Fishing may feel like it’s all about the ultimate catch. The patience, the waiting game, the wakeful meditation. Maybe you love having a case with a few coolers and close friends along for the ride. As the misty mornings give way to sunlit afternoons, and then perfect sunsets, everything seems perfect.
Don’t let that discourage you from the fact that you didn’t catch anything, though. And why wasn’t that, anyway? It’s not like you’re complaining, but you were expecting a full bucket of prize catch, and you’re left with even less bait that you started with, but no fish!
Maybe it’s because you forgot about how important the right fishing gear is when going on a trip! If you’re still tying a line to any old rod and expecting that to do the trick, you’re in for a bitter reality check.
The first part of the battle is knowing what you need. The second part is knowing why you need it. We’re going to keep the answer very simple: you need an ultralight fishing rod. There, saved you a bunch of reading, didn’t we?
And now, here’s the why!
Going Light Allows You to Cast Far
That’s right, it’s not just about luring fish and getting them to bite. Having a lighter rod option is a completely viable option for many kinds of fish, even if you’re thinking about bringing in bass!
Lighter rods are excellent at helping you cast ultralight bait and lures. Say you’re fishing for smaller fare like stream trouts. They require lighter bait, and that’s impossible to cast with a medium-weight or heavier rod. You can try, but we don’t recommend it! These rods are also much easier to handle. They tend to be much better suited to lighter lines, which would break off super easily with a heavy rod.
Going with an ultralight spinning rod will enable you to use smaller lures and jigs, as well as more tender tackle. These things are not minor — they can be absolutely decisive when it comes to upping your chances to catch a fish, as even fish that would normally not be out for prey (non-predators) could bite one of these smaller lures.
Tactile Information
Another crucial point is that these ultralight poles convey much more tactile information about what’s going on below the surface. That means that you can feel your way around the underwater surface with much more detail; branches, stones, roots, rocks. The lightweight will also help you during those marathon sessions, and it won’t tire your arms out. Hey, we all want to have big guns, but there are more efficient ways to get them than by holding a heavy fishing rod all day.
And when the moment of excitement comes after all that waiting, you bet that you will feel every bit of that tug of war. As that fish fights for every inch, you’ll be in there every step of the way trying to come out on top. If you net a big prize, even more! Just imagine reeling in a huge bass, giving it all that you’ve got, and feeling like you earned every ounce of that big boy!
And yes, that’s another great point!
You’re Not Just Limited to Smaller Fish
Many rods, especially ultralight ones, are designed for panfish and trout. They’re hardly ideal for bass because of their very short range, which is usually between four to five feet. Another aspect that works against them is being very whippy throughout their whole length — the opposite of what you want when fishing bass.
If you want an ultralight rod, then you should pay attention to their flexibility. You want it to be able to stretch comfortably even when it’s under stress. When a big fish is pulling downwards and outwards or going every which way, you don’t want to be holding a rigid stick. You might as well try fishing with a discarded tree branch that you found floating around. A rod with a fast tip and a butt section with oomph is what you need.
And it needs to be longer! Between 6-and-a-half to 8-feet should do it.
You Avoid Tangles
Not everyone wants to deal with the hassle of untangling lines all day, and that’s A-OK. It not only removes the Zen-like aspect of fishing, but it’s also the type of drag you don’t want to bring into a fishing discussion.
You can mostly avoid this with a spinning rod, and that’s as perfect a combination of creature comfort and honorable fishing experience one could hope for!
Enough!
We won’t take up any more of your time. If you really want to up your ultralight spinning rod game, check out these reviews!
