thinking of buying an ultralight rod....

[catchandeat]

Well i'm considering getting a new rod... right now i have an Abu Garcia 6'6 medium action ultracast... but anyway i got that set up mostly for pike and the odd trout. I'd like to purchase an ultralight/ light rod that i'd mainly be using for perch, and possibly the odd whitefish/trout. Mainly be still fishing out of a boat with a p-rig, but will also be used occasionally for casting. What Rod and reel would you guys suggest? I'd like to keep it around $50, however a little bit more is okay though.
thanks :)

[rycoma]

Ugly stick ultra light

[HuyFishin]

http://benfairweather.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/tree-branch11.jpg

ultralight can be found in many colors and length also very cheap, :sHa_shakeshout:

[catchandeat]

http://benfairweather.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/tree-branch11.jpg

ultralight can be found in many colors and length also very cheap, :sHa_shakeshout:

hahaha, actually have one of those beauties rigged up, casting could be a little bit better on it, but the drag is fantastic! :sHa_sarcasticlol:

[catchandeat]

Ugly stick ultra light

i've heard lots about uglysticks, some people swear by them, others swear at them. Anybody else have any experience with an ugly stick ultra light? i'm pretty much a noob when it comes to knowing features and all the ins and outs on rods.... lol

[FishingFrenzy]

Ugly sticks arent too bad. I have a 5' 6" Shimano Voltaeus and its a decent rod. Lacks a little back bone but would be great for a bait fishing rig. Shimano has a couple other models in UL that are decent. Rapala had a nice looking split grip UL last time I was in Wholesale I think it was around $60?

[fishunter327]

http://www.stcroixrods.com/product/panfish-series A little pricier but awesome rods ,super light and sensitive.

[davegrant]

You need to get a long rod 8ft6 to 9ft med-lite. Shimano Clarus is a nice one for $90. The extra length allows you to cast small light lures farther and same as bobber fishing. Might be some Fenwick HMX left on sale at Wholesale Sports for around $65. HMX is a very light sensitive strong rod.

[CK Angler]

I have a 5'3 Fenwick HMG light paired with a bass pro shops Wally Marshall spinning reel. I use this for rainbows mostly, it is a very light rod, light tip, so the sensitivity is great! I can feel the slightest nibble, I am very happy with this set up.

[catchandeat]

awesome, thanks for the suggestions. probably stop in to bass pro soon and see what they have, if they don't then it's off to wholesale!
thanks guys :)

[Cal]

An excelent rod for the money is the Shakespeare Agility, I'm a big fan of Uglysticks but I dunno if they are what you are looking for. If your fishing bait or spoons, spinners, cranks they work great. Trying to fish jigs for perch your going to notice their lack of sensitivity, the Agility would be far better for this.

[HuyFishin]

http://www.stcroixrods.com/product/panfish-series A little pricier but awesome rods ,super light and sensitive.

real nice rod, i'm gonna trade in my mojo bass rod for an Ultra light st croix for my gf since she likes fishing for small panfish

[huntsfurfish]

Seen and have bought ultralite rods for as little as $20.00 work fine for casting small spinners. Lengths from 5' - 7.5' Paired with a small spinning reel and 4 lb. test mono. Great for trout, goldeye, perch and even pickerel.:)

[EZM]

Shimano Compre - regular ~ $100 on for $63 @ Wholesale .......

The Fenwick is also a very nice choice.

Unbelieveable rod for $63 ......both the Fenwick and Shimano are under 100 grams, have fuji guides - med fast to fast action tip - well designed reel seats - no cheap foam

The Ugly Sticks are not great light/ultra light rods at all - you will notice there is no tip speed (action) noted as they are parabolic in design (bend somewhat evenly).

Ugly sticks are great dipsy diver, bottom bouncer, trolling or downrigger rods but their best application is not for a quick hook set on a light or ultra light rod.

You would have to lift your rod three feet further to get the same quick snap that could be achieved with a high quality ultra light with a fast tip on it that is achieved with a flick of the wrist.

[catchandeat]

well i've either got it narrowed down to the shimano or the fenwick, the price on that compre is really good though, hopefully the sale stays on for a while yet. thanks for the help everybody :sHa_shakeshout:

two last questions though, what length would be best? it would mainly be used for bait fishing off a boat, with the odd time i'll be on shore casting under a bobber or a slip. Also, what reel would be best paired for it?

thanks again for being patient with all my amateur questions haha

[TUFFBUFF]

My vote is the Berkley Lightning Rod 5'6" 2 piece. I have a couple Quantums that arn't bad and a couple others too not sure names,
4-6 lb line up to 1/4oz lures and use them on trout and walleye 95% of the time, l/ul rods are just pain fun.

