First, put a regular hook on the line, and find something sturdy that you can hook it to outside. Make sure you have a clear area, so you can let out about 10 yards, or 30 feet of line. You want to do this on monofilament, and fluorocarbon fishing lines, and they will snap, where braid won’t. Ultralight Braided Fishing Line has a different technique, where you just adjust it according to the bend of the rod. Just enough to keep from snapping it!

Once you have about 30 feet out, tighten the drag down as tight as possible. In most cases, with this much line out, you won’t be able to put enough pressure to snap it. If you do feel like it will snap though, loosen the drag a few clicks.

Now reel in about 10 feet. Test again, pulling against the hook to find the point that the line or the rod feels like they are going to break. Loosen the drag until it starts letting off pressure.

Ok, reel in another 10 feet or so. This is for when the fish is right next to the bank, or at the side of the boat. Put as much pressure as you can with one hand, trying to find that magic point. This is where you want to loosen it just enough to allow your drag and bail to spin. Not freely though. Loosen it in small intervals to ensure the best placement. When the drag on your open reel is set correctly at this point, you will be able to put enough pressure on the fish to control him, but once he makes his powerful runs next to the bank or boat, he will be able to pull some drag, but with enough resistance to tire him down.

Now that we have discussed a few Must Have Baits For Ultralight Fishing, how about a discussion on the line types used to hold those things to your reel. The general rule on line type, is you get what you pay for. If you spend $4 on some fishing line, expect it to break … at the worse possible time. I am not telling you to spend $40 on a spool, but just know going into it, that if you buy cheap things, you get cheap quality.

Up to bat first is my favorite for Ultralight Fishing, is braided line. This stuff comes in high pound test, and still maintains small diameter ratings. The stuff I typically use it Power Pro 10/2 in the Moss Green. The 10 stands for 10 lb test, and the 2 means it has a 2 lb test diameter. Extremely thin. If the Moss Green color is too hard for you to see, try going with the yellow color instead. It is so thin, that I haven’t noticed a difference in bites between the colors, but yellow is a little bit easier to see if you are required to watch your line.

Braided Line is super sensitive, and has no stretch at all. You need this when ultralight fishing, because of the normal use of exposed hooks. Fish can spit the bait out easily, but with braided line, you feel that “tick” a lot more often. Then all you have to do is sweep your rod tip. Braided line has the best abrasion resistance. Watch around rocky areas though, as they do tend to have a weakness torwards rocks.

Remember though, with braided line, especially this thin, KEEP YOUR FINGERS AWAY FROM IT WHEN A FISH IS RUNNING, OR YOU ARE REELING. This stuff is like a razor blade when it gets moving, and you will get cut down to the bone in the blink of an eye if you are not careful.

The second runner up, and my second favorite is fluorocarbon line. This line right here has almost zero stretch, and virtually disappears underwater. I prefer using Suffix Elite 4lb test when the water is extremely clear, or the fish are weary of the braided line. The zero stretch does allow you to feel “ticks” more often, but with zero stretch, you have to make sure your ultralight fishing reels drag is set low enough that you don’t break the rod. Also, make sure you wet your knot with some saliva before tightening down on a fluorocarbon line. It can snap, or burn the line, weakening it. Flurocarbon line sinks, so use it when fishing baits like jigs, worms, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, etc.

Fluorocarbon line has incredible abrasion resistance, however on the smaller diameters, you still must be careful around sharp objects, and rocks. Be sure to check your line often, feeling for knicks, cuts, or gouges. If you find any, it is time to retie.

Third on the list is monofilament. This stuff is unique, in that it has a nice stretch, but still maintains low visibility in the water. It also floats on top of the water, which makes it perfect for topwater situations! When I am throwing buzzbaits, minnows, spooks, or other topwaters, I always make sure I am using monofilament, to ensure the proper action from the bait that I am fishing. The stretch comes into play when a fish takes your bait. With braided or flurocarbon having no stretch, you will almost instinctively pull the bait from the fishes mouth. Monofilament has a good amount of stretch to allow you to “feel” the fish before you sweep the hookset. Monofilament will get cut if the fish runs into the slop. Make sure you are fishing relatively clear areas if you plan on using monofilament line.

