Ultra light rods and reels for panfishing

[ike8120]

Check out the Kastking Perigee ll or Calamus line of rods. I have both and are not a bad rod for the price point.

[jimmyjoe]

3 hours ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

because I’m not so happy with 2 of my UL, 5’6 Presso and 6’6 Sensilite.

   Man, that's surprising! I always thought that the 1/8 oz. max Presso rods could cast angel farts with frog hair.

 

3 hours ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

 10lb braid line

   THERE'S the problem!. Too heavy a line! Try frog hair.  ??    Better yet, try 4 lb. test Nanofil in hi-vis green. (Ya gotta use hi-vis or you'll never see where your cast went.)  We think of braid as low friciton and long-distance, and it is .... within limits. !0 lb. braid isn't commensurate with UL and XUL gear if you need distance and sensitivity, because the mass that was so low on a bigger rig becomes overbearing on the UL.

   One time I went down to 2 lb. Nanofil. Just for kicks, just to see what would happen, and how it would perform.

   Wow.   ?

   Good luck, no matter which way you go. And have fun!     jj

[JustJames]

On 12/7/2019 at 7:57 AM, jimmyjoe said:

   Man, that's surprising! I always thought that the 1/8 oz. max Presso rods could cast angel farts with frog hair.

 

   THERE'S the problem!. Too heavy a line! Try frog hair.  ??    Better yet, try 4 lb. test Nanofil in hi-vis green. (Ya gotta use hi-vis or you'll never see where your cast went.)  We think of braid as low friciton and long-distance, and it is .... within limits. !0 lb. braid isn't commensurate with UL and XUL gear if you need distance and sensitivity, because the mass that was so low on a bigger rig becomes overbearing on the UL.

   One time I went down to 2 lb. Nanofil. Just for kicks, just to see what would happen, and how it would perform.

   Wow.   ?

   Good luck, no matter which way you go. And have fun!     jj

I’m not sure my problem is the Presso or I don’t know what I’m doing with spinning rig lol.

 

I check lure weight and line,

the line I use actually 8lb line which is about the same diameter as 10lb PP super slick (2lb mono). The thing with me is I don’t like to spend much on my spinning gear so I use cheap brand 4 ply braid instead. I might have to bite and try 8lb PP (1lb mono) or 8lb 832.

The trout magnet kit that I use total weight is only 1 gram (1/28oz). I might asked too much from 5’6 rod and my cheap legalis LT 1000. 

 

Btw have you tried, Berkley x9 8lb which claim diameter at .003”?  4lb Nanofil is .004”

[jimmyjoe]

6 minutes ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

Btw have you tried, Berkley x9 8lb which claim diameter at .003”?  4lb Nanofil is .004”

   Nope.

   I used to look at specs, as if they told me everything. I learned not to do that. Now I look at what I see right in front of me when I go fishing. If one line casts further than another, it casts further. And if it doesn't, then it doesn't. ?

   I had a Presso that I loved, and if you asked me, I'd say pay more attention to TEST on those little 1/8th-oz-max rods than I would DIAMETER.

   Of course you didn't ask me.   ?   

   And personally, I wouldn't go over 4 lb. test, but that's just me. And I'm talking about the various superlines. For mono, I wouldn't go over 3 lb. test.

 

   On spinning reels, a person needs to compare casting distance for sure. But there are so many other considerations. Does this line twist? How badly, and how soon? How easily can you take the twist out? Twist can radically ruin the performance envelope of your line.

   How does it wear? That's important on really fine-diameter lines. Does it fray in normal use? How's the abrasion resistance? What's the knot strength, and how consistent is it? And which knot is the best, anyway? Does the knot loosen or collapse at all? How does the line react to extreme temperatures, either hot or cold?

   And do the various tests and diameters of this or that line all display these qualities consistently, or does the line change markedly as you go up or down the gamut of the different tests?

 

   Every year, something comes out to give me hope. Every year, somebody says this or that is "new and improved".  Yeah. Right.  ?

   BTW - I used Nanofil for 5 years. I liked it, but I don't use it anymore. That doesn't mean that it's not the cat's pajamas for you, though. Try it. I've just gone a different route the last couple of years. 

   Good luck.   jj

[Crestliner2008]

Guess I'll throw in my .02. Been fishing for trout, crappie and other panfish for many decades now. Have had a lot of UL combos over the years. Most are too 'whippy' for my liking and being in a kayak, you're going to want to be in control of the fish, not the other way around.

 

Years ago, I went to the experts on crappie fishing tackle. B n' M. They do little else except provide some of the best crappie fishermen on the continent with quality, reliable tackle for their sport and for competition. I truly love their rods. Especially fond of the Sam Heaton Super Sensitive (SHSS) rods. They are offered at Grizzly Jig Company for the lowest pricing I've seen anywhere.

 

I think you'd be fond of the 7' SHSS matched with a Pflueger President #6920 size reel. It will get the job done, I guarantee. These rods are not only sensitive, but light and very strong with a relatively fast tip. I've caught thousands of crappie, bluegill, perch, bass and yes, even northern pike on this rod.

