Light tackle Techniques Fishing

Anglers often talk about using light tackle, which is a vague term that means different things to different people. There is no established standard for what constitutes light tackle, since the species, size of average catch, angling circumstances, and other factors all vary on a case by case basis in both freshwater and saltwater. Furthermore, some tackle that would be considered heavy in freshwater is considered light in certain saltwater situations. For example, 4- to 8-pound line on spinning tackle is light for largemouth bass and northern pike, but 12-pound test on baitcasting tackle used for the same species is not. Yet, 12-pound baitcasting tackle is light for muskellunge, and lighter spinning gear is inappropriate for that species. The same 12-pound baitcasting tackle would be light for casting to saltwater stripers and ultralight if used on tarpon.

Although most people directly associate light tackle with the breaking strength of the line, this is not an absolute criterion. Generally, the use of any gear that calls upon above-average efforts to hook, play, and land a fish is light. If even greater effort or more extreme skill is needed to do these things, it is ultralight.

Thus, the hallmarks of using lighter than average fishing equipment are a good bow in the rod, a lot of stress on the line, a good scrap by small fish and a real battle for larger ones, and the need to take extra steps to keep a moderate-size fish from getting free. They also include taking more than a few seconds to land even a small fish and using skills and finesse more often than brawn.

Since ultralight fishing is just an extension of using light tackle, and in some cases may be nearly the same thing, it will be considered the same for purposes of reviewing the basic aspects of light-tackle fishing.

Advantages

In addition to the obvious elements of fun and challenge, there are practical advantages to using light gear, especially line that is lighter in strength than might ordinarily be employed. One of these advantages is producing more strikes. In many circumstances—including when fish are spooky, heavily pressured, or gener-ally turned off—using a fine-diameter line and a lighter lure will induce more strikes, and the lighter tackle is especially beneficial when angling in very clear water. Also, a light line can make a strike easier to detect and make your cast go farther.

Casting distance is an overrated aspect of angling (see: casting) because there are downsides to making long casts (it is more difficult to set the hook when a fish strikes a long distance away). However, when you must fish in a stiff wind, a lighter and finer-diameter line offers less wind resistance.

Necessary components

No matter how you define light tackle or what you fish for, the elements of using it are the same. Rods used for light tackle fishing tend to be a bit limber in order to provide more of a cushion for the lightness of the line. They can be short for small fish like stream trout or panfish, but a longer rod is a distinct advantage for landing big fish. Long rods (7 to 9 feet is the norm but 10- to 14-footers are used by some anglers) give you more leverage to pressure a fish, putting less strain on your arms and wrists, and they’re very helpful when a hooked fish is near the boat and you need to steer around obstacles.

An important aspect of light tackle use is having fresh line in top condition. Using light line, fishing in demanding circumstances, and playing large fish require the most from your line (see: line). Light line must be checked periodically for nicks and abrasions, and replaced more often if severely stressed. Only the best knots, tied consistently perfect, will do for light tackle, since more is demanded of these critical connections.

Hooksetting (see) can be more difficult with light line if you’re timid, but you must be able to set the hook with authority no matter what tackle you use, and this requires confidence in the condition of your line and the ability of your knots. Hooksetting is enhanced by having the sharpest hooks. Main-taining ultrasharp hooks (see: hook sharpening) also helps minimize losing fish.

Another aid to successful fishing with light tackle is using a doubled length of line or a heavier leader, both to ensure greater strength in the knot and to help minimize the effects of abrasion. Some fish writhe a lot in the water near the boat and can easily wrap themselves up in the first few feet of line. They can snap it under the right circumstances, or at least abrade it. The doubled line or heavier leader makes dealing with strong fish on light tackle easier at the boat, which is where a lot of good fish are lost. Depending on the species and the circumstances, you may want to double the last 3 to 5 feet of light line used on casting tackle with a Bimini Twist or Spider Hitch knot (see: knots, fishing), keeping it just short enough that the knot doesn’t reach the spool of the reel. You should have no trouble casting these knots through the rod guides if you make them correctly, especially with smaller lines.

When angling for big fish with light line on a spinning outfit, it can be worthwhile to first make a 3- to 4-foot section of doubled line and then add a 2- to 3-foot heavier leader to it using a Uni Knot. Tying good knots is obviously very important here, but this setup really helps avoid abrasion and overcome near-the-boat stress. For some toothy species, add a short wire leader to the heavier monofilament leader or to the doubled line.