Last on the list, and one that I personally despise, Copolymer. This line is made up of some cheap stuff, almost junk. I have gone through a few spools trying to give it a good name, however, every spool had the exact same defects. When going to tie a knot with this line, you cannot tighten it down at all. As soon as you tug on the tag, and the spool line, it is going to break. Needless to say, I never actually caught a fish using this stuff. If it broke in between my fingers, I can only imagine what would happen if a bass’s largemouth and sandpaper lips rubbed it. Done for I tell ya!

Fishing in ponds requires a different technique than fishing off of a boat. You have to remain quiet on the bank, and make precise casts. Here are a few tips to help you catch more fish on the pond!

The next time you go out for some fishing in ponds make sure you keep a few things in mind. Most of the time, these ponds are pressured. Fish have learned what to associate with danger. This could be voices echoing through the water, footsteps, loud baits, flashy baits, even catching too many fish. Try these tips when you are on the water. You will catch more fish.

When you walk up to the bank, make your first cast for 10-15 feet back. The reason being, there are usually fish in the shallows, and bass and catfish are spooky. If you run them off, you are going to put that area of the pond on alert. This will make your catching a lot more difficult.

Fish have also learned to associate negatives such as listed in the first paragraph as a sign that danger is around. To them, danger is getting hooked in the mouth, and yanked from the water. Make sure you wear natural colors so that you don’t throw the fish off either. If you can see them, they can see you. They can also see you when you can’t see them. Keep this in mind when you are fishing in ponds and you will have a better catch.

In this edition, I will tell you 5 baits that I believe you must have in your ultralight fishing tackle box! There are a couple old ones in there, but they are classics that still work today. So the next time you pick up your ultralight fishing rod, make sure these are in your tackle box!

The first, is the all time favorite. Brought around in 1949 by Mr. Nick Creme, the Plastic Worm. This thing has caught more fish than all other baits combined probably. You can’t go wrong with a 4″ plastic worm with a curly tail in either green pumpkin, or junebug. Guaranteed fish catcher, just change up your presentation.

Second in the list, is the Rapala Floating Minnow. This thing is a topwater spook-type bait, or a shallow diving crankbait, depending on what the fish prefer that day. One other thing I like about the Minnow, is the ability to dead-stick it. I have caught more fish taking a break and talking for a second, then moving the bait again, than any other presentation. On an ultralight fishing rod with light line, these ultralight lures fly a country mile! Pick up the F4 size, it is perfect for ultralight gear.

The next would have to be a grub. The good old 2″ plastic grub. It doesn’t look like much, a little round body with a curly tail, on a jig head. To a fish though, it is exactly what they want. A slow moving, chunk of food. You can fish it deep to shallow, slow or fast. You can even burn the tail on top of the water like a buzzbait! I prefer green pumpkin with a chartreuse tail, or black, with black jig heads on both.

Fourth is the spinnerbait. I like a Booyah Pond Magic 3/16 ounce. The 1/8 ounce baits just don’t do it for me for some reason. I have had some decent size (or what I believe) fish break them. The Pond Magics hold up, but after a few months of steady catching fish, you do have to replace the skirt. You can pick up replacements easily though, online. I like the Chartreuse color for muddy water, and the White with Gold Blades for stained and clear water.

The last, but not the least, the skirted jig. Yes, even on an ultralight line, these things are proven “big” fish catchers. You will catch a lot of fish on ultralight gear, but your spinnerbait, and jig fish are going to be bigger. There is something to the bulk of the bait that pushes smaller fish out. When it comes to jig fishing, I prefer the Booyah Bitsy Bug 3/16 ounce, and 1/4 ounce. For clear water I will use the Green / Brown color they provide, and for stained water I will use black and blue. For the really muddy water, I will add a small glass rattle to help the fish locate the bait.

Ultralight fishing is by far one of the best ways to catch a large number of fish, ranging in species from catfish, sunfish, crappie, bass, and so many more. There are a bunch of reasons why ultra light fishing has taken off, and continues to gain popularity as each year passes. This guide is going to become your go-to for any information regarding ultralight bass fishing. You can learn to catch a huge number of fish each and every time you go out to the pond, creek, or lake.

It isn’t just smaller fish that you catch either, I have caught some nice sized keepers using ultralight gear. Fish up to 3, 4, and even a 5lb 4oz beauty that was caught using a 1/8oz Mepps inline spinner, when everybody else was struggling to pull in bite sized panfish all day. This is why I love ultralight fishing, and why I believe so many people are coming to find that light sized tackle is the way to go. I’m not telling you to sell your “professional” gear, but when it comes time to have fun, and catch a lot of fish, bust out the light tackle!