 

However, the line you decide to load affects casting distance tremendously. I now use nothing except Fireline Crystal (fused braid) in 2# test on all my panfishing reels. I also add a 3' section of 4# test fluorocarbon leader material. I add the leader for the shock resistance (fluoro DOES stretch) and for it's abrasion resistance quality. I don't much care whether or not it's "invisible". But the two mentioned qualities are paramount to my success.

 

With this rig, you will be able to cast 1/32 to 1/8 oz. jig/plastic combos as far as is practical for any need. And this outfit will last. Grizzly also offers tip sections separately, should you break one. The most important thing is that you select an outfit that gives you the confidence to focus on catching fish, not casting. This rod/reel/line recommendation will do that for you. JMO!

[jimmyjoe]

4 hours ago, Crestliner2008 said:

Especially fond of the Sam Heaton Super Sensitive (SHSS) rods.

   Oh, yeah. Those are sweeeeeeet! I almost bought a 9 footer at wallyworld, but already having the Fenwick, I passed. We don't need more rods, do we?  ?    jj

[redmeansdistortion]

I should have this rod Friday, ordered from Sportsman's Warehouse for $59.99.  https://www.amazon.com/Lamiglas-Graphite-Freshwater-Casting-7-Feet/dp/B00CO91IF6  It's a Lamiglas X11 7' UL baitcasting rod.  Lamiglas markets it to trout and panfish guys as well as those who troll for Kokanee salmon.  I'm going to pair it with a Daiwa Fuego CT with a Ray's Studio spool and use it for stream trout and panfish.  Should make a nice combo as Lamiglas makes a nice stick.  I have a few other Lamiglas X11 rods I use for salmon and steelhead and find them nearly unbeatable in the under $100 category.

[islandbass]

15 hours ago, redmeansdistortion said:

I should have this rod Friday, ordered from Sportsman's Warehouse for $59.99.  https://www.amazon.com/Lamiglas-Graphite-Freshwater-Casting-7-Feet/dp/B00CO91IF6  It's a Lamiglas X11 7' UL baitcasting rod.  Lamiglas markets it to trout and panfish guys as well as those who troll for Kokanee salmon.  I'm going to pair it with a Daiwa Fuego CT with a Ray's Studio spool and use it for stream trout and panfish.  Should make a nice combo as Lamiglas makes a nice stick.  I have a few other Lamiglas X11 rods I use for salmon and steelhead and find them nearly unbeatable in the under $100 category.

That is a sweet stick and I can assure you most people in my neck of the woods use it for trolling spinners and wedding rings. It is ultra whipping but that is a good thing and something I like about it, as it was designed to keep them soft mouths intact and hooked during the fight. 
I keep eyeing it when I see it in the stores. I guess you can tell I live in WA state, lol.

 

Let us know how it casts. If it casts great I’ll buy one even if I don’t need one, lol. My okuma celilo UL might get a little jealous. Please give a review when you get a chance. 

[redmeansdistortion]

5 hours ago, islandbass said:

That is a sweet stick and I can assure you most people in my neck of the woods use it for trolling spinners and wedding rings. It is ultra whipping but that is a good thing and something I like about it, as it was designed to keep them soft mouths intact and hooked during the fight. 
I keep eyeing it when I see it in the stores. I guess you can tell I live in WA state, lol.

 

Let us know how it casts. If it casts great I’ll buy one even if I don’t need one, lol. My okuma celilo UL might get a little jealous. Please give a review when you get a chance. 

Will do.  We don't get Koke rods on the shelves because those fish are non existent here.  The Michigan DNR stocked them back in the 70s but could never get them to establish a population in our waterways.  I do have a couple of Okuma SST Kokanee rods I use for casting lures for trout and the taper on both of them is great and they have excellent backbone.  The 7' L 1/8-3/4 SST spinner I own behaves more like a 1/16-1/4 when casting.  It has a softer tip than the Okuma SST ultralight trout spinning rod which is rated for 1/8-3/8. 

[FordsnFishin]

Id stick to the president for a reel personally, those are great. 

 

The rod, another option would be dobyns is coming with a panfish rod. Right now the rod can be had for 100. Once they actually become public they're supposed to retail for over 200.

[SpinLight]

On 12/2/2019 at 8:55 AM, haggard said:

When I started out 3 years ago I learned on panfish with a St. Croix 5'6 UL/F. After doing more bass fishing (on a M/F) I knew I wanted a decent, dedicated panfish rod. I ended up with a 6'6 Avid L/F (AVS66LF). I chose the Avid because for panfish I wanted more sensitiity. I didn't go with UL because I wanted it to be able to handle the occasional bass. I paired it with a Stradic CI4+ 1000 size and use 6 lb copoly.

 

This setup is one of my absolute favorites. I'm sure the Premiere would do well too (I went with Avid for more sensitivity, given it was going to be my go-to panfish rod). The CI4+ is more than you wanted to spend but I'm sure there are plenty choices. I wasn't sure if I wanted 500, 1000 or 2000 size on this rod, and after trying all three, the 1000 felt best.

 

I have been fishing light and ultralight rods, reels, line and lures for panfish for fifty years now, and agree with this quote and most of what has been said. I would add to Haggard's post that the 6'6 Avid L/F (AVS66LF) is an excellent choice. It also works well with 4 lb. I prefer a 2000 size reel for increased casting distance.