| There are far too many anglers among us who | | | | grow to larger than the average trout, so I need |
| believe that the most effective way to catch a | | | | something a bit larger than my trout setup. I'll use |
| fish is to go to their local super center, spend fifty | | | | a medium-light to medium action rod, spooled with |
| bucks on a decent medium action rod and reel | | | | six pound monofilament. With this sized setup I |
| combo, spool said reel with eight pound test, and | | | | can land Smallmouth up to five pounds, and |
| be done with it. Although this might be a popular | | | | Walleye up to seven or eight pounds. The |
| way to go about the sport of fishing, it's surely | | | | beautiful thing about this is that it's still ultra light |
| not very effective and most certainly not very | | | | fishing. |
| fun. Three quarters of the fun of fishing (at least | | | | What you will find is that the fish that you catch |
| for me) is fighting my catch. | | | | will put up a proper fight. You won't simply be |
| This is where ultra light fishing comes into play. | | | | "winching" them in. Where's the thrill in that? I've |
| Many anglers think that ultralight fishing means | | | | personally never found any fun ib simply |
| using equipment the size used in ice fishing with | | | | "winching" in a fish. You'll also find that you get |
| line with the strength of human hair! This is a | | | | many more bites using line that's matched to |
| fallacy! Ultra light fishing actually means using | | | | what you're fishing for. The smaller the test of |
| equipment that is equal to what the angler is | | | | the line, the thinner and less visible it is, it's as |
| fishing for. For example, I use four pound test | | | | simple as that. I'll give you a real life example. I |
| monofilament for most of my trout fishing. Most | | | | was fishing my normal river with live worms and |
| anglers think this line is much too "small", but when | | | | gang hooks tied on six pound test monofilament. I |
| you think about it, four pound test monofilament | | | | had been fishing for about three hours with no |
| will hold four pounds of weight without breaking. | | | | bites, when I got snagged and broke my last |
| How often do you hook into a fish bigger than | | | | gang hook. I had to tie a new one on the river |
| four pounds while trout fishing? Not very often, if | | | | and all I had was four pound test line, so that's |
| ever. And the more proficient you become with | | | | what I used. I began catching trout after trout, it |
| your ultra light gear, the bigger the fish you can | | | | was crazy, and the only thing that changed was |
| land. I've personally landed four pound trout on | | | | the size of the line that my gang hooks were tied |
| four pound test, and my mentor would regularly | | | | on! This experience made me a believer. |
| land trout even bigger than that on four pound | | | | What it comes down to, in my estimation, is that |
| test monofilament. | | | | ultra light fishing is using a rod, reel, line, and tackle |
| The good thing about ultralight fishing is that it | | | | that's matched to what you're trying to catch, |
| doesn't have to be used for trout only. The same | | | | rather than using equipment that's much too large. |
| principles can be applied to other types of fishing | | | | It's as simple as that. Give it a shot and find out |
| as well. When I fish in Canada, for example, I fish | | | | for yourself how much fun ultra light fishing can |
| for Smallmouth Bass and Walleye. These fish can | | | | be. |