The Ultralight Fishing Rod Explained

When people think about ultralight fishing rods, they typically assume a 4ft long piece of radio antenna that couldn’t reel in a fiesty sunfish let alone a decent bass or catfish. Getting hung up on this notion is the reason I feel that a lot of people have disregarded ultralight fishing as a means to bag more fish. This is a mistake though, because technology has advanced dramatically over the years, and the new ultralight fishing rod isn’t just a simple buggy whip with some 2lb line attached to it. There is a long research and development process that goes into these rods. After all, when people buy an ultralight rod, they usually spend a decent amount of money on it, and want it to not only work well, but last a long time too.

The shorter rods in the 4′0″ range should really be avoided. These rods have absolutely no casting distance to them, and generally don’t have much of a backbone either. If you are simply throwing little pieces of bread, with a #8 hook, ripping the lips off the sunfish, then by all means, you can get away with a 4ft long rod. If you plan to target anything bigger, you are definatly going to want a heavier duty, while still ultralight or light action, fishing rod, in a longer length as well.

Ultralight fishing rods that fall into the range of the 4′6″ to 5′0″ are going to provide you better casting distance, but it still isn’t going to be that great. You can achieve decent casting accuracy with a rod of this length, and most manufacturers that are putting rods out in this category are putting a little more into the backbone of the rod, to help you fight fish better.

Rods that go from 5′6″ to 6′0″ are a great all around rod length. You can’t go wrong if you pick up a decent rod in this range. It will take a little extra practice to get the accuracy down, but once you do, it will pay off. The casting distance on these rods is dramatically increased over the shorter rods, and there is a lot more fiberglass and graphite to help strengthen up the backbone of the rod. This means you can cast farther, with lighter lures, and reel in bigger fish.

The ultralight fishing rods that I love to use are the 6foot 6inch models, and the 7feet long rods. These long rods will let you cast almost completely across a small retention pond or creek. The length allows you to fight fish with ease, and control their every move. Getting a quality rod in this length though, is going to cost you some money. Trust me though, if you are serious about ultralight fishing, and really want to catch more fish, not just hit and miss on the pond, you have to get a long rod. The casting distance, accuracy, line control, backbone, all of it adds up to landing you not only a lot of fish, but big fish too. Again, distance and backbone plays the biggest role in the ultralight fishing rods.

Ultralight Fishing Reels From Front To Back

Let’s start with ultralight spinning reels. These hand held reels often pack quite a little punch. You have to remember though, when you are going to be looking for any ultralight reels, that you get what you pay for. If you pay $20 for a combo, expect to get about 2 trips out of it. The third trip, it’s gonna give out on you, I promise. Spinning reels have to have a decent price tag on them, to ensure that quality parts are being used .. price is a direct relation to the life of your reel, even moreso if you don’t take care of it.

These spinning reels typically have drags from 2lbs up to 10lbs on some of the beefier ultralight reels. You have to pay close attention when you are setting the drag, because on the better reels, if you are using 2lb test, and set the drag to 3lbs, you are going to break off fish after fish, until you figure out what is causing that to happen. 9 times out of 10, it is because your drag is set too stiff.

Tip: When you are using a spinner reel and ultralight line, make sure that you close the bail using your hand. Don’t start reeling as soon as your bait hits the water, because using the reel to close the bail will cause line twist. At the end of the day, you are going to have headaches trying to clear out all this line. When you close the bail by hand, it completely avoids line twist.

I personally tend to avoid ultralight closed face reels, because I used them as a kid, and have that hangup that they are kids fishing reels. They do catch fish, ask my daughter — she tears ‘em up every trip on a barbie rod with a closed face reel. The drags can get quite beefy, especially with companies like Zebco, so you can’t really go wrong matching one up to a decent rod. Just expect to spend a few bucks on a decent model, so that you can get some life out of it. These reels are generally best for beginners to use, because you can simply push a button and sling a lure. The casting distance is decreased over a spinning reel, however.

Ultralight fishing with a baitcaster is possible! We tested it recently, putting to work the Daiwa Pixy, and the Calcutta 50, to determine if slinging light weight lures is really possible with a baitcaster. These techniques are not for beginners, by any means. For that matter, even people just beginning with a baitcaster should avoid trying to throw ultralight lures on one of these reels.

