Ultralight Bassin

[PondBassin]

Just seeing how many of you guys will use ultralight gear for bass. I sometimes will use it in the warmer months, and ithey're very fun on 4 pound mono. However, I lose a lot of fish, which is expected (worth the fish I will catch though), and to this day still think I lost what I think could have been a personal best (but then again, I had just started back then, so anything of size was automatically 10 pounds to me). Do you guys do it?

PB

[CoBass]

I fish ultralight quite a bit, I enjoy the challenge of landing fish on light tackle. I use heavier gear as well when I fish waters that I know hold larger fish but in Colorado, those waters are few and far between. Fighting a 2-3 lb fish on 4 lb line can be quite a challenge. When I first started bass fishing I was all about heavier tackle but it got kind of boring winching in 3 lb fish on 20 lb braid. No challenge to that at all. If I fished tournaments I'd be using heavier gear but for fun fishing the ultralight is a blast.

A fishing buddy of mine is an ultralight master. He currently holds the state record smallie at 6 lbs 11 oz. He caught in on an ultralight set-up with four pound test.

[tomustang]

I use ultralight, due to the muck I'm forced to use 6lb line way too much though. I see the setup as a double for panfish anyway.

[PondBassin]

I use ultralight, due to the muck I'm forced to use 6lb line way too much though. I see the setup as a double for panfish anyway.

Yeah, I'll ise mine as a trout rod,also.

[dwtaylor]

Some of my bigger bass have come off of ultralight rods while fishing for bluegill or crappie. It is very difficult to reel fish in with 2-4 lb line (whatever is left over from ice season) but it can be done. My biggest on an ultralight is somewhere around 5 lbs caught on a crappie jig with a bit of a crawler on it. Its huge stress reliever fighting a smallie on ultralights too. The sound of a screaming drag always brings a smile to my face!

[gr8outdoorz]

I've used ultralight a decent amount for bass. As stated before, its a whole lot of fun catching dinks on them. It will definitly teach you how to fish with drag properly!

[Hooligan]

I will, but there also becomes a point of responsibility. When the water is warm and I have any chance of catching anything more than a 1-2lb fish, I won't do it. There's far to great a chance of mortality to fish when they're played excessively, as can often occur on ultra light rigs. There are a lot of lakes, for instance, that I won't fish when I know the surface temps are over the 80 degree marker. In those sorts of temperatures, the stress of fighting against regular tackle can generate higher rates of mortality. If you were to catch those same fish on ultra light tackle, the chance of delayed mortality is greatly, greatly increased.

[SirSnookalot]

For bass I don't use ul gear, most of my bass fishing is on foot from high banked canals, just not enough line strength or rod backbone to lift them out.

My saltwater fishing is always done with the lightest tackle possible, especially from boat and beach. Sea walls and jetties require more backbone to keep the fish out of the pylons, instant cutoff.

[roadwarrior]

I will, but there also becomes a point of responsibility. When the water is warm and I have any chance of catching anything more than a 1-2lb fish, I won't do it. There's far to great a chance of mortality to fish when they're played excessively, as can often occur on ultra light rigs. There are a lot of lakes, for instance, that I won't fish when I know the surface temps are over the 80 degree marker. In those sorts of temperatures, the stress of fighting against regular tackle can generate higher rates of mortality. If you were to catch those same fish on ultra light tackle, the chance of delayed mortality is greatly, greatly increased.

I only fish ultra light for crappie, white bass and stocker trout.

[Darren.]

I used to, may hook one from time to time now, but not targeting bass. It was fun, but agree with playing the fish too long. Hooking a big ol' chain pickerel or catfish on ultralight gear is also a hoot.

The light stuff I'll use now (usually when dock fishing with my younger boys) are simple 10-13' telescopic poles + length of line tied to eye at top. If a bass hooks up to one of these it's not a long play because I've only got 10 to 13' of line tied on. Lift and net, photo and release. That's fun.

[Team9nine]

Yes...and no. Last year, about half my bass (>1,000) came on 6# or less line, down to 2.5# test. But, I won't use an ultralight rod to fish it, and that is the big difference in my opinion. I've got several outfits set up for this type fishing and they all utilize ML rods with either fast or extra-fast actions. The whole setup is much more efficient from start to finish, including the time required to play and land a bass, versus using an "ultra" light.

-T9

[Chattahoochee]

My PB came on an ultra-light rig and a 5cm floating rapala.

[A-Jay]

Does a drop shot rig with 4-6lb test count as ultra light bassing ?

A-Jay

[roadwarrior]

Does a drop shot rig with 4-6lb test count as ultra light bassing ?

A-Jay

No.

The fish in my Avatar were caught using a PR844C/ Stella 2500FD/ Yo-Zuri Hybrid #4.

Thin, virtually invisible line, but definitely not an "ultra light" set-up.

