Has anyone gone to finesse or multi-species fishing and had good results?

[livemusic]

I fish for bass mostly but I like catching crappie and bream, too. I like catching! Going for hours with no bite isn't so fun. Has anyone gone to lighter tackle for bass and found that they catch more fish? Has anyone gone lighter just so you catch more any species? Or gone lighter to target crappie or panfish? Would like to hear some takes on this. I guess I should go watch some ned rig videos, lol. Been awhile.

 

I'm thinking if one can catch 2-3 bass/hour, that's good fishing. But if you go much lighter, you might catch more than that, but they'd be multi-species. Of course, you might have to go ultralight to do that. Did you go ultralight or just a little lighter than normal bass fishing? Let's hear from you!

 

EDIT:  What baits/techniques do you use? How has it upped your catch?

[TheBasslayer]

When the bite gets tough, I like to switch to my 7'0 light-action pole and catch some smaller fish and bluegills, so I go ultralight.

[cdlittle]

I spend a lot of time with my BFS gear catching small bass and panfish. It's every bit as fun to me.

[livemusic]

5 minutes ago, TheBasslayer said:

When the bite gets tough, I like to switch to my 7'0 light-action pole and catch some smaller fish and bluegills, so I go ultralight.

 

What baits, what technique do you use? Do you find you catch more?

[the reel ess]

I have a few ponds I'll usually try for bass and if they won't comply in about an hour, I'll break out a Rooster Tail or a Beetle Spin for the bluegills. Not surprisingly, this usually elicits a few bass bites as well. It doesn't take a big bass to be fun on an ultralight combo.

[TheBasslayer]

I live in Michigan, so it may be different, but the other day, I caught 1 fish on a jerkbait. Then I switched to my light pole with a small red tube. The fish were pretty small, but I caught about 7! So it definitely works.

[livemusic]

1 minute ago, the reel ess said:

In winter I was catching some good bycatches of crappie on a CC Super Spot. But I was bass fishing. I have a few ponds I'll usually try for bass and if they won't comply in about an hour, I'll break out a Rooster Tail or a Beetle Spin for the bluegills. Not surprisingly, this usually elicits a few small bass to bite as well. It doesn't take a big bass to be fun on an ultralight combo.

 

Now, that is an old bait! Beetle Spin is, too but I think I saw Rooster Tail far sooner, like, when I was just a kid. Might be oldest bait I remember.

 

Other than Toledo Bend lake's heyday, I have had two of the biggest catches (30+ bass) of my life on a beetle spin, both on small local lakes. Both were black with the yellow stripes; might be called catalpa color.

[WRB]

Choices; numbers or size.

Every species has more numbers of small fish in any body of water, the smaller the more there are.

The larger the fish grows the fewer there are in any body of water, it's about Population density.

If targeting numbers scale down the lure size and use tackle designed for smaller light weight lures. 

Ultra light is generally designed for line .005D to .006D or 2 lb to 4lb test mono line. This limits your reel choice to spinning and rod choice to UL or Light 1 power. 

Medium Light or 2 power is about minimum for bass 2+ lbs,

line .006D to .008D or 4 lb to 6lb test mono or FC line and spinning reels.

Tom

[galyonj]

Doesn't matter one little bit to me what I catch if I'm catching fish.

 

In the past 12 months, I've caught largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, rock bass, white bass, skipjack, crappie, and bluegill.

 

I do keep a couple packs of panfish-size soft plastics to throw on a ned head or something just in case I feel like swinging that way on a particular day, but regardless what I catch or what gear I catch it on, they've all been fun.

[Fallser]

I like fishing for bass, both species.  I just enjoy fishing.  I started out fishing heavier tackle for all species, then over the years I made my way to fishing ultra light rods for all species.  The final step was fly fishing. After a couple of years of fly fishing for trout and using spinning gear for bass, pike, pickerel and panfish in fresh water and stripers and bluefish in salt water, I fell in with a bunch of heretics who insisted that you could fly fish for more than trout with a fly rod.  It's been downhill ever since.  Most of my fly fishing is done in warm water.  I dust off the spinning gear a few times a year.  

