Light/Ultralight fishing rigs...

[I.rar]

just wondering what you guys rigs are/look like. im planning on throwing one together , but on a budget , and looking for ideas.

thanks.

[Stasher1]

I've got a Daiwa Regal 1000Xi spooled with 4lb Trilene XL on a 5' Eagle Claw "Featherlight" rod.

The rod was a gift from my mother, the line was in the clearance bin at Sports Authority for $1.50, and the reel was roughly half-price at $22.  

[I.rar]

very nice!

right now , im eyeing a shimano sahara 750fb. not sure on a rod yet.

[I.rar]

I've got a Daiwa Regal 1000Xi spooled with 4lb Trilene XL on a 5' Eagle Claw "Featherlight" rod.

The rod was a gift from my mother, the line was in the clearance bin at Sports Authority for $1.50, and the reel was roughly half-price at $22.

forgot to add , what bait do you use?

[Stasher1]

I use it strictly for bream fishing, so I stick to live crickets, red wigglers, fresh mussels, and occasionally 1.5" Creme "Spoiler Shad".

90% of the time it's crickets on a #6 or #8 hook, though.

Caught this monster on a Spoiler Shad:

[I.rar]

hmm.

do bass eat crickets? reason i ask , i buy them by the thousand since i feed them to my bearded dragon , lol. but the ones i get are around 1/2" in size. how would you even hook them without killing them?

[islandbass]

My Light Action rig is a 7' Okuma Celilo (1/32 - 3/8 oz, 2-6# test) rod mated to an Abu Garcia Cardinal 101a or c or something like that. It is one of their small spinning reels.

Rod $16

Reel $29

This is one of my favorite rigs to fish with. I have targetted bass with it too and have caught 3.5 bass on it without issue. Talk about a fight!

I normally use 6# Trilene XL. This rig is sweetness made into reality. 8-)

Sorry that I don't have a pic of it though.

Update.. I just found a pic with me holding my UL rig with a bass I caught with it. I'd guess it was probably around 2 lbs. I apologize for the poor quality of the image. A fish this size on an ultralight makes for a very thrilling fight. There is nothing like watching the parabolic bend of the rod protect the light line such that it makes me confident the line isn't going to snap, barring heavy cover of course. 8-)

[Stasher1]

hmm.

do bass eat crickets? reason i ask , i buy them by the thousand since i feed them to my bearded dragon , lol. but the ones i get are around 1/2" in size. how would you even hook them without killing them?

Fine wire hook behind the head and let the barb come out in the middle of their back. Try not to kill them if you can help it.

If I can see the bream, I hook them under the chin and leave the hook imbedded in their thorax. The hook will act as a keel and keep them somewhat upright. This is only good if you know the fish will be on them quickly as they don't seem to like dead (or freeze dried) bugs.

[I.rar]

how do you like the abu garcia, islandbass?

i may have to check out the cricket thing with the bass when i get a chance. it would have to be with one of my larger ones though since im sure id squish the smaller ones trying to do all that , lol.

[Bassn Blvd]

very nice!

right now , im eyeing a shimano sahara 750fb. not sure on a rod yet.

I've got the same reel on a 6'6 G-Loomis SR782 IMX. I use 4 and 6 pound mono.  The reel is good for the money and the rod is awesome.  I use beetle spins, 1/8oz spinner baits and small jigs, cranks and 4" worms.  Very versatile.

[I.rar]

very nice!

right now , im eyeing a shimano sahara 750fb. not sure on a rod yet.

I've got the same reel on a 6'6 G-Loomis SR782 IMX. I use 4 and 6 pound mono. The reel is good for the money and the rod is awesome. I use beetle spins, 1/8oz spinner baits and small jigs, cranks and 4" worms. Very versatile.

just the reply i was waiting for!  

can you comment more on the reel? im reading that the sideplate and rotor are graphite. would there be any reason to go with aluminum?

also , the combo i throw together may see some smaller salt water fish.

sorry for the questions , lol. im just trying to find as much as i can about the sahara before i make the purchase.

[islandbass]

how do you like the abu garcia, islandbass?

I can't complain at all for a reel at this price point. It is exceptionally smooth and just the right size. It also only weighs 6.95 oz which pretty awesome.  If you decide to buy one, a quick check of the reel's weight on the package will tell you if it is the same one that I have.

So far, it has performed superbly and has never let me down.

[kikstand454]

are you raising your crickets?

my beardie ate so manny theres no way i coulda afforded to use them for bait too!!

i have an uglystick ultralite rod 5'. it has a old shakespear reel on it. that thing will catch anything. i use iit frresh and salt water. mostly beetlespins in fresh. mostly catchin bait with it in salt water.... though... i did get this and many other puppy redfish in on it.

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=18667075&albumID=1551280&imageID=16787171

[I.rar]

IF i ever make it up to BPS , ill check out the abu's.

are you raising your crickets?

my beardie ate so manny theres no way i coulda afforded to use them for bait too!!

i have an uglystick ultralite rod 5'. it has a old shakespear reel on it. that thing will catch anything. i use iit frresh and salt water. mostly beetlespins in fresh. mostly catchin bait with it in salt water.... though... i did get this and many other puppy redfish in on it.

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=18667075&albumID=1551280&imageID=16787171

nah , i dont raise em. dont have the room to. she was eating 1000 every 7-10 days for a while till she got ill, but she finished her meds and is going for another checkup soon. at $16 per 1k , it adds up quick , lol. at about 18 months they should be eating less than 50 proper sized crickets a week. pics of the beast - http://bearded-dragons.com/boards/index.php/topic,778.0.html

im thinking about grabbing an ugly stick since thats all ive ever owned and im not exactly gentle with my rods.

