite technique out there for which it's just the ticket, and I don't realize it .... yet.

   See what I mean? It's not how light can I go, it's how light can I NOT go and still do everything I'll need to do.

   And remember .... I'm doing this from shore, not a boat. 

 

   Ain't life simple?    ?   jj

[Catt]

Even during tournaments I carry 5, sometimes 6 rods.

 

Texas Rig weightless through 1/4 oz & occasionally 3/8 oz

Texas Rig 1/2 through 1 oz. & depending of year a punch setup.

 

Jig-n-Craw 1/4 through 1/2 oz 

Jig-n-Craw 3/4 through 1 1/4

 

Topwater: popper or frog

Mid-depth: spinnerbait, crankbait, swim jig, or Chatterbait 

[jimmyjoe]

3 minutes ago, Catt said:

Even during tournaments I carry 5, sometimes 6 rods.

 

Texas Rig weightless through 1/4 oz & occasionally 3/8 oz

Texas Rig 1/2 through 1 oz. & depending of year a punch setup.

 

Jig-n-Craw 1/4 through 1/2 oz 

Jig-n-Craw 3/4 through 1 1/4

 

Topwater: popper or frog

Mid-depth: spinnerbait, crankbait, swim jig, or Chatterbait 

   It almost looks like the lightest rig you use is the one for crankbaits. I've been going over my crankbait "collection" to try and figure whether I need anything lighter than 3/8 oz. The only 2 I really depend on are the 1/4 Wally Diver and the 1/4 oz. Bagley Honey "B". I think if I look around, I can come up with some replacements for those that weigh more and are easier to cast for distance on a MH rod.

   Which rod are you using for the weightless T-rig stuff?      jj

[Catt]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

Mid-depth: spinnerbait, crankbait, swim jig, or Chatterbait

 

Don't think ya understanding, I'm throwing all those on one setup. I select which lure depending on current conditions.

 

56 minutes ago, jimmyjoe said:

Which rod are you using for the weightless T-rig stuff?      jj

 

1 hour ago, Catt said:

Shimano Crucial 6' 10" medium heavy extra fast 

 

Shimano Calcutta 100A spooled with Berkley Big Game 15#

 

 

That's my #1 setup & usually the rod I pickup first!

 

#2 is the light Jig-n-Craw rod!

 

Yes all them other lures produce but on my bodies of water day in & out the Texas Rig or Jig-n-Craw will win 85% of all tournaments.

 

Right now on Toledo Bend you can boat 80-100 bass a day on Dropshots but I'm looking for 8-10 bites.

[jimmyjoe]

9 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Don't think ya understanding, I'm throwing all those on one setup. I select which lure depending on current conditions.

 

 

 

That's my #1 setup & usually the rod I pickup first!

 

#2 is the light Jig-n-Craw rod!

 

Yes all them other lures produce but on my bodies of water day in & out the Texas Rig or Jig-n-Craw will win 85% of all tournaments.

 

Right now on Toledo Bend you can boat 80-100 bass a day on Dropshots but I'm looking for 8-10 bites.

   Holy Cow!  Now I see what you mean!

   You definitely give me a target to aim for, but I'm going to have to up my casting skills. In the river (which I still can't fish so far this year) I could land a pike on 4 lb. mono, as long as he had enough clear room to run. But in these lakes, even a M/F rod is hard pressed to yank a bass out of cover. A MH/F rod is fine, but I throw senkos, beaver baits, flukes, ribbontail worms and boot tails. I WILL definitely find a way to get those out there. ?

   And yes, I tried the M/F spinning. No way. Not enough power. 

   Thnx.    jj

[Black Hawk Basser]

I'd keep the ML because it's fun as hell to catch bass on a ML ?

[jimmyjoe]

1 hour ago, Pickle_Power said:

I'd keep the ML because it's fun as hell to catch bass on a ML ?

  Yes it is. But it's not any fun LOSING a bass on ML because they got into cover no matter how hard I fought them.   ?   jj

[Team9nine]

Lightest for me are 1/32 oz. marabous along with tiny tubes and hair jigs (1/16-1/8 oz. fished sans trailers) around the ice up/ice out periods along with 3/16 oz. blade baits. Regular use all year long baits would be jigworms of various sorts ("Ned," etc.), and wacky finesse worms, sliders, etc. Jig head and plastic combined range from 3/32-3/16 oz. in most cases. 

[scaleface]

13 hours ago, jimmyjoe said:

And remember .... I'm doing this from shore, not a boat. 

Everybody does it differently but when I fish from shore I carry  one rod and reel only  . Which one is based on the location  but it will usually be a 7'0" med action rods with 12 lb test and lures that will  cast easily .  One rod is a lot less hassle .

[jimmyjoe]

14 minutes ago, scaleface said:

 ....  when I fish from shore I carry  one rod and reel only  . Which one is based on the location ....

  Same here. This year, with the flood and all, my locations have been different, so my choices of rigs has been different also.      jj

[WRB]

When I say light weight lures and should be adding light weight lures with less wind resistance using line 8 lb test or less. 

I will use 8 lb test on baitcasting reels when needed for specific presentations and smaller size crankbaits at times. I am not into light or medium light bass tackle, the lowest power bass I use is medium finesse spinning and small top water baitcasting.

When I say 8 lb test that is usually a baitcasting reel on MH rod, you can use lighter line on higher power rods if you adjust the drag accordingly and practice casting lighter line and lures.

to answer the OP's question, 1/8 oz* and put away all the rods under medium ( UL and ML) and learn to fish higher power rods using lighter line. 

Tom

* total lure weight, avg 6" soft plastic worm is 1/4 oz.