[Junglefisher]

well i've either got it narrowed down to the shimano or the fenwick, the price on that compre is really good though, hopefully the sale stays on for a while yet. thanks for the help everybody :sHa_shakeshout:

two last questions though, what length would be best? it would mainly be used for bait fishing off a boat, with the odd time i'll be on shore casting under a bobber or a slip. Also, what reel would be best paired for it?

thanks again for being patient with all my amateur questions haha


I like a rod about 6'9" as a good alrounder. I've certainly used that size off boats without any problems unless there are more than 2 of you fishing in a current. Also plenty long enough to cast from the bank. You never know, with the gear, you may find you start to enjoy lure fishing as well.
That compre rod is hardly UL, being 6-12lb.
For that rod, I'd go a 2500 shimano sized reel with 10lb braid.
There's no point using mono with a graphite rod, you need either braid or fluorocarbon to get the full results.

[Cal]

well i've either got it narrowed down to the shimano or the fenwick, the price on that compre is really good though, hopefully the sale stays on for a while yet. thanks for the help everybody :sHa_shakeshout:

two last questions though, what length would be best? it would mainly be used for bait fishing off a boat, with the odd time i'll be on shore casting under a bobber or a slip. Also, what reel would be best paired for it?

thanks again for being patient with all my amateur questions haha

I've had far better luck with Fenwick rods than Shimano as far as durrability goes. For reels I've come to preffer Diawa to anything else. IMO Diawa realy doesnt make a reel that isnt a fantastic value for what it costs.

[EZM]

well i've either got it narrowed down to the shimano or the fenwick, the price on that compre is really good though, hopefully the sale stays on for a while yet. thanks for the help everybody :sHa_shakeshout:

two last questions though, what length would be best? it would mainly be used for bait fishing off a boat, with the odd time i'll be on shore casting under a bobber or a slip. Also, what reel would be best paired for it?

thanks again for being patient with all my amateur questions haha

I always look for the longest rod possible - but, unfortunately, ultra lights tend to range from 5'-6" to 6' (95% of them in these sizes).

I recently put a Abu Garcia ORA S10 (about $75 or so) onto my ultralight Shimano PRO series rod 6ft Light Fast Action rod.

The Abu Garcia products have the best drag systems, smoothest operation in the middle price range for their reels in my opinion and are bullet proof.

The whole set up is around $150 and is super smooth and sexy.

I used 10lb power pro braid and run a 48" fluorocarbon tippet (leader) to keep the spook away.

[lobre370]

I don't know if it been mentioned yet but, St Croix makes a 6' 6" and i think even a 7' Ultralight, its there premier spinning model and it costs about 100 bucks. I have a 6' 6" and is perfect for tossing out the little lures.

I love fishing with ultralight gear, it can be really really fun

[FishHunterPro]

Work gave me this little micro rod and reel combo as a safety award and surprisingly it's actually worthy of a spot in my collection, great little setup.

http://m.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Micro-Lite-Elite-Rod-and-Reel-Spinning-Combos/product/104139/115530


Sent from my iPhone

[Pikebreath]

Somehow your $50 limit been pushed to the $100 range, so for that kind of money, the TFO Gary Loomis Signature series has some really nice ultra light rods on the 6 - 7 foot range that are considering as well.

[Flyfisher87]

For the very rare times I am not fly-fishing, I do have a couple ultra-light rods I play around with. One is a Quantum 6ft paired with a Quantum ultralight reel. Got the whole set up at the Fishin Hole about 6-7 years ago for $54.00. This is actually my second one as I broke the first one. Have landed trout up to 8lb with it. Last winter, I bought a Shimano Convergence u/l with a sienna 500 reel. Have yet to use this rod so I don't know how it performs. I think the whole set up was around the $70 range but I very easily could be wrong.

[catchandeat]

So many different choices, I think my head's going to explode.... lol
thanks for all the help guys, i've got some research to do now, and some decisions to make. :)

[huntsfurfish]

Your $50.00 budget is achievable. WSS has an ultralite rod, I believe it is a shakespear 5 1/2 foot for $20.00 plus add an abu Garcia 100U(or I) for $30.00- $40.00. Some 4 pound mono and you are set.

Guess people didn't read your OP:)

[catchandeat]

well i ended up completely blowing my budget. :angry3: Ended up with a st croix Triumph, 6'6 lite action, fast tip, and it's a beauty. paired it with an abu garcia ora s10 for a grand total of 160bucks. My bank account is crying but i'm pretty happy with my choice, should hopefully last quite a while, and hook me up with some decent fish :) thanks again everybody for your help, you all influenced me to my end decision, and i'm super happy! :sHa_shakeshout:

[huntsfurfish]

:)