Bluegill - Big Bluegill

Do you love big bluegill?

I got to thinking about this from a reply I made in the rod length discussion. With my most recent line replacement, my lightest line from a specified pound test perspective is 6# and that is SpiderWire which is officially rated at about half the actual breaking strength according to most tests. I have some 4# flouro on another reel (now relegated to vertical jigging and stealing bits for leaders; putting it on a spinning reel was a mistake) that is actually larger diameter.

Anyway, the SpiderWire is on a rod rated for UL and a UL reel. Because it is is 0.005" in diameter, casting tiny jigs is no problem. Besides the other thread, the other thing that made me come up with this question was packing for this weekend. What was going to be a fishing weekend with some visiting thrown in turned into a visiting weekend with some fishing thrown in. Taking a couple of my younger kids to visit my oldest and will spend some time at parks with lakes or on the coastal rivers. Anyway, I packed up their push button combos and my short UL and the reel with the SpiderWire (and a breakdown fly rod, but that's another story).

I was thinking about grabbing my light rod also, since there is a chance we might go to an inshore location where reds, specs or sheepshead are a possibility, but I really want to pack light and besides we all know that the 6# SpiderWire is really at least 10#. 

So the question is, when is UL no longer UL? Is it the terminal tackle? Rod? Reel? Line? 

Views: 383

Replies to This Discussion

Andy 

 UL fishing is really the combination of all four components. It all depends on how light you wish to go. I've seen rods rated 1/64 - 1/8 rated UL and reels rated 1-6 lb test rated the same.

I fish what some people would consider nano, 1# line, 7 foot  3/4 oz fixed  pole, #32 hook and 3mm micro plastic. A large catch would blow up my rig. My tradeoff is that a small fish will fight well if you match the set up to the targeted fish.

Question is how willing are you to let an incidental large catch break off to truely fish UL or is the goal to get them all. 

Just something to think about 

Yeah, I guess there are at least a couple of approaches:

  1. A setup that can deliver UL terminal tackle reasonably well while still trying to maximize capability to catch the larger fish that may take the light offering.
  2. Increasing the challenge by limiting the tackle.

And I think most of us are a mix of both. I don't want to just horse the fish in but I do like knowing it is unlikely that I will get broken off and that I will usually get jigs free from snags. I sometimes fish midges almost as small as your nano tackle on my fly rod to catch bait for catfish. That's one of the few times I use a tapered tippet, mostly so I can fit the line through the eye.

I believe what your really asking is what makes up the perfect UL set-up

The perfect UL fishing set-up… hmmmm… it is a rod that feels like the extension of your forefinger… with a reel light and small with mechanics that are strong a drag as smooth as butter in a hot pan, comfortable reel radius and retrieve ratio… line that is infinitely strong that everything that you hook you own. A line so strong that you could point the rod at your quarry and winch and ski it in. A perfect UL world… how to get close to this feeling.

Shorten the length of the rod! … I’ve tried the 6-0 to 8-0 ft UL rods… with that increased length is leverage and increased weight… it takes away from the small UL feel. I’ve found the perfect (IMO) shortness is back to the 5-0 to 5-6 ft length rods. Very light and sensitive with today’s materials … it’s a component you need to fulfill and to accomplish the goal of that UL sensation.

The 50 series reels in today’s market are another necessary component for that small UL feel. I was amazed the quality and feel I was able to obtain from purchasing reels for my UL ice rods that were tiny, strong and smooth that were able to handle large preds on 2-0# test fluorocarbon … truly amazing even at the 15.00 price level. Again you want the small feel. To me nowadays the 10 series reels seem more L than UL in feel.

The line! … would have to be a super line preferably Nanofil or Power pro in 4-0# test… in a recent outing I caught close to 200 crappie by pitching my ultra light with tiny jigs into fallen trees and wood along the banks of the creek channels… getting snagged dozens of times in the branches I was able to straighten the hook or easily pull free without losing tackle and time retying. The line diameter was equivalent to 1-0# test mono dia. I would have easily littered the branches with tackle bling if I used 2-0# test mono.

I learned from ice fishing that retying out in the field is tough to do so I started using these snaps… great for UL bait and lure swaps. A pair of hemostats aids greatly in the lure or bait exchange. So light and small even recommended for fly fishing!

So there you have it in my opinion “The Perfect UL Set-Up”…. Lol … for now anyways

RSS

Latest Activity

John Sheehan commented on Troy Dorman's photo
Thumbnail

1000003857

"Posting some nice Fish, Troy!"
24 minutes ago
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

492222666_10238698533862060_5336729201480880262_n

"Fish are flopping around like its July up here and we haven't seen May yet! Very weird year!"
25 minutes ago
Bruce Tomaselli commented on Troy Dorman's photo
Thumbnail

1000003857

"I can just taste the fillets!"
9 hours ago
Troy Dorman posted photos
19 hours ago
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

491348751_10238683890455984_2672104245638727985_n

"Yes and very aggressive that Day!"
yesterday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
yesterday
John Sheehan replied to Bruce Tomaselli's discussion Unable to Log in
"No idea ,Bruce . It doesn't happen from my end! Hope it gets straightened out for you ."
yesterday
Bruce Tomaselli posted a discussion

Unable to Log in

It's curious. I can go for 3 to 5 days straight without being able to log in here. It happens quite…See More
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

Ringwood Brook Rainbow Trout

"Smoker time…..enjoy John!"
Friday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Friday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

489926224_10238683871295505_5852549182092207622_n

"Seeds always come to the party if they are in the area.,,,"
Friday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

492222666_10238698533862060_5336729201480880262_n

"Nice gill John…..on the little rap……..my dad loved putting that bait on a fly…"
Friday
John Sheehan posted photos
Friday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's status
"Somewhat surprised because it seemed like a quick turn on."
Thursday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on John Sheehan's status
"Good deal John…..were you confident or somewhat surprised by today’s success from…"
Wednesday
John Sheehan posted a status
"Some decent Gills and Crappie today from shore. Wish I got a Water temp. They were active between 11-noon!"
Wednesday
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

In the Net….4/20/2025

"Look how little my popeye jig looks by the tail.......catch so many bass every year on these small…"
Apr 21
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

491836771_10238604253985122_2836813665102144302_n

"Mid-May is a guess without checking my records, Jeff. "
Apr 20
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

wacky Bass on the Flats

"Thanks Dick, this lake is not producing like it has for Greg and I like it has in the past. We hope…"
Apr 20

© 2025   Created by Bluegill.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service