Home Forums Fishing Freshwater ultra lights

well earlier this year i bought a North-X ultra light fishen rod. i got it equiped with a diawa 1500 with 4 pound test (couldnt find 2 lb). I love it. havnt used my regular pole since then. makes the lil fish feel like monsters. i was fishing on the river the other day with it for rainbows and got a BIG surprise <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />What bit that lure wasnt a trout. bout 75 mins later and 100 yards down stream i landed a steelhead. 15 pounds. I GOT LUCKY ON THAT ONE

I've been hooked on ultralight tackle for the last 6-7 years... I just bought a St Croix 6'6" UL rod (Avid Spin) this spring that is by far the best UL rod I've ever handled. No 15lb monsters yet but the sub 5lb bass, catfish, and even carp have been handled so far. Bluegill and crappie are a given (grin).

I ventured into the 2lb line a few years back but I found that it didn't produce enough more bites to put up with the negatives. It just didn't last nearly as long as the 4lb before it needed respooling... Might make for some decent leader material I guess. I didn't notice that it casted any better either though it has been a while.

I landed a 4lb catfish this summer while fishing from a boat in our farm pond. Drag was singing and the rod was nearly doubled over but the 4lb test was enough to keep him in control. My partner with his 17lb test/baitcaster combo was at least somewhat in awe I think. That in itself is worth the price of admission IMO.

Ultra light question

What is a good ultra light spinning reel that has a good drag and that will last a couple of years?
I am using for trout up to about 4 pounds here in Montana

Thanks

Royce

Depends on your idea of "ultra light"... For 4lb test I use both Quantum and 500 series Shimanos. I try to keep my reel weight as close to 5oz as I can with these type rigs.

If your goal is a 6lb test outfit my preference is a 1000 (or the new 1500) series Shimano (see a pattern?). Shimano has a wide range of models and you can probably find one that fits your budget. My favorite model for the 1000/1500 series is the Sahara (I think). That model runs about $50 IIRC... The 500 series is not included in all model lines from Shimano but even the cheapie ($25) TX is a good reel IMO.

My new Quantum 4lb test reel was $20 or $25 though I can't remember the model name. I bought it at Wal-Mart if that helps. It's super smooth and weighs just under 5oz...

The worst reel I've bought in recent memory was a Cardinal 100 Series... The bail has never worked properly and my money would have been much better spent on a Quantum or Shimano.

I like the diawa 1500. but i think you should go down to the store and test out a few of them. difeerent styles an such. however remember that you can fit reels that werent designed for ultralights on them. i fished for a couple of months with a diawa 2500

Might be misunderstanding your post muzzleloaderman but I think your gist was that you can fish heavier reels on lighter rods? Or vice versa?

The former might work in a pinch but the balance will be way off especially if the rod in question doesn't have tenessee reel seats... I bought my St Croix rod in hopes of mating it with a Shimano 1000 but when I got it home I found that the balance of that rig was WAY lacking. Bought a new 4lb test sized rig (Quantum mentioned above) and I'm set. The combo all up weighs under 8oz. It's a pleasure to fish with all day and casts 1/16oz jigs with the best of 'em.

As far as the latter, you can put a 4lb test reel on a heavier rod but you lose some of the shock absorbtion... What you end up with is a rig that is less capable than the lighter weight one. The guys using braids might get some mileage out of this combo but us mortal mono users need to balance the setup a little better. I tested the 10lb braid with a similar setup but was less that impressed with the tiny braided line so I'm back to my mono rig.

I can really agree with the "go down and try a few out" advice though. The Bass Pro Shops around here have most models out on display and you can get a pretty good idea of weight and relative smoothness all for free.

what i mean is that in a pinch or if your short a few bucks. buying a new reel isnt an option. Or if your arent able to get to the sportin goods store to get a ultra-light reel. Your correct in the fact that my over-sized reel really made the outfit off balance. but it still worked.

Just clarifying... Wasn't my intent to knock your combo. BTW, congrats on the steelhead.

A belated THANK YOU to all you more knowledgeable fisherman for the information on ultra light reels. Shimano keeps coming up from all people I ask, so I am going to try a SHimano. Hell, I can always skip a month's rent if I have to, I kinda like sleeping in that old truck anyway.
Good fishing!

Royce

shimano is a GREAT reel to. and not to expensive (least last time I checked). WPAYNE no offense taken I realized you were just clarifying. sorry if my reply came across as a lil hostile wasnt my intention either