[Bluebasser86]

I will do it in places where the chances of me hooking a big bass aren't high so I can enjoy playing the smaller fish more. Was doing this in a small pond and hooked up with a 22lb flathead catfish on a Yo-Zuri Aile Killifish crankbait (1 1/8" I think?) with an ultralight and 4lb test. Took forever to get that thing landed!

[A-Jay]

No.

The fish in my Avatar were caught using a PR844C/ Stella 2500FD/ Yo-Zuri Hybrid #4.

Thin, virtually invisible line, but definitely not an "ultra light" set-up.

OK - but how is 4lb test on your set up different from 4lb test on my drop shot rig ?

Nice rig by the way.

A-Jay

[tomustang]

OK - but how is 4lb test on your set up different from 4lb test on my drop shot rig ?

Nice rig by the way.

A-Jay

Because its a dropshot rig, not a ultralight rig

[Hooligan]

OK - but how is 4lb test on your set up different from 4lb test on my drop shot rig ?

Nice rig by the way.

A-Jay

It isn't really. The difference is that an ultralight is typically something that just doesn't have any lifting strength in the blank. They are usually much, much too light to manage a fish of any size other than crappies, or panfish of other sorts. A dropshot rod, by character has some lifting power in the butt, it's got some strength to move fish.

I think the lightest rod I fish with any regularity is my SMR750S. That rod is wicked powerful, more than many mediums. It's got enough power to move riverine brown fish up to about 3.5lbs with no issue. I love that rod for fishing grubs and the like on clear lakes. If it were any lighter, though, it would be a push.

[roadwarrior]

I'm just saying light line doesn't necessarily make the rig ultralight.

[A-Jay]

It isn't really. The difference is that an ultralight is typically something that just doesn't have any lifting strength in the blank. They are usually much, much too light to manage a fish of any size other than crappies, or panfish of other sorts. A dropshot rod, by character has some lifting power in the butt, it's got some strength to move fish.

I think the lightest rod I fish with any regularity is my SMR750S. That rod is wicked powerful, more than many mediums. It's got enough power to move riverine brown fish up to about 3.5lbs with no issue. I love that rod for fishing grubs and the like on clear lakes. If it were any lighter, though, it would be a push.

Excellent explanation.

A-Jay

[Blue Streak]

I will, but there also becomes a point of responsibility. When the water is warm and I have any chance of catching anything more than a 1-2lb fish, I won't do it. There's far to great a chance of mortality to fish when they're played excessively, as can often occur on ultra light rigs. There are a lot of lakes, for instance, that I won't fish when I know the surface temps are over the 80 degree marker. In those sorts of temperatures, the stress of fighting against regular tackle can generate higher rates of mortality. If you were to catch those same fish on ultra light tackle, the chance of delayed mortality is greatly, greatly increased.

I have to agree with this. I love ultra light and I have caught a ton of smallmouth in the streams around here. But you have to be careful about how much fun you have because the stress will kill the fish.

[NBR]

I did occasionlly for years. Then as I read and heard more about over tiring the fish I went away from targeting bass on ultralight. A few years ago we were fishing smallies in Canada and my pal hooked a decent northern on 8# mono with no steel leader. The battle took a long time but we eventually landed the fish, took a picture, weighed the 16#'er and let the fish rest for several minutes in my musky cradle. After time the fish swam away apparently not harmed.

A while later, probably 15 or 20 minutes, I heard a commotion and saw a sea gull land near a floating fish. We chased the gull away and lo the fish was the just released pike. We got the fish back into the cradle and worked with her for a looog time. She was able to swim away. I have no clue regarding her survival but we did give her a chance.

Since that experience I have tried not to over tire any fish.

[Gator Bait]

I have to agree with this. I love ultra light and I have caught a ton of smallmouth in the streams around here. But you have to be careful about how much fun you have because the stress will kill the fish.

But so will a pan of hot grease.....yum!

[coak]

I used to use UL setups extensively, just because I'm located in the city and there were never any "real" places to fish other than local city parks. I still fish UL primarily when teaching one of my younger cousins or someone else how to fish. I love the battle and rush when hooking a 3+ lb fish on light line! Nowadays I'm forced to use light tackle at the least when I'm just fishing because I don't own a boat and the only real fishing I do anymore is wading in the local river chasing them smallies!

[Addicted to Smallies]

I'm an ultra-light addict! I usually use 6# Powerpro braid when fishing for smallmouth or largemouth and have found it to work really well. It's almost thread-like in its diameter and casts really well on my ultralight spinning gear. Never had the line break, but when I hook into a good sized fish I always adjust the drag to make sure it's dialed-in appropriately. My biggest smallmouth (6#) was caught using my ultralight rig while wade fishing and it was a 10 minute effort to land the fish, but man was it worth it. Almost felt like I was fighting a big offshore fish and it was a test of my fishing abilities (nothing fights like a muscular river smallie!)

Overall, I'd put ultralight fishing for smallies at the top of my list, but I still enjoy using a heavy baitcaster an fishing the pads and slop for largemouth bass as well.