Do you love spending time outdoors fishing? Ultralight fishing is a great way to get started in the sport of fishing. In this guide, we will teach you everything you need to know about ultralight fishing so that you can get started today!
What is ultralight fishing?
Ultralight fishing is a type of fishing that uses very light tackle and equipment. The idea behind ultralight fishing is to use the lightest possible gear so that you can feel more bites and have more fun!
Ultralight fishing does not specifically refer to the size of fish you will be targeting, but to the weight of your tackle and gear. Usually it means, lures that are 1/32oz or lighter, line that is 6lb test or lighter, and really small reels and very light rods.
The benefit of ultralight fishing is you can catch a variety of species like bluegill, trout, perch, crappie and bass.
What do you need for ultralight fishing?
All you really need for ultralight fishing is a rod and reel that are designed for throwing ultralight lures. You can find these at most sporting goods stores or online. In addition, you will need some lures and tackle that are also designed for ultralight fishing.
Signup for my monthly newsletter to get content and gear recommendations every month. I'll send you stuff I like, I will never spam you.
The best ultralight fishing rod
Ultralight fishing deals with a lot of light line and lures. So you need a rod that you can actually cast out those lures. You can use a medium or medium light powered rod, but it’s going to be difficult to cast ultralight lures. We recommend is a light or ultralight powered rod.
Berkley Lightning Rod Trout Rod
Buy Now Disclaimer – This website uses affiliate links and get a small commission at no additional cost to you.The best bang for buck ultralight fishing rod in our opinion is the Berkley Lightning Rod Trout rod. It comes in varies lengths from 6’6″ to an 8″ version. It is an ultralight rod with moderate action that is good for any type of ultralight lure. You can throw anything from a light jig or an ultralight crank bait. It’s a good all around rod. They are also really affordable and you can go into almost any big box store and pick one up for around $40.
Other things to consider when looking for a good ultralight fishing rod is the length of your rod. Depending on your situation you may want a shorter rod if you have a lot of overhangs in your area. If you’re in an open water situation or need to be able to cast a long distance you might want a longer rod. The longer the rod the further you’ll be able to cast your lure out.
The best ultralight fishing reel
Shimano Sienna 1000 Spinning Reel
Buy Now Disclaimer – This website uses affiliate links and get a small commission at no additional cost to you.The best ultralight fishing reel for the money is the Shimano Sienna 1000. It’s a great choice for beginners and experienced anglers alike. The Shimano Sienna has a lightweight graphite frame, making it durable and sensitive. It’s really affordable at around $30 and can be found almost anywhere. Everyone that we know that has owned one of these reels has been very happy with their purchase.
When you’re buying an ultralight reel, you want to pay attention to the size of your reel. The worst thing you can do is buy a reel that is too big because then you have to fill that spool with a lot of line. You will also have a hard time casting out ultralight line on a big spool because it can get hung up easily.
The best fishing line for ultralight spinning reels
Berkley Trilene Sensation Fishing Line
Buy Now Disclaimer – This website uses affiliate links and get a small commission at no additional cost to you.Our favorite ultralight fishing line is Berkley Trilene Sensation. It’s a great option for ultralight anglers who want to use monofilament and not pay a lot for it. This isn’t cheap fishing line that will break and it’s definitely the best bang for buck on the market. We normally buy this in 2lb test and use 4lb test backing of cheap mono to save on fishing line.
You can also use braid or fluorocarbon on your ultralight reels. If you are using Braid, we recommend you use a leader to limit visibility of your line. The benefit of using light line on your ultralight fishing setups is increased casting distance. The lighter your line the further you can cast your lure out.
Ultralight fishing hooks and jigs
The best ultralight fishing hooks are small and sharp. We recommend going as light as possible whenever you can. 1/64 oz is our usual go-to weight, but we go higher in weight and lower depending on the situation.
1/64 oz. Mule Jig
Buy Now Disclaimer – This website uses affiliate links and get a small commission at no additional cost to you.Our favorite jigs are Mule Fishing Mule Jigs. They are great quality lures that designed specifically for multi-species light line angling. They come in various color options and weights so you can adjust to the fishing conditions of your local area.
Lures
Some of the best ultralight lures are small plastic grubs, minnows, and ultralight crank baits. These lures are easy to use and can be fished effectively in a variety of situations. Another great option is to use live bait such as worms or crickets.
Soft Plastics
Mule Fishing Donkey Tail Jr.
Buy Now Disclaimer – This website uses affiliate links and get a small commission at no additional cost to you.When it comes to soft plastics, smaller the better. Our favorites come from Mule Fishing, but you can also get great lures from Bobby Garland, Trout Magnet and Crappie Magnet, and of course the Berkley Gulp Minnow.
There are several brands out there, known and unknown but these are the brands we have tried and have had great success with.
Hard Baits
Ultralight Fishing hard baits are fun to throw and a great way to get a bite. They are easy to fish because for most of these you just throw them out and reel them back in.
Crankbaits
Ultralight fishing crankbaits can be found in almost any big box store or online retailer. You’ve probably seen stuff like Rapala jerkbaits, Rebel Wee craws, and other similar baits.
Rebel Super Teeny Wee-R Lure
Buy Now Disclaimer – This website uses affiliate links and get a small commission at no additional cost to you.Our favorite is the Rebel Super Teeny-Wee R crankbait. It’s has great action and can be casted a good distance. This is one of our favorite search baits to use from the bank or from the kayak when the fish are up shallow.
Inline Spinners
Inline spinners are great to throw when you’re first starting out. You can get a good bite year round.
Yakima Bait Original Rooster Tail Inline Spinner
Buy Now Disclaimer – This website uses affiliate links and get a small commission at no additional cost to you.Our favorite is the Original Rooster Tail from Yakima Baits. They can be found anywhere, come in a variety of colors, and are pretty affordable. Inline spinners are a popular trout fishing lure, but can catch a variety of species.
Ultralight Fishing Accessories
There are a few more things you’re going to want before you head out to the water. One of them we consider a necessity, the other is more of an extra.
Pliers
Berkley Hemostat Pliers
Buy Now Disclaimer – This website uses affiliate links and get a small commission at no additional cost to you.Hemostat pliers are a must have. When you’re ultralight fishing you are going to inevitably run into some small fish and those small fish have small mouths. When you hook a fish in the mouth sometimes you wont be able to get the lure out with your fingers and you’ll need some long thin pliers to do it. Hemostat pliers are here to help you out.
Bobbers and Floats
Mule Fishing Peg Float
Buy Now Disclaimer – This website uses affiliate links and get a small commission at no additional cost to you.Bobbers, floats, strike indicators. It doesn’t matter what you call them but they make the experience so much easier when you are running a float rig. We like the Mule Fishing Peg floats because they are high-viz in the water and work perfectly with ultralight jigs and lures.
What Kind Of Species Can You Catch Ultralight Fishing
- Bluegill
- Redear Sunfish (Shellcracker)
- Warmouth
- Pumpkinseed
- Green Sunfish
- Crappie
- Rockbass
- Largemouth Bass
- Smallmouth Bass
- Flier Fish
- Catfish
- Trout
Start Ultralight Fishing
This should set you up right to go fishing. All you need now is your fishing license and a fishing hole and you’ll be catching fish in no time!
