Fishing With
Micro-Light Gear
by  "Fish Chris"

      "Yea, but when I hook a big fish, I want to make sure I land it" !
  How many of you have heard this statement ? I can't tell you how many times I have, but to say hundreds would probably be close. In the following article I will discuss some of the strong points of fishing with micro-light gear (otherwise referred to as Ultra Light or U-L) and why the  statement above is usually unfounded.

  In all forms of fishing, for all species, freshwater or salt, the first and foremost concern should be in a getting the fish to take a hook into its mouth. Landing the fish will always be secondary. But the fact is, in many situations, it is much easier to get a bite in the first place, while using U-L gear. Why ? A lot of the answer lies in fish which have been highly conditioned to not eat something which has a line attached to it. Quite simply, lighter line and smaller baits are a lot less likely to put up a red flag for the fish.

  I learned more about fighting big fish on U-L gear,  as a child, with big Carp, than any other species.
  This is a 23.8 lb "golden sport fish" which I caught at Clear Lk. It fought great, but in the end, was landed on micro-light gear.
  In the Winter of 02', I landed well over 4000 lbs of giant Channel cats from Clear Lk. Ca,  including this 30.2 lb monster, while using micro-light gear.
  Granted, I started out using this gear just because it was a lot of fun. But as the water continued to get colder and colder, the fish became increasingly finicky. I strongly believe that our use of micro-light tackle was one of the keys to our best trip in late January, of 935 lbs of Channel cats, caught in one trip, by my buddy and myself. We also caught 70 lbs of White cats and Brown Bullheads, plus aprox. 500 lbs of Carp, for a total weight of just over 1500 lbs of fish caught in a single trip !

Defining micro-light gear
   Concerning freshwater angling, mono-filament of 6 lb test or less, is generally considered to be U-L gear. For several years now I have been using braided lines exclusively, and although my Tuf-Line Plus micro-braid is rated at 2/10 (that is the equivalent of 2 lb mono diameter, and 10 lb strength) it quite simply cannot be compared straight across, to 10 lb mono. For one thing, it has virtually no stretch, and therefore is much less forgiving of sudden shocks. Also, because of it's extremely thin diameter, it is very sensitive to hitting or scraping sharp objects while under tension. When using this line, I feel safe to put about as much pressure on a fish, as I would with 6 lb mono. Another thing I should mention here, is that I almost always use a fluorocarbon leader of 8 or 10 lb test. This helps with both the abrasion resistance at the business end of my line, and also to provide somewhat of a shock absorber.
  A micro-light rod is typically rated for 1 to  6 lb test line. I really like my G-Loomis SR 720's which are 6 ft, 1 piece rods and are rated for 1 to 4 lb mono.
  As for reels, I believe a spinning reel of about 8 ounces or less, matches a U-L rod perfectly. I use Okuma Ef 15's which have infinite anti-reverse, 10 bb's, and an extremely smooth drag. Obviously, a reel with a high quality drag system is very important to landing big fish on light gear.
  Hooks should be small enough, of light enough wire, and of premium quality, so that a minimum of pressure is required for a solid set. I typically use a size 2 to 6 for most of my U-L fishing


Baits which were made for a Micro-light
  It's hard to beat a jumbo nightcrawler fished with U-L gear. The biggest reason for this is that live worms can be casted and fished, without using any additional weights.
  Another great bait on this gear is tiny live crawdads, again, fished with no weight whatsoever. Quite simply, U-L gear allows for a very natural presentation.... a perfect compliment to a natural bait.
  Of course tiny artificial lures such as Crappie jigs or crankbaits can also be fished on U-L gear, but the hooks on these lures should always be of light wire, fully exposed, and razor sharp.
    I was actually fishing for catfish when I stuck this 13.0 lb trophy bass on U-L gear. I didn't really get nervous through most of the fight, figuring I had hooked a good Channel cat or a Carp. My heart did not become lodged in my throat until after this hog made a flying leap ! :-) Nonetheless, I landed her in about 3 minutes.

Where to fish with U-L gear
  Because U-L gear is often fished weightless, it is not very good for covering water. Therefor, I typically fish high percentage areas where I have previously sighted fish, or have caught them on heavier gear. Some of my favorite areas are points, ledges, humps, and of course the flats adjacent to these types of structure.
  Obviously, this type of gear is not recommended for fishing right smack in the middle of heavy weeds, or brush. But here's an interesting fact. Many fish hooked near the outskirts of this kind of cover will run out towards deeper water, rather than into the cover. Sure, I might recommend trying some heavier gear tactics to start out with, in these situations, but if that doesn't work, again, you have to hook them first, then you can worry about landing them.

When to use U-L gear
  This gear will work all year long, but I have found that it is especially effective on fish in late Summer, or Fall, after they have been hammered on with (and consequently conditioned to) heavier gear,  for several months. Of course maybe the best time to fish with this gear, is when you are confronted with fish which, although you have sighted them and they are apparently glued to an area, refuse to bite on any of your heavier gear tactics.
 This beautiful 9.5 lb Largemouth was "hot" as could be, but wore herself out relatively quickly on the U-L gear..... or maybe she was just anxious for a photo session :-)

The survival of U-L caught and released  fish
  Invariably, when discussing U-L methods, someone will bring up possible stress related issues surrounding prolonged battles, and lactic acid buildup in the fish. There have been scientific studies which show that this can be of great concern with some species, especially in warmer water, or in saltwater....
  But rest easy. There have also been studies conducted (one was by In-Fisherman) which showed that of all of the freshwater species of sport fish, Largemouth bass were probably the "least likely" to suffer from delayed mortality of lactic acid buildup. The main reason being, that a Largemouth does not have the right type of muscles (physiology) for a long, sustained fight, but rather for a short burst of power, after which, it is pretty much done fighting, no matter what weight of tackle you are using.
  Secondly, most anglers would be amazed by how quickly a bass can be landed on micro-light gear, by anyone with experience using it. Of course the only way to gain that experience is by "using it". I can't tell you how many times I have seen anglers fighting a fish on heavier gear, who were taking "forever and a day" to land the dang thing ! The way I see it, that fish is either ripping drag, or its coming in right now ! None of the big Largemouths that I have landed on my micro-light have taken much more than 3 minutes to land (some in much less than that) and honestly I can't say that using heavier gear would have shortened the battle by much more than 30 seconds,  if that.

The bottom line
  Although there is a slight chance that a fish will be lost on U-L gear, which might have been landed on heavier gear, the total amount of fish which you will hook in the first place, will vastly outweigh the losses. Hook 20 fish and lose 1 on U-L gear, or hook 5 fish and land all 5 on heavier gear. You be the judge.
  Like any other angling tactic, U-L fishing is not a giveaway, but it should definitely be a part of every anglers bag of tricks.
..... and from the archives, this was a 16 lb 12 ounce Striper which I caught in 85'. This catch was certified by the IGFA, as a 4 lb (mono-filament) line class world record. Although it has been crushed since then,  this was a really big deal to me at the time..... I thought I was the "Bomb Bass Shiznick" ! LOL :-)
  Here are a couple shots of a 47.6 lb Sturgeon (approx 58 inches)  which I caught (and released) using my 2/10 micro braided line, on the lightest baitcasting rod I have ever seen ! It's 7 ft in length, but  only rated for 1-6 lb mono, and designed for Kokanee trout :-) The battle lasted 40 minutes. Yeee Haw !  :-)





Great fishing to all,
Fish Chris