Ultralight Bassin 2025
PondBassin reply :
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 reply :
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 reply :
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 reply :
On 2/17/2012 at 11:43 AM, Tom D. said: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 reply :
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 reply :
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 reply :
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 reply :
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 reply :
On 2/17/2012 at 12:58 PM, Hooligan said: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. reply :
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 reply :
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 reply :
My PB came on an ultra-light rig and a 5cm floating rapala.
A-Jay reply :
Does a drop shot rig with 4-6lb test count as ultra light bassing ?
A-Jay
roadwarrior reply :
On 2/18/2012 at 4:27 AM, A-Jay said: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 reply :
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 reply :
On 2/18/2012 at 7:41 AM, roadwarrior said: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 reply :
On 2/18/2012 at 8:39 AM, A-Jay said: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 reply :
On 2/18/2012 at 8:39 AM, A-Jay said: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 reply :
I'm just saying light line doesn't necessarily make the rig ultralight.
A-Jay reply :
On 2/18/2012 at 10:13 AM, Hooligan said: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 reply :
On 2/17/2012 at 12:58 PM, Hooligan said: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 reply :
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 reply :
On 2/18/2012 at 12:31 PM, Blue Streak said: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 reply :
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 reply :
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.
Clash City Rocker reply :
I save the UL setup for trout.
PondBassin reply :
Yeah, I can see both pros and cons to using it. It just is one hell of a fight, I'll say that.
redboat reply :
On 2/17/2012 at 9:39 AM, PondBassin said: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
Here's a picture of a 10-6 my wife caught a couple years ago on 6 lb PLine flouro, a six foot rod, and a minature spinning reel. I've used PLine exclusively ever since.
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g200/pscarbor/JoysBass.jpg
Jonas Staggs reply :
On 2/18/2012 at 2:23 AM, Team9nine said: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
If I am reading this correctly, your saying that a ML setup is better for targeting larger bass?
I am located in Socal, the majority of places, the fish are finicky, and highly pressured, since switching to my UL, I have had great success, I feel its a necessary switch. Im going after the biggest bass I can catch, doesnt mean Im gonna catch them, but in the off chance I do, I feel I have a better chance using the UL setup, but at the same time, am thinking to myself ok great, I hooked one, now what am I going to do.
GreenPig reply :
20 something years ago I caught a 7.2 LM on 2 lb mono while fishing for bream with a Renosky Keystone Minnow. I always carry a UL when fishing ponds and did today. Caught 15 just slow reeling parallel to the bank with a Rapala on 4 lb test.
jimmyjoe reply :
On 2/28/2020 at 9:12 AM, Jonas Staggs said:ok great, I hooked one, now what am I going to do.
Try it with a pike on the end. It's Mother Nature's way of educating fishermen as to how much pull you actually can put on 4 lb. line. ???????? jj
J Francho reply :
Fourscore and eight years ago, UL was fun for bass. Still is.
Tennessee Boy reply :
On 2/29/2020 at 12:38 AM, J Francho said:Fourscore and eight years ago, UL was fun for bass. Still is.
I apologize for being THAT GUY but four score and eight is eighty eight (aka 1932) ????
Team9nine reply :
On 2/28/2020 at 9:12 AM, Jonas Staggs said:
If I am reading this correctly, your saying that a ML setup is better for targeting larger bass?
I am located in Socal, the majority of places, the fish are finicky, and highly pressured, since switching to my UL, I have had great success, I feel its a necessary switch. Im going after the biggest bass I can catch, doesnt mean Im gonna catch them, but in the off chance I do, I feel I have a better chance using the UL setup, but at the same time, am thinking to myself ok great, I hooked one, now what am I going to do.
Unless you are going micro with your baits, a good ML outfit can easily handle 4-6 lb line and downsized baits, typically considered L/UL in many circles, while still maintaining a little more power to handle the larger fish (or any fish).
J Francho reply :
On 2/29/2020 at 1:10 AM, Tennessee Boy said:I apologize for being THAT GUY but four score and eight is eighty eight (aka 1932) ????
Oh, you're the NEW GUY. I know what fourscore is, it's something I put on every thread dug up from the grave.
Tennessee Boy reply :
On 2/29/2020 at 2:28 AM, J Francho said:Oh, you're the NEW GUY. I know what fourscore is, it's something I put on every thread dug up from the grave.
Yeah, I’ve noticed the four score tradition with old threads. I just couldn’t resist being a smart arse ????
J Francho reply :
Fourscore and two weeks later, Tennessee Boy's login worked. 
