The Great Outdoors

Ultralight Tackle

I've been into ultralight fishing for a few years now, but this season is the first time I've really felt like I've got everything dialed in. After a lot of experimenting, changing gear, and spending countless hours wet-wading small creeks, I finally have a setup that just works. None of this is revolutionary, but if you're looking to get into ultralight fishing or wondering what has worked well for me, hopefully you'll find something useful here.

The Rod

My go-to rod has been a Shakespeare Cirrus 5-foot ultralight, fast action graphite rod that I've owned since high school, roughly 20 years now.

I find the 5-foot length to be just about perfect. It slips through tight creek banks without constantly hanging up on branches, making it ideal for wet-wading small streams, while still casting surprisingly far for such a short rod. A lot of that casting performance comes from the line I'm using now, which I'll get to in a bit.

The rod isn't perfect. I constantly fight line wrapping around the lure keeper as well as around the tip guide, which has a small protrusion that seems determined to catch loose line whenever it gets the chance. Even so, it fishes well enough that I can't justify replacing it. I'd rather spend that money on lures and Gatorade.

The Reel

This season saw the addition of a KastKing Centron 500 spinning reel with a 5.2:1 gear ratio.

This thing is tiny, which is exactly what I love about it. Its small size and light weight pair beautifully with the short 5-foot rod and noticeably reduce fatigue after eight or more hours of casting.

Line twists and bird's nests haven't been much of an issue either. I haven't had a single problem that couldn't be solved by opening the bail and letting enough line peel off until everything sorted itself out.

For a reel that regularly sells for under $30, I really can't recommend it enough.

The Line

This season also brought some experimentation with fishing line.

I started the year using the tried and true Berkley Trilene XL 4-pound monofilament. As everyone already knows, it performs extremely well. While wandering through a local tackle shop one day, though, I found a spool of Leland Outdoors S.O.S. line for a good price and decided to give it a shot.

Originally I planned to save it until next season, but a rainy afternoon and excessive boredom convinced me to spool it onto the Centron early. Using the Trilene as backing, it went on smoothly without any issues.

The S.O.S. line has a diameter of 0.02mm which is the same for the Trilene XL 4-pound. On paper they are identical, but on ultralight tackle it made a dramatic improvement in casting distance. I'd estimate I gained somewhere around 30% more distance, which really changed how the entire setup performs.

The light green color initially gave me pause, but once submerged it practically disappears. I've never felt the need to add a leader.

My only complaint is that the line becomes much harder to see above the water. It's so thin and so naturally colored that tracking it from the rod tip to the surface can be difficult. Fishing unweighted drifts without a brightly colored float or indicator requires paying close attention.

Trout Magnets

I honestly don't think I'll ever go fishing again without a handful of Trout Magnets in my vest.

This was another addition to my tackle this season after spending most of my life throwing little curly-tail grubs. These tiny 1-inch plastics on 1/64-ounce jigheads are an absolute cheat code for multispecies fishing.

So far they've caught bluegill, pumpkinseed, shiners, creek chubs, rock bass, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and trout.

This has become my confidence lure. If nothing else is working, this is what comes out.

Whether I'm using a slow steady retrieve or simply casting upstream and letting it drift naturally with the current, they consistently catch fish. If one color isn't producing, I simply switch to another. My strategy has been to start with the brightest, most unnatural colors and gradually move toward more natural presentations if needed.

The Leland Shad Dart jigheads really do make a difference. Unlike a traditional ball head that tends to nose-dive, these fall almost perfectly horizontal, giving the plastic a much more natural presentation.

More than once I've shared a creek with several other fishermen and been the only one catching fish simply because I tied on a Trout Magnet.

Inline Spinners

Inline spinners are another new addition this season.

Ironically, I avoided them for years because I disliked treble hooks. They're excellent at snagging rocks, logs, and vegetation, and since I'm 100% catch and release, I also wasn't thrilled about the extra damage they can cause to fish.

Lately I've started adding more single-hook inline spinners and spoons to my tackle, although Rooster Tails have become a favorite despite the trebles.

When wet-wading, I almost always lose at least one lure to a rock before the day is over, although I usually manage to recover it. I've also had surprisingly good luck finding other anglers' lost lures hanging in trees or wedged between rocks. Sometimes it really pays to get your feet wet.

A simple rule I follow is gold blades for stained or dark water and silver blades for clear water. I usually begin with white or yellow bodies and work toward darker colors if the bite slows down.

One thing I really enjoy about spinners is how quickly I can change tactics. A small snap swivel lets me swap lures in seconds as conditions change.

Some anglers insist snap swivels ruin the presentation, but these aren't finesse lures. They're already a chunk of wire with a flashing blade spinning behind them. You're not trying to fool the fish into believing it's natural. You're trying to trigger a reaction strike by activating its predatory instincts.

Other Tackle

A small two-sided Plano box lives permanently in my fishing vest, and I keep another nearly identical box in my car for those inevitable spur-of-the-moment fishing trips.

The basics are always there: snap swivels, split shot, floats, and spare jigheads.

Bubble floats, the hollow plastic floats that can be partially filled with water for casting weight, have become a favorite over weighted bobbers. They cast farther, create less splash, and seem less noticeable to fish. Traditional unweighted bobbers rarely make it into the box anymore.

Simple Beetle Spins with both silver and brass blades are another staple. They're inexpensive, incredibly effective, and absolutely deadly on rock bass. I'll usually pair one with a black 1/16-ounce jighead and either a white or green pumpkin curly-tail grub. There's really no need to overcomplicate it.

The box still contains a variety of tiny crankbaits, jerkbaits, and other hard lures, but if I'm honest, they just don't get used much anymore. I haven't had nearly the success with them that I've had using soft plastics or inline spinners.

The one exception is tiny poppers. I was skeptical at first, but after recently catching a smallmouth on one, I'm officially a believer. They're a blast to fish. One thing I have learned, though, is that they need to be tied directly to the line. The extra weight of a snap swivel interferes with the action enough that they simply don't perform as well.

The larger spoons and Rooster Tails pictured in the photo were all recovered from the creek itself, either hanging from overhanging branches or wedged between rocks. I keep those around for experimenting or fishing especially snaggy water. If I didn't pay for it, I don't mind losing it.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, remember that this is simply what has worked for me. Ultralight fishing is one of those parts of the hobby where there are a dozen right answers, and half the fun is experimenting until you find a setup that matches the way you fish. None of the gear here is particularly expensive or flashy, but it's dependable, catches fish, and keeps me smiling from the first cast until I hike back to the truck. If you're just getting started, don't feel like you need to buy the latest and greatest equipment. Grab a simple rod, a handful of Trout Magnets and spinners, get your feet wet, and start exploring. The fish won't know how much you spent, and neither will the memories.

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Kids' Free Fishing Day '26

My oldest with her first fish!

June 6th this year marked an incredible milestone for my oldest daughter AKA "Sparky". It was Tennessee’s Free Fishing Day (not that she requires a license at her age). The TWRA hosted two well-run events in our area, one at a public lake and another at a private lake, and we were able to attend both.

We not only enjoyed a free breakfast but also a complimentary lunch, along with several door prizes. My daughter came home with a new camp chair and a live-catch basket for her next fishing trip.

Most importantly, she caught a total of 13 fish on her first outing ever. All were sunfish varieties, including bluegill, green sunfish, pumpkinseed, and a few hybrids.

She has not stopped asking to go back out whenever we get a free afternoon. I would call that a successful first trip.

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