We ended up going with a BassPro Pro Lite Finesse baitcaster, matched to a medium light Crankin’ stick. This ended up not being ultralight fishing after all was said and done, but it is fun to throw my 1/4oz baits on it. The 1/8oz baits ended up being more pain than it was worth at the end of the day, and I have no inclination to attempt throwing that small of a bait on a baitcaster again. It wasn’t fun, but it is possible.

Differences In Types Of Ultralight Fishing Line

There are four main types of ultralight fishing line, and while I only prefer to use three of them, we’re going to cover all of them, just for the sake of knowledge. You will learn why I only like to use the three types of lines, and each has their place and time to be used.

Monofilament line is one of my personal favorites to use on ultralight fishing gear, because it floats. I love fishing with micro sized topwater baits, watching all types of fish explode on them, so monofilament is usually included on at minimum one of my rods. Monofilament also provides excellent stretch, so that when you are fishing topwaters, you don’t automatically rip the bait out of the fishes mouth. It is possible to do on ultralight gear, and when you see the explosion, it happens a lot.

This type of line also provides better control of your topwater lures, because you aren’t pulling it through the water before it moves the lure. That typically causes the lure to dive down into the water, something you don’t usually want with a topwater. Because the line floats, it is always ready to work the lure. This type of line is also a little harder to bust, because of an improper drag setting.

Fluorocarbon fishing line is something I love to use when I am fishing baits below the waters surface. Spinners, jigs, worms, crankbaits, you name it, if it is under the water, I have to have florocarbon on my rod. The action is completely different for submerged baits when you use Floro over Monofilament, always for the better.

Fluorocarbon provides you with minimal stretch, so you have to ensure that your drag is set properly in order to avoid breaking off fish after fish. The good part about providing minimal stretch is that you can feel a lot more of the smaller bites and submerged objects, than you can when you are using monofilament. Again, just make sure your drag is set properly when you use flurocarbon.

Braided fishing line is another type that I love to use on ultralight tackle. It does sink, so I use it only when I am fishing cranks, spinners, worms, or jigs. Where I prefer to use this type of line, is when the pond or creek I am fishing has tons of debris in the water. I don’t mean debris like trash and garbage, but stumps, sticks, rocks, weeds, you know, the type of stuff fish love to hide in. Just because ponds are loaded down with this type of structure and cover, doesn’t mean that you can’t use ultralight fishing tackle to bag some fish out of it.

Ultralight braided fishing line provides no stretch at all, and you feel every little tick, thump, bump, and grind on the bottom, or from fish. I love it because of the sensitivity it provides, but I despise it because of its strength. 1lb test braided line typically has 10 lbs of breaking strength. Try breaking 10lb test on an ultralight rod, and you’ll see what I am talking about. Before you start fishing with braid, make sure you know how to “pluck the string” in order to dislodge your baits from hangups and snags. Please, do not just cut the line, and leave it for later. You’re a poor fishermen if you do that! Braided fishing line also does incredibly well in the weedy areas where you often find grass carp. That’s just one of the many carp fishing tips we have to offer.

The Best and Classic Ultralight Fishing Lures

Some of the lures that I love to use for ultralight bass fishing have been around for decades. One of them was brought around in 1949, and still continues to bag me a grip of fish every time I use it. I prefer the 4″ version, but if they are fiesty, or the water is murky, I will go up to the 6″ thinner profile versions. The lure I am talking about, is the plastic worm. My go to colors are watermelon pepper, tequila sunrise, junebug, and pumpkinseed.
Another ultra light fishing lure that I love to use is the small spinnerbaits. Not just any spinnerbait, but Johnson’s Beetlespin, Mepp’s inline spinners, and Blakemore’s Roadrunner. These three spinner type baits have landed me more fish, than most of the other lures in my tackle box combined. In the Beetlespin, I love using the white with the red stripe, and black with the yellow stripe. If the water is clear, go with the neon green, translucent color. For the Mepps, go with the natural baitfish colors that are in the area. I have had great success with the bumblebee, black and yellow color for some reason. For the Roadrunner, black and chartreuse. Fish it slow, and then go slower.

Crankbaits also have their place on the end of an ultralight rod, and there are two types that I have grown to love over the years. The Strike King Bitsy Pond Minnow, and the Bomber Model A, in the small sizes. These two lures are excellent when the bigger fish are keying in on smaller minnow sized baitfish, or spawned out fry. Use these lures on long rods, so you can cast them extremely long distances, and work them back. It really pays off.