  I'm not sure fly fishing would be considered ultra-light fishing.  I seldom use less than 10# fluorocarbon for my tippet.  The flies I fish can range from 1 to 6 inches.  I've caught more bass on the smaller flies(2-3 inches) than I have on the larger flies.

[soflabasser]

I have caught many big bass while fishing for other species.

[livemusic]

30 minutes ago, Fallser said:

I like fishing for bass, both species.  I just enjoy fishing.  I started out fishing heavier tackle for all species, then over the years I made my way to fishing ultra light rods for all species.  The final step was fly fishing. After a couple of years of fly fishing for trout and using spinning gear for bass, pike, pickerel and panfish in fresh water and stripers and bluefish in salt water, I fell in with a bunch of heretics who insisted that you could fly fish for more than trout with a fly rod.  It's been downhill ever since.  Most of my fly fishing is done in warm water.  I dust off the spinning gear a few times a year.  

  I'm not sure fly fishing would be considered ultra-light fishing.  I seldom use less than 10# fluorocarbon for my tippet.  The flies I fish can range from 1 to 6 inches.  I've caught more bass on the smaller flies(2-3 inches) than I have on the larger flies.

 

I do fly fish. Started out as a teenager fishing for bluegill and tie on a big popper sometimes for bass. Few years ago, bought a decent trout rig, have yet to fish for trout, lol. Need to travel to Arkansas for that. Bought a couple of fly rods at an estate last year. So, I'm ready for this year! Have you found that you catch plenty fish on fly rod?

[Luke Barnes]

1 hour ago, galyonj said:

Doesn't matter one little bit to me what I catch if I'm catching fish.

 

In the past 12 months, I've caught largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, rock bass, white bass, shad, crappie, and bluegill.

 

I do keep a couple packs of panfish-size soft plastics to throw on a ned head or something just in case I feel like swinging that way on a particular day, but regardless what I catch or what gear I catch it on, they've all been fun.

You're catching shad? Snagging them or somehow get zooplankton to stay on a hook?

[Team9nine]

I always carry the lighter gear with me. Last year I caught 2200+ largemouth and another 1800+ crappie, and a whole bunch of those came on ML spinning gear with 4#-10# braid. I never go lighter than that for either species. Baits for the light stuff: Crappie stuff was traditional small soft plastics on jigheads. Bass were a mix of small swimbaits, Neds, wacky, finesse worms and small jerkbaits.

[gunsinger]

There are spots on my lake where I've been known to catch crappie on a small crankbait.  If the bass aren't biting, I'll toss that bait in those areas because I like catching fish.  By the same token, I've been known to toss a small cricket hopper for brim on light tackle.  

 

Some days, I'll fish areas where I don't regularly catch bigger fish but know there's plenty of 12" - 14" bass.  In fact, i went last night for a couple hours and put 9 in the boat where the largest may have been 1lb.  It was still fun and relaxing.

[Jig Man]

Yes I have.  I do it about this time of year at night.  Mostly I use homemade buck tail jigs and sometimes slider grubs on 6# mono.  We catch all 3 species of black bass, white bass and walleye.  Some nights are unbelievably good.

[galyonj]

1 hour ago, Luke Barnes said:

You're catching shad? Snagging them or somehow get zooplankton to stay on a hook?

 

I'm sorry. My brain said "skipjack," my hands typed "shad," and my brain looked at it and thought "that's close enough. Let's close it up for the day."

 

 

 

[livemusic]

40 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

I always carry the lighter gear with me. Last year I caught 2200+ largemouth and another 1800+ crappie, and a whole bunch of those came on ML spinning gear with 4#-10# braid. I never go lighter than that for either species. Baits for the light stuff: Crappie stuff was traditional small soft plastics on jigheads. Bass were a mix of small swimbaits, Neds, wacky, finesse worms and small jerkbaits.