Another key component of light-line fishing is using drag (see) properly. You should have a reel with a smooth-operating drag, one that doesn’t stick when initially needed and doesn’t jerk or hesitate during use. Setting the drag properly is critical when tangling with strong fish on light tackle because the drag will be used often. Do not set the drag too loose, which impedes hooksetting (the drag slips) and puts too little pressure on a fish; and don’t set it too tight, which might cause the line to snap under the extreme pressure of a surging fish. Knowing your limits, based on the line strength, the effectiveness of your knots, and the type of tackle that you’re using, will determine how you play a fish caught on light tackle.

Playing and landing fish

Under ideal conditions of little boat traffic or few anglers nearby, you can play a strong fish in open water without too much difficulty because the line has nothing to snag on. The deck can be cleared and the boat maneuvered to your advantage. If the drag is set properly, the fish can take plenty of line and do its stuff. But if there are obstructions beneath the surface, or if you hook a big fish unexpectedly in a place having plenty of snags, then you have to be very aggressive and take the fight to the fish as quickly and as well as you can.

Fish captured on any tackle are easier to release if they are landed as quickly as possible. Since a quick landing is a little more difficult with light tackle, an extra effort must be made to play the fish correctly; if the landing takes too long, the fish may be so thoroughly exhausted that it cannot recover when (if) it is released.

By pumping and reeling and keeping pressure on the fish at all times, you tire it out. When you rest on a big fish, it rests and the battle is prolonged. So you must work the fish constantly (see: playing fish).

If you use good equipment, including a quality line with a knot that retains full strength and a rod with backbone, you can pressure a fish very well with light tackle. Depending on whether you’re in a boat in open water or on a river bank, you’ll probably be unable to land a really big fish by playing tug-of-war. You’ll have to pump and reel whenever possible to gain on the fish, but you’ll almost certainly have to change your position to work the fish more effectively. You may have to walk the bank or wade downstream after a big river fish because you won’t have the muscle to coerce it back upstream. You may have to get below the fish or at least get into a section of river that has less current. On a lake, you may need to move the boat in order to change the angle of pull on the fish.

With light tackle it’s important to pressure a fish from the very beginning and to periodically change the angle of tension from vertical to horizontal (left and right), which directs the fish away from obstructions and keeps it disoriented. When the fish swims off, let the drag do the work; otherwise, try to gain line at every chance. If the drag is a bit too loose and the line slips when you pump, use some extra tension (place your thumb on a baitcasting spool, palm on a spinning-reel spool, and fingertips on the inside of a fly-reel spool).

Disadvantages

Using light tackle does have a few disadvantages. It’s possible that you might lose a few more fish with light tackle than you would ordinarily. If you can lose a good fish and not be upset about it, if you can lose a good fish and still enjoy the moment, if you can lose a good fish and feel good for the fish—then you have the right attitude for using light (and especially ultralight) gear. You’ll definitely lose more lures and hooks with light tackle than with heavier gear; light line is frayed and weakened more easily, mistakes are magnified, and hangups on the bottom are harder to free. Also, since you generally can’t use large, heavy lures, casting and hooksetting may pose problems.

These are minor issues, however. Light tackle under the right circumstances is very appropriate for freshwater and saltwater, and more people should gear up for fish of average size than for extreme size. However, some circumstances are inappropriate for light tackle, so be practical. Largemouth bass, for example, are caught in some areas where you can’t work an appropriate lure if your tackle is too light; it would not be good sportsmanship to hook a large bass in a field of lily pads by using a wimpy rod and super-fine line, only to have the fish break off with a hook in its mouth and probably trailing a stream of nylon line. Ditto for when you’re steelhead fishing in a deep swift pool and have to use many ounces of lead to get a bait or lure down; there you need a heavy rod to muscle fish away from snags, other anglers, anchor lines, and the like.

You can catch big fish on light tackle, as well as more fish of average size, if you know what you’re doing. The seriousness and the effect of making mistakes when using ultralight gear is greatly magnified. The margin of error is slim, and there’s no gimme even if you use perfect knots, have good reel drag, and skillfully battle fish. Therefore, it takes a more complete angler, with well-rounded skills, to be consistently effective.

Using a long rod with light line, an angler can cast great distances but faces the challenge of delicately working a fish; this scene is in the Beaufort Sea at Victoria Island, Nunavut Territory.[c12uf019_lighttacklefishing