[Bassn Blvd]

how do you like the abu garcia, islandbass?

I can't complain at all for a reel at this price point. It is exceptionally smooth and just the right size. It also only weighs 6.95 oz which pretty awesome. If you decide to buy one, a quick check of the reel's weight on the package will tell you if it is the same one that I have.

So far, it has performed superbly and has never let me down.

The Sahara has a smooth drag and casts very well. The 750 is graphite. I also use mine for saltwater but very rarely. Just make sure you rinse it very well. I also have the Shimano Stradic 2500 which I love but is too big to be ultralight. I bout my dad this Penn and he likes it a lot. I haven't fished it though. It's the Penn Sargus 2000. It weighs 2oz more than the Sahara and cost about $15 more but will probably suit your needs better for saltwater.

http://www.tackledirect.com/penn-sargus-metal-spinning-reels.html

[bigfruits]

sahara 750fb and one of these rogues would be fun!

http://www.roguerods.com/spinningrods.htm

d**n you guys... now i might have to get one

[bilgerat]

Don't forget the Pflueger Trion- I'm tellin' ya for 40 bucks YOU WILL NOT FIND A BETTER UL REEL. Don't believe me ? Do a search and read all of the reviews. I've fished UL about 90% of this season, all with the same rig, which is a Pflueger 4725GX on a 6' BPS Microlite graphite rod strung with 4lb Trilene. The rod is decent, I don't have any complaints at all other that it isn't available as a 1 piece.

[I.rar]

Don't forget the Pflueger Trion- I'm tellin' ya for 40 bucks YOU WILL NOT FIND A BETTER UL REEL. Don't believe me ? Do a search and read all of the reviews. I've fished UL about 90% of this season, all with the same rig, which is a Pflueger 4725GX on a 6' BPS Microlite graphite rod strung with 4lb Trilene. The rod is decent, I don't have any complaints at all other that it isn't available as a 1 piece.

ill have to check those out. im planning on picking up a 2 piece for ease of storage anyways...

thanks for all the replys.  

[hawgchaser]

The Abu Garcia 701!! Especially if you are going to use it for saltwater. I have a 701 and a 702 that I use for specks when i go to Venice, La.  I use the reel with 4 pound flouro for trout here in Arkansas... then put 30lb braid on it for redfish and specks in the gulf. Now that is a versatile reel!!!!(I do switch rods)

The reel is so small but has a monster drag and with braid, can easily handle a monster bull red.  I use the 702 for bass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpxEipeHka8

[I.rar]

well , i found that cabelas has the sahara and symetre 750 for the same price. as far as i can tell , theyre basicly the same , except for one extra bearing...

[kikstand454]

yeah... my beardie was full grown and taking mice.  he ate alot of crickets even as a big guy. probably 75 a week? i got them pretty cheap though at 3 cents each. still got expensive though..lol. he was gettin up there with the age and he finally died last turkey day. if i hadnt had a kid in july, id have gotten another one. dont want a reptile around the newborn ya know. dont really have room for the tank and stuff right now but will get one next year when  we get a new place. miss him.

id go ahead  and get the uglystick ul. youre probably gonna care more about endurance than super sensitivity and u should have your finger on your line anyway for that!!

the uglystick and a good ul reel would be the way to go. the pflueger the abugarcia or a quantum incyte. of if you have the money a rreally good penn black and gold.

[I.rar]

yeah... my beardie was full grown and taking mice. he ate alot of crickets even as a big guy. probably 75 a week? i got them pretty cheap though at 3 cents each. still got expensive though..lol. he was gettin up there with the age and he finally died last turkey day. if i hadnt had a kid in july, id have gotten another one. dont want a reptile around the newborn ya know. dont really have room for the tank and stuff right now but will get one next year when we get a new place. miss him.

sorry to hear that.

for future referance , it is kinda bad to feed them mice due to the fact that they are very hard to digest and can carry parasites. they can get up to 10 years old , sometimes older , with proper care and good health.

and they probably are one of the best reptiles to have around kids. theyre very laid back and tame as can be. if you have any questions about them you can PM me...  

[kikstand454]

oh.. no. i meant more as far as paraites and germs etc. my beardie never bit anyone that i can think of though he wasnt the best with being handled. he was probably 8 or 9 when he passed and so he lived a good long life.

he took pinkies with no problems at all. enjoyed them bout once every other month. obviously not his main diet. they eat bigger things than that in the wild!

yours is absolutely beautiful!!! mine (stitch) was much more subdued. love your habitat too!!

[J Francho]

My "ultra light" rig is an Avid AVC70MM and TD-Sol.  I used to have an old 9' Pinnacle ML/Mod casting rod, but very large steelhead broke it last winter.  My father used to use an 8'+ UL rod for fishing live craws and crawlers for deep Lake Ontario smallies.  Look up Charlie Brewer, and check out what he used for bass fishing.

[bigfruits]

the new line of shimano reels has the 1000 size which has the 750 body with a larger spool.

i just ordered the symetre 1000. now i have to decide on a rod. im looking at the Rogue SP 602S. does anyone have any experience with the rogue ultralight rods?

i havent fished ultralight since about 5 yrs ago before the shenandoah river swallowed my rig. its really fun to bring in a nice smallmouth on these rods.