The ultralight craze is old. Been around a long time. But, just because it's an old game doesn't mean it's not right. Take baseball. Bottom of the ninth, the good guys are down by two runs with the sacks loaded, full count. Anybody heading for the fridge at that moment probably doesn't know who Abner Doubleday was, or that he lived over 100 years ago. Baseball has been popular a long, long time.
Ultralight fishing doesn't go back as far as baseball, but similarities abound. When it's the bottom of the ninth out on the ice, smaller baits become your bullpen. When the fish have been ignoring your best curves and changeups all day while forcing a swing-'n-a-miss here and there, call the bullpen.
Think of all the reasons why standard baits, at times, don't work at all. Every reason is, conversely, a rationale for using a smaller version, or a different bait that's smaller than what you have on. Every artificial lure gives off negative cues. The smaller the bait, the smaller the negative cues. What if the fish aren't biting because there's a glut of forage? What do you do when you're full? Order a steak? No, but you might eat a peanut if somebody puts it on your napkin. What if the fish are pressured and spooked? Again, logic demands a smaller bait on fluorocarbon line, eliminating many of those negative cues. What if a cold front puts the fish down? The smaller your bait, the more likely it will trigger fish in that case.
GIMME' THE LEFTY
Let's look at one team's bullpen -- team Smith, as in Pat Smith of Thorne Brothers in Minneapolis. When walleyes get tough in those heavily pressured metro-area lakes, Smith downsizes to see if an hors d'oeuvre gets more of a response than a Big Mac. Downsizing for Smith sometimes translates into lures smaller than 1/32 ounce presented on 2-pound-test line -- panfish gear. “I've caught walleyes over 9 pounds on tiny jigs tipped with maggots on 2-pound line,” Smith says.
He doesn't start out fishing walleyes with stuff that small. His starting pitchers are the usual specimens -- 3/8-ounce spoons and Jigging Rapalas on 8-pound line. “I start with a plain spoon from Jig-A-Whopper,” Smith says. “I start big and aggressive and start listening. If walleyes tell me they like it, I actually try bigger lures. But, if that original jig fails and I'm seeing fish on my Aqua-Vu or flasher, I downsize to a smaller spoon like the 1/8-ounce Jig-A-Whopper Hawger. If that fails, I drop down to a unique pointy-nosed, tail-bladed jig called the Hornet by Red Neck Tech. The nose shape causes the jig to drop more vertically, and the blade adds resistance to the tail, so it turns nose down quicker than a ballhead. I pump it up and it teeters down quicker, providing more of a vertical drop, triggering more walleyes than a ballhead.”
Another ballhead alternative Smith likes is the Cabela's Wobbler, a flat-bottomed jig that wobbles on the drop. “I tip with a whole minnow and use a light lift with this jig,” Smith says. “I bring it up slow and easy, then I try not to manipulate it on the drop. It wobbles slightly on the drop, and the head stands up on bottom , leaving the minnow pointed face down and wiggling with its tail up.”
Another good jig for standing minnows up on a soft bottom is the Lindy Little Joe Fat Boy, a smaller-than-average, flat-sided jig that tends to drop vertically and 'stick' in the mud. By this time in the downsizing process, Smith has dropped to a lighter rod and 4-pound line. He also starts downsizing minnows at this point, switching from the usual walleye minnow to a fathead or large crappie minnow. If that doesn't work, he drops to a 1/32-ounce Custom Jigs & Spins Demon, a slightly-larger than average teardrop jig.
