Drop shotting with ultra light gear

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Chris Blandi on November 8, 2012 at 9:02pm

That is going to be one worn out fishy.  I am still pushing myself to make the switch to 4 lb test.  :/

Permalink Reply by Nate on November 9, 2012 at 8:50am

I decided to try this out after watching some Jarret Edwards outdoors, threw on some four pound Trilene 100% and off I went.

Like Jake says, pretty sad day. Broke off a lot, lost a lot of line and term gear and didn't seem to get bit any better. It took a while to get adjusted to the limits of four pound line but once I did I boated a few fish. Biggest was probably 1.5# SM. It isn't for me. Too stressful. Its scary enough reeling fish with those tiny no. 1 and 2 DS hooks knowing how easily they unbutton.

6# is light enough for great action even on small minnow DS baits. But I am not a finesse guy, I prefer teaching my fish how to water ski on the way in.

Permalink Reply by Tag Watson on November 9, 2012 at 6:12pm

Chris B makes a great point.  These bed fish are stressed out enough as it is getting caught several times a day on a Saturday or Sunday.  If you must go out and catch bedded fish, the very best thing you can do from a conservation standpoint is to get the fish in quickly and release it immediately.  Fighting the fish on 2# test for 10 minutes when the fish could just as easily be caught with 65# hi-vis yellow braid and landed in 30 seconds makes no sense at all.  Not to mention the learning curve involved with equipment, drag, etc. for using such light line, guys would be breaking fish off left and right, leaving terminal tackle in their faces for no reason.

I hear of a few guys breaking off many average fish on 4 lb. test as it is.  I can only image the 2 lb. test debacle!

Permalink Reply by P.J. Koshi on November 10, 2012 at 4:05pm

If you have any experience using a drag or back reeling it is pretty easy to land fish on 4lb test using a high quality reel and a rod that is suitable for the application.  A 10lb salmon on 6/8lb is similar in my mind.  I don't think I have broken off with 4lb just for the simple fact it was 4lb.  I have broken off a few times, but that was operator error and mostly involved bad knot tying. Tag is right about bedding fish, and I was not specifically talking about fish sitting on beds, but just sight fishing in general.  That is where I think 2lb would shine.  Most of the time you are fishing shallow clear water and visibility is an important factor.  I fish some largemouth ponds in the basin that are very clear most of the summer and they have fish that get very little pressure, but behave very strangely.  That is where I plan to go try my really light line applications.  You can always see fish, but they are not always willing to bite and often they gravitate toward the boat and look at it...

Permalink Reply by Marc Marcantonio on November 10, 2012 at 6:24pm

For those looking for a great rod for 3-6 pound test, I will have several new Lamiglas EMG50 spinning rods for sale at the Tackle Swap Meet.

 

Catching double digit fish on 2-4 pound test is not as hard as many think, nor is it the secret to winning tournaments day in and out.  I grew up fishing with a flyrod for big trout in clear limestone streams, and practiced using light line to gain a competitive edge, and for the sporting opportunity.  The competitive edge works at the right time, or under the right conditions, but rarely dominates.  It is better used to catch that extra big bass when the going gets tough, or when sight fishing.

 

Catching big fish on light line is all about understanding line tensile strength, learning how to project force to set the hook without stressing the knot or tensile strength, using fine wire sharp hooks with small barbs, choosing hookpoints in line with the hook eye, choosing the right rod with a parabolic bend and proper line guide placement, understanding how to back reel to maintain even and constant pressure throughout the fight, and paying attention to details from knot tying to maintaining your equipment to be smooth and reliable. 

 

Playing fish over excessive time can be harmful to most fish as they build lactic acid throughout the fight, which makes it difficult for them to properly absorb oxygen in their blood and keep tissue healthy.  This is especially true on our smallmouth bass during the post spawn period through the fall.  At this time the bass fight hard to the point of exhaustion, and the water is warmer and dissolved oxygen is lower than other times of the year.  A bass can bleed from the gills from a hard fight without being cut, so don't play a bass forever needlessly especially when the water is at its warmest.  Also realize a stressed fish is more susceptible to disease, the effects of old age, and other problems that otherwise may not have affected that fish had it not been over-played.

Luckily we fish in generally cool water with good dissolved oxygen in Washington, and we don't have this problem compared to many regions.

 

ciao,
Marc Marcantonio

Permalink Reply by Kevin Jones on November 11, 2012 at 6:24pm

Being involved with Sunline from Japan, I am very much aware of the light line craze in Japan. I have fished many samples of 4lb and 4.5lb Sunline samples. I have noticed on certain bodies of water like Lake Washington, especially in mid summer on, that the lighter line can make a difference for me to up my weight. I have provide samples of Sunline to some of the best anglers in the state to try and the reports I have had back are very positive on the shooter invisible product offering. This is in the 4.5 to 5lb range. Because of these guys, that I have the utmost respect for, I will be fishing this line more. There is another line that I have experimented with called Guide Special FC Lake Biwako from Sunline. I have caught more quality fish with this line in the 6 to 7lb rating than any line I have ever used.  It is the most invisible line I have ever seen and was developed by Japan bass guides for there highly pressured lakes. The one negative is the line doesn't last very long and is expensive. So, reserving it for tournaments is the best move.

We plan on sponsoring the upcoming Wafish Tournament and hope to see you all there! 

Permalink Reply by Ronald Hobbs, Jr. on November 17, 2012 at 9:03am

I have used it, works great but a bit scary! I will bring the rod I used, I mainly use small hooks like the gamakatsu trout worm hook, seriously, size 10, small baits, snubs are the limit, size10 gamakatsu glo bug hooks work as well. I have some other baits like 2" panfish grubs, and a few other baits that the names are escaping me at the moment.

Permalink Reply by Ronald Hobbs, Jr. on November 17, 2012 at 9:04am

I would like to take a look at those.

Marc Marcantonio said:

For those looking for a great rod for 3-6 pound test, I will have several new Lamiglas EMG50 spinning rods for sale at the Tackle Swap Meet.

 

Catching double digit fish on 2-4 pound test is not as hard as many think, nor is it the secret to winning tournaments day in and out.  I grew up fishing with a flyrod for big trout in clear limestone streams, and practiced using light line to gain a competitive edge, and for the sporting opportunity.  The competitive edge works at the right time, or under the right conditions, but rarely dominates.  It is better used to catch that extra big bass when the going gets tough, or when sight fishing.

 

Catching big fish on light line is all about understanding line tensile strength, learning how to project force to set the hook without stressing the knot or tensile strength, using fine wire sharp hooks with small barbs, choosing hookpoints in line with the hook eye, choosing the right rod with a parabolic bend and proper line guide placement, understanding how to back reel to maintain even and constant pressure throughout the fight, and paying attention to details from knot tying to maintaining your equipment to be smooth and reliable. 

 

Playing fish over excessive time can be harmful to most fish as they build lactic acid throughout the fight, which makes it difficult for them to properly absorb oxygen in their blood and keep tissue healthy.  This is especially true on our smallmouth bass during the post spawn period through the fall.  At this time the bass fight hard to the point of exhaustion, and the water is warmer and dissolved oxygen is lower than other times of the year.  A bass can bleed from the gills from a hard fight without being cut, so don't play a bass forever needlessly especially when the water is at its warmest.  Also realize a stressed fish is more susceptible to disease, the effects of old age, and other problems that otherwise may not have affected that fish had it not been over-played.

Luckily we fish in generally cool water with good dissolved oxygen in Washington, and we don't have this problem compared to many regions.

 

ciao,
Marc Marcantonio

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