 

Thanks for posting. Why do you never go lighter? Why do you use braid? I like braid for bass fishing and thought I would try a small one for spinning smaller baits. I have small braid on a spinning rig, I think it is 6lb. test. Need to fish it some to see if I like it cuz I broke my rod right after I bought it, like, 2 years ago and haven't used it since.

 

I also have now bought some neo orange color 2.3 lb. Varivas Master Limited super ester line and some 3 lb. Varivas Super Trout Advance Twitch Master VLS nylon to try. Probably because one guy on the internet said it is great. Cuz I sure don't know, lol. I think those who use that small stuff do it mainly so they can cast small baits. Worries me, though, we have lots of stumps/logs/limbs. Maybe I can fish it in cleaner water.

[Luke Barnes]

54 minutes ago, galyonj said:

 

I'm sorry. My brain said "skipjack," my hands typed "shad," and my brain looked at it and thought "that's close enough. Let's close it up for the day."

 

 

 

Eh what are ya gonna do?!?!

[Team9nine]

52 minutes ago, livemusic said:

 

Thanks for posting. Why do you never go lighter? Why do you use braid? I like braid for bass fishing and thought I would try a small one for spinning smaller baits. I have small braid on a spinning rig, I think it is 6lb. test. Need to fish it some to see if I like it cuz I broke my rod right after I bought it, like, 2 years ago and haven't used it since.

 

I also have now bought some neo orange color 2.3 lb. Varivas Master Limited super ester line and some 3 lb. Varivas Super Trout Advance Twitch Master VLS nylon to try. Probably because one guy on the internet said it is great. Cuz I sure don't know, lol. I think those who use that small stuff do it mainly so they can cast small baits. Worries me, though, we have lots of stumps/logs/limbs. Maybe I can fish it in cleaner water.

 

I've played with lighter just because I like to see what you can and can't get away with, but overall, I go only as light as necessary because I'm more interested in landing the fish efficiently while still generating as many bites as possible. I've played with line as light as JDM 2.5# fluoro, but you really have to have a more specialized setup and play the fish differently to be successful with it a majority of the time, which can be a big challenge if you are around a lot of cover, which is where I found it to be particularly troublesome.

 

I pretty much only use braid on spinning gear, primarily for the handling aspects, but also because of things like strength to diameter ratio. I'm almost always shooting for the thinnest diameter that will still accomplish what I want it to easily.

[galyonj]

2 hours ago, Luke Barnes said:

Eh what are ya gonna do?!?!

Right?! When brain's shift is over, you get what you get.

[CrankFate]

I crossed over to only finesse fishing for all species and all applications between 1991 and 1992. 

[HaydenS]

A Zman ned rig will catch just about anything.  The biggest crappie I ever caught was on one!

Throw this and you'll get some of everything, including those bass!

[Fallser]

9 hours ago, livemusic said:

I do fly fish. Started out as a teenager fishing for bluegill and tie on a big popper sometimes for bass. Few years ago, bought a decent trout rig, have yet to fish for trout, lol. Need to travel to Arkansas for that. Bought a couple of fly rods at an estate last year. So, I'm ready for this year! Have you found that you catch plenty fish on fly rod?

Warm water fish are definitely more cooperative than trout.  I regularly fish with three other guys and I'm the only fly fisher.  Three of us have about 150 years of fishing between us, the  fourth guy took up fishing when he retired a couple of years ago.  I get stuck in his boat and always out fish him.  The other two I break even with, some days they out fish me other days I out fish them.  No different than any other type of fishing.  If you're in the right place, with the right fly you'll catch a lot of fish.  I've many good days over the years, and some not so good.   

8 hours ago, Luke Barnes said:

You're catching shad? Snagging them or somehow get zooplankton to stay on a hook?

Depends on what kind of shad you're fishing for.  We have a yearly run of American shad in the Delaware River.  A whole lot of people fish for them.  They'll hit shad darts(a jig) and flutter spoons.   They can run from 2 pounds to 8 pounds.  They're a blast on light tackle or a fly rod.   Some folks even eat them.

[frogflogger]

Beetle spin, plain beetle, zman nedrig stuff. Will catch lots of bass and everything else and you will catch some big bass.