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To
any of you out there feeling the least bit jaded by the intense
and all-too rarely rewarded preoccupation with tournament bass fishing,
or perhaps more than a little bit bored by the relentless monotony
of even the successful deep-water walleye trolling experience, let
me suggest a more sporting, exciting, inexpensive, user-friendly,
and downright refreshing alternative - the ultra-light option.
I can't guarantee that it will be a panacea for all your blues stemming
from fishing's occasional downside, only that it all but always
gets me out of whatever angling rut I may find myself in at any
given time. In addition, it has become something of a fishing 'end'
in itself for many, who eventually find themselves ultra-lighting
an absolute majority of their allotted angling time, so enamored
of the approach they eventually become.
Perhaps the biggest misconception associated with ultra-light gear
is the opinion initially held by many that it is merely a kind of
shortcut to fun, i.e., if you can't locate and boat true trophy-size
fish, then severely downsizing the equipment employed can become
a kind of artificial , and some might cynically suggest, defeatist
method of making smaller fish able to simulate the true trophy experience
of the genuine lunker lugger.
I would venture that most of us that have eventually found ourselves
evolving in this sub-sport by virtue of several ultra-light action
combos and an accompaniment of appropriately tiny lures and terminal
tackle would beg to differ.
While I'd be the first to exhort the sheer fun and challenge of
fishing for most anything with tiny gear, I've frankly been fortunate
enough in my half-century to likewise hook any number of double-digit
northerns, muskie, catfish, carp, & steelhead , I still increasingly
as time goes by find myself opting for lighter and lighter gear
as time goes by. I've found that the test of fishing skill and consequently
matching your gear to your goal specie is both worthy, wise, and
distinctly relative, the nuances of each approach mutually exclusive
of one another.
In nearly twenty years of retailing fishing tackle in the species-diverse
midst of northeastern Ohio, much of the later years appreciating
and fostering a burgeoning ultra-light market, I found that as with
myself anglers found the increase in fun at the very least equaled
by a commensurate and initially surprising bounce in the sheer number
of hits they enjoyed - a bonus hard to underestimate.
The simple truth is that the lighter the gear - the greater the
sensitivity to strikes (far more pronounced than the worthy but
expensive switch from fiberglass rod to graphite, for instance),
- the easier to make longer casts with any lure but especially the
smaller ones, - the deeper your crankbaits will run, and the less
stress and fatigue put upon the angler over a long day's fishing.
RODS AND REELS
No bulky flipping sticks or winch-like reels needed here, thank
you. Start out with one outfit featuring a longish (6-7ft.) fiberglass
rod , which will be sufficiently whippy to facilitate long, accurate
casts of the in-line spinners and tiny crankbaits and surface plugs
you'll be utilizing.
For vertical jigging off the side of a boat or pier, I have another
outfit featuring a shorter graphite stick more sensitive and more
stout than my glass rod outfit. One application where such a rod
shines is certainly the Lake Erie perch bite, where walleye anglers,
in a grand gesture of false economy, use their walleye gear for
the lighter biting perch and regularly find themselves throttled
by more savvy ultra-light afficianados, better matching gear to
specie.
For a reel, please try to find one that matches not only your budget
but also the rod it will team with and appropriate for the sport-defining
2-6 lb. monofilament you'll be using. A personal favorite is the
Penn 4200 SS. This venerable workhorse features a smooth drag sadly
rare among smaller spinning reels but quickly appreciated when the
bigger fish so often spooked by the 'more appropriately sized baits'
thought essential for their pursuit are again passed over in favor
of an ultra-light offering.
LURES
The once largely overlooked ultra-light segment of the lure industry
has indeed exploded in recent years. Virtually every major lure
outfit now features a catalog of tiny offerings. Don't be afraid
to experiment with various colors and configurations productive
for the waters and species you'll be targeting.
Among my midwest favorites- capable of true multi-species productivity?
A selection of smallish soft plastics (tiny twistertails, tubes,
grubs), crankbaits-always attached with a snap-(Rebel Crawdads [preferably
the deeper divers], floating minnows (Rebel, Rapala), and, of course,
versatile and indispensable in-line spinners from 1/32 to 1/8 oz.
(Panther Martin, Mepps , Roostertails), always attached with a ball-bearing
swivel to avoid line-twist, add casting weight - avoid action-robbing
split shots, and help the vital blade action (essential at slow
speeds), are recommended.
Whether casually walking a nearby stream, dabbling off a nearby
dock or pier, or using live or artificial bait, ultra-light angling
is not just a transition point from conventional to fly-fishing
or simply for fun, but it would be worthwhile just for that if it
wasn?t so much more productive for such a variety of fish in a variety
of places in a variety of sizes.
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