Ultralite bass jigs are a great way to bag some bigger fish in the pond. The full size versions of these baits are known as being big fish lures, and the ultralight jigs are no different. There is something about the chunkiness and the way these baits move underwater that attracts bites from bigger fish. I prefer using colors like black and blue, and green and brown combinations. These have been my proven colors time and time again.

A Few Ultralight Bass Fishing Tips

Make sure to check your line after each fish. Little knicks and gouges in the line can cause you to break fish off, if you’re not paying attention to the line, right around the lure.

Close the bail manually on spinning reels. Using the reel to close the bail will cause line twist, but closing it by hand after each cast will dramatically reduce your birds nests at the end of the day.

Longer rods cast smaller baits a lot farther. Long ultralight fishing rods cast small baits extremely far distances. Sometimes, you can even unload the spool.

So, you, like myself and many others, get lost in the bombardment of selections in the fishing section. So many choices, so much money, where do I start, what color works best, how do I catch more fish. Trust me, I ask myself the same questions over and over again. This is why I took up Ultralight Fishing. You just catch more fish, period. In this article, I will show you 5 baits that are proven fish catchers, some classics in here!

The first, is an all time favorite, and definate classic by any definition. Brought around in 1949 by Mr. Nick Creme, the plastic worm has been catching fish longer than many of us have been around. You can’t go wrong with a 4″ plastic worm with a curly tail, in either green pumpkin, or junebug. Guaranteed fish catcher. If you aren’t getting bit, change your presentation.

Second up is the Rapala Floating Minnow. The jointed version of this lure acts like a topwater spook type bait, but when you reel faster it acts like a shallow diving crankbait. Either way, when the fish are active, this is one of my go-to baits. One thing I do like about the floating minnow is the ability to dead stick it. I have caught more fish, taking a break and talking, then moving it again, than any other presentation. The F4 size in silver with black back is a perfect color in just about any water.

The next one is the classic grub. The good old plastic 2″ grub. It doesn’t look like much, a little round body with a curly tail, on a jig head. To a fish though, it is exactly what they want. A slow moving, chunk of food. You can fish it deep to shallow, fast or slow. Try burning the tail across the top of the water like a buzzbait in the morning or evenings. I use green pumpkin with a chartreuse tail, or even black. Black jig heads on both.

Fourth on the list, is the Booyah Pond Magic 3/16 ounce spinnerbait. We all know that spinnerbaits catch fish. Swim them along the bottom, just fast enough to let the blades flutter, jig it, burn it on top, or wake it just below the surface. These things catch fish, plain and simple. I like the firetiger color for muddy water, and the white with copper blades for stained water. I don’t fish much clear water, but if you do, try White/Silver/Chartreuse mix, with silver blades.

Last, but not the least, is the skirted jig. Even on ultralight fishing gear, these things are proven “big” fish catchers. You catch a grip of fish on ultralight gear, but the skirt jig weeds out the smaller fish. I rarely catch a fish under 1lb using a skirted jig and trailer fishing in ponds.

This article has been provided to you as a service from The Ultralight Fishing Blog. If you find it informative, feel free to stop by and take a look at our other featured posts! New content streaming in all the time!

Have you tried tossing a jig lately? They are guaranteed big fish baits, so why haven’t you? In this case, we are going to scale down sizes a bit, instead of targeting just LARGE fish, we’re gonna empty the pond! Find out how to fish it!

Start by lightly flipping one of these baits using a spinning rod. Pick any spot along the bank that is different than the rest. The spots that usually stick out to your eyes are the places where bass are grouping. They like different settings too! Get the jig to softly land in the water, and let it sit for a few seconds. Give it a light hop or two to get it in motion, and then just squeeze your rod handle to make the hairs breathe a bit. The bass are going to eat it up. Most of the time, the fish will just suck the bait up, and you won’t feel anything. Other times, you might feel a light “tick”. Set the hook.

Around standing timber, and docks are also good places to toss the Booyah Bitsy Bug. Letting these lightweight baits fall along pylons, and stick ups are great for thumping bass on top of the nose. The small profile even allows you to skip the jig up underneath the dock to work it back to you. There are many applications, and I have even learned that on some days, the bass just prefer it swimming along the bottom. I prefer using the black/blue and the green/brown colors in both 1/8 and 1/4 oz depending on the wind or current.

We all know that jigs are big bass baits, but what about the smaller versions, like the Booyah Bitsy Bug jig? These smaller 1/8th and 1/4 oz models pack a mighty punch. Throwing them in a few key areas will help you catch a lot more fish. You may not catch all of the trophies in the pond, but you will make up for it in numbers.