Mbirdsley reply :
I only did it one time. I had bought st.croix 7ft premier UL intending to use it for trout fishing. I think most st.croix rods run lower in weight than what they say. I should have bought at least a ML. any how, middle of July rolls around and I’ve been working 12 hrs 7 days a week for the last 4 months.
Buddy and I hit the river for smallies. I decided to use the UL as I paid about $230 Total for the set ( at that time I was spending maybe $100 bucks tops on rods and reels) up and decided I should finally try it out. Ended up Catching a crap ton small mouth with a ned rig. Extremely sensitive except when I started getting into legal sized fish they completely owned me. I think I was using either 4-6lbs mono. If they decided to go on a run there was litteraly nothing I could do about except let them take drag and where out enough to get them. The one I gotten close enough to me and he circled me about 3 times mid river . I had to go with him so my buddy about fell into the river laughing Watching me turn in circles fighting the fish.
its fun but, I’d prefer not tire them out to land them in mid-summer River water temps. for the record I have been trout fishing exactly 2 times with That rod and bought it In the spring of 2017. Took me a while, To realize with my work schedule and living in the wrong part of the state that I should give up trying to trout fish. At least for a while.
Jonas Staggs reply :
On 2/28/2020 at 7:20 PM, GreenPig said:20 something years ago I caught a 7.2 LM on 2 lb mono while fishing for bream with a Renosky Keystone Minnow. I always carry a UL when fishing ponds and did today. Caught 15 just slow reeling parallel to the bank with a Rapala on 4 lb test.
yeah i started micro fishing for fun, and then just started throwing slightly larger lures with my UL setup and have been killing it, and hooked into some decent sized fish lately. UL is awesome.
On 2/29/2020 at 2:11 AM, Team9nine said:Unless you are going micro with your baits, a good ML outfit can easily handle 4-6 lb line and downsized baits, typically considered L/UL in many circles, while still maintaining a little more power to handle the larger fish (or any fish).
what pound test would be considered UL? I hear on youtube people talking about finesse fishing with 10, 12, or even 15lb test line, but to me I think thats heavy. I got a 6 ft medium action rod with 10 lbs, and a 8 ft medium action rod with 12lb line. Another thing I was considering was to use some 10 lb braid on my UL, so if I do hook into a big fish, i know the line wont snap. Im slowly learning different type rod setups for different applications. Do you think a 6ft medium action rod with 10lb test is good for throwing 1/2oz lipless crankbaits or should I have a heavier action rod and line? 1/2 oz is the heaviest I throw with that setup.
MN Fisher reply :
For me, UL means small reel, UL rated rod and light line. My UL rig is a President-25 on a Diawa Spinmatic UL/F loaded with 4# Yo-Zuri Hybrid. This is my main Ned rig, as well as other finesse jigs - under 1/4oz with small trailers...Keitech Leeches, TRD Hogz, etc. I'll also toss Mepps Aglias and Comets in #3-#5 size.
Nothing more fun than catching a 2-3# bass on UL.
Team9nine reply :
On 2/29/2020 at 2:02 PM, Jonas Staggs said:yeah i started micro fishing for fun, and then just started throwing slightly larger lures with my UL setup and have been killing it, and hooked into some decent sized fish lately. UL is awesome.
what pound test would be considered UL? I hear on youtube people talking about finesse fishing with 10, 12, or even 15lb test line, but to me I think thats heavy. I got a 6 ft medium action rod with 10 lbs, and a 8 ft medium action rod with 12lb line. Another thing I was considering was to use some 10 lb braid on my UL, so if I do hook into a big fish, i know the line wont snap. Im slowly learning different type rod setups for different applications. Do you think a 6ft medium action rod with 10lb test is good for throwing 1/2oz lipless crankbaits or should I have a heavier action rod and line? 1/2 oz is the heaviest I throw with that setup.
Would agree with @MN Fisher above - UL is more a whole system of downsizing, not just a certain line weight. I’d also say your M outfit is borderline light on 1/2 ounce Traps. Might work most days, but I’d feel more comfortable bumping up slightly...but I also don’t know how stiff your M rod is. No real standard for that. If it feels a little underpowered to you, then it probably is. If your setups are working though, keep using them.
Jonas Staggs reply :
On 2/29/2020 at 11:49 PM, Team9nine said:Would agree with @MN Fisher above - UL is more a whole system of downsizing, not just a certain line weight. I’d also say your M outfit is borderline light on 1/2 ounce Traps. Might work most days, but I’d feel more comfortable bumping up slightly...but I also don’t know how stiff your M rod is. No real standard for that. If it feels a little underpowered to you, then it probably is. If your setups are working though, keep using them.
Thanks well said. The 6ft feels a bit soft for the 1/2 oz
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