This question comes up often. What length rod should I use for ultralight fishing? It isn’t an easy answer though. There is a couple things to consider about length when choosing a new rod. Some people believe that you must use a short rod in the 4 1/2 foot to 5 foot length. They believe that this length gives you the most whip, and backbone for fighting the fish. This is a common misconception however.

Rods of this length are usually used solely for creek fishing, or places where there is a lot of overhead hanging cover for baits to get stuck in. These short rods do provide excellent placement, but they also degrade casting distance severely. These provide the shortest casts of all lengths of rods.

Ultralight fishing rods in the lengths of 5 1/2 foot to 6 foot are found in the middle when thinking about balance. The tip still allows good casting distance, while the backbone gives plenty of strength for fighting the fish. You don’t sacrifice much accuracy with this length, you can still use it as a light action flipping stick, or pitching stick for 1/4oz jigs in tight places. This is a technique for smaller fish on ultralight gear however, use bigger gear for the bigger fish locked into the muck!

This length of rod is considered general use, and most people can get by using a 6 footer. They still give you good accuracy, and lure placement, but you must practice a little longer to achieve the same accuracy that you would with a 4 1/2 footer. The difference is minor, but it does take some adjusting.

The longest of the ultralight rods, 6 1/2 foot and longer provide the longest distance for casts. This is good for throwing spinnerbaits or topwaters, you can get them going so far that it is hard to see the little baits! These long rods kill your accuracy however, which is why they should be used for open water casting and swimming baits. You can really burn spinnerbaits and buzzbaits with these long rods, not to mention unloading your spool from casting so far!

Fishing with a jerkbait using ultralight fishing tackle is another excellent way to catch more bass out on the pond. You never know when one of those slab gills are gonna tear these up either!

When it comes to fishing a soft jerkbait, the last people think of is ultralight fishing gear. This is a mistake though, because when you start throwing jerkbaits on ultralight tackle you are going to greatly increase your hookup ratio. The reason being, bass love smaller baits, even panfish, and a small minnow, shiner, or smelt jerking by is irresistable.

When you are ready to rig up a jerkbait to use on ultralight gear, I prefer to use a jighead. Using a light 1/16 or 1/8 oz head will allow a nice slow sink, but also a nice jerk through the water. You can even deadstick one of these in the wind if the fish are being picky! I like to match the color of the jighead to the color of the bait I am using, and sticking to natural colors you would find in the pond around you.

The jerkbaits I prefer using are Berkley Gulp! 2″ and 2.5″ minnows. These baits are excellent thrown weightless with no wind, or using a jig head with the wind and the fish being a little more aggressive. When you are viciously jerking these things, the fish hit like a freight train. But when you slow down, because of finicky fish, you really learn where Gulp! comes alive. The scent release technology helps the fish hold onto the bait longer.

In this article I want to discuss a few ultralight fishing manufacturers that really have their game together in terms of putting out quality products, and listening to exactly what it is that the anglers, us, really want from their products. After all, this is the best way to get us to purchase them, right? There is a lot of competition on the market for our business, but as long as you stay away from the junk, and stick to these companies, you are going to have very good luck with your ultralight fishing purchases.

Zebco Ultralight and Shakespeare Ultralight are two of the older companies in our list, and while their prices are generally considered the lowest of the bunch we are going to discuss, this doesn’t mean that they lack in quality at all. The reasons their prices are so low is simply because they have the years of experience required to build a quality product at a lower price, and they are holding onto this information tightly. You can’t really go wrong with either of these two companies.

Okuma Ultralight is more of an off brand, but you can’t discount them as such. They do tend to use plastic on their spools, but the materials they use for their drags as well as the frame and body of the reels is top of the line, and you are going to be hard pressed to find a comparison at a price that compares to what Okuma can give you. They are mainly released through Bass Pro Shops and other smaller retailers.

Pflueger, Daiwa, Quantum, and Fenwick ultralight are all considered the higher end products, but if you are looking to invest some time into this sport, you are going to want to spend the money on the investment up front. The sensitivity, casting accuracy and range, fit and finish, quality, as well as the durability and construction of these companies rods are bar none, and you can’t find a comparison anywhere. The prices are a bit steeper, but again, if you take care of your gear, and want a rod that will be around for a long time to come, possibly even hold its resale value if you care for it well enough, then you want to consider one of these ultralight fishing manufacturers for your next purchase.