Light tackle fishing is an exciting way to add a different challenge to fishing. It is also referred to as light line fishing as it is done lighter line, smaller reels, and more sensitive rods than medium or heavy tackle fishing. It’s also identified by a big bend in the rod and lots of tension on the line. Light tackle fishing is always relative to the situation, making it somewhat difficult to define. For example, when fishing for redfish on light tackle you would probably use a 2500 series reel, and 15lb line, but when fishing for tuna offshore on light tackle, you would use something like a 20000 series reel and 80lb line. In each scenario, lighter tackle would present a different challenge to the angler as you would need the sensitivity in the rod to feel a bite, set the hook, and then let the fish fight you a little more. It's a technique that you can use for fun, or use it when it seems you’re casting to spooked fish as the lures tend to be smaller, and the line is a smaller diameter, making it more invisible.
There is a common misconception that light tackle fishing will lead to only catching small fish. I can tell you, I’ve caught the biggest redfish I ever caught on light tackle and several other anglers I know will tell you the same thing! It still is important for your lure to “match the hatch”, so we recommend doing light tackle fishing in spring which is around the spawning time of baitfish, where the baitfish are more likely to be small. Light baits tend to look more realistic to the fish and the finesse you’ll use with light tackle fishing will make the action look realistic too. I would recommend trying some slower presentations and see what happens. I usually find that the slower presentation with smaller bait and lighter line gets more activity than my medium or heavy tackle setups. This should be encouraging if you’re a novice angler learning the art of light tackle fishing. You can try and fail to hook a fish, and you’ll very likely have another opportunity to try in no time.
Ultralight fishing is another variation of light tackle fishing. All it means, is that the line is even lighter, the lure is a little smaller, the rod is even more sensitive, and the reel holds even less line all of which intensify the skills needed to land a fish. Ultralight fishing is typically done by very experienced and skilled fishermen. If you’re still building your angling skills and just started to get into light tackle, I wouldn’t recommend starting with ultra light.
Light tackle is often most effective in situations where the water is extremely clear. The line is generally a very small diameter which improves its invisibility to the fish. The lures and any other tackle, like sinkers, are also very small and light which tends to make them easier to fool fish with. For these same reasons, light tackle is often more effective when casting to spooked fish. The thin diameter line and small lure can fool fish like permit who are known for being suspicious. Calm waters are often best for light tackle so the current doesn’t move your lure too far off target. Calm winds are best since a lot of times you’ll end up sight casting to a school of easily spooked fish and you may only get the one shot at casting to them. Depending on the aerodynamic qualities of your light lure, too much wind could knock the cast way off target. Also, if you’re sightcasting to something really closeby, wind may very well make no difference at all. But again, this is all relative. Your light tackle lure for targeting tuna offshore may easily withstand 8 mph winds, whereas a quarter ounce crankbait for targeting smallmouth bass might flail all over the place. The small diameter line will often help the situation when casting through wind as a small diameter line is able to slice through the air more easily.
Depending on how drastic of a line diameter change you’re going for, you may also be able to discern a distance advantage with the thinner line. The thin diameter line will stay spooled closer to the crown of the reel for longer, which gives it less friction off the spool. Less friction between the crown of the spool and the line makes it less likely for your line to experience damage or fraying over time and help gain some distance on the cast. Therefore, it’s critical to pair your light line with a shallow spool reel. If you can’t get a smaller reel, you’ll at least have to make sure you fill the spool to the crown. Warning though, this approach might cost almost as much as a new 2500 series reel.
As one might imagine, part of the fun of light tackle fishing is fighting the fish. The fights usually last longer and wear out a fish more than when using heavy tackle. We recommend being cautious and considering this when choosing to do light tackle fishing on a catch and release regulated fish. The overarching goal of catch and release fishing is to release the fish with enough energy and without bodily harm to help it recover quickly when released. If we fought a catch and release species for too long because we were using light tackle, it may not survive after release. We recommend using your judgement and trying not to let the fight drag on too long.
Small lures and light line are difficult to free when caught in heavy cover or caught on structure, so light tackle fishing is seldom recommended in those situations. I’ve done it before where my line got stuck in heavy cover and I couldn’t get it free and ultimately had to pull hard and snap it off. Light tackle fishing in heavy cover can be frustrating too as you’ll probably start losing lures. If its unavoidable and you end up hooking a fish near structure, do your best to get the fish away from the structure quickly—it might save your catch!
A noteworthy advantage to light tackle fishing is that the cost of light tackle equipment is often less than its medium or heavy tackle counterparts. For example, when surf fishing with light tackle, you would choose a 2500-3000 size reel, but with medium tackle, you’d lean more towards the 5000 series reel. The Stradic 2500 reel is $200 whereas the 5000 reel is $240. There is also a difference in the line capacity. If you compare the specs when using 30 lb braid, the 2500 will hold 100 yards and the 5000 will hold 235 yards. If we look at PowerPro braid, a spool of 150 yards of 30 lb test costs $23 and a spool of 250 yards of 30 lb test costs $40. When fishing with light tackle you’ll also go with the smaller lure, which will also cost less. The quarter ounce size Acme Kastmaster is $3.89 whereas the 1 ounce is $7.49. Watch us catch some Spanish Mackerel on the beach with the Acme Kastmaster in our YouTube video here.
The skill of light tackle fishing is one that every angler should work on developing. It helps greatly with understanding the feel of getting a bite, and understanding how it feels when a fish bites your bait but gets away. I personally love how primitive light tackle fishing feels. It feels like I’m much more in tune with the behavior of the fish I’m targeting and the environment I’m in. When you’re setting the hook, you’ll start to understand what success feels like and what a miss feels like. This will help you learn to get a hook setting technique that works for you. Some anglers pull their rod to the side to get the leverage they need, some prefer pulling the rod straight up, and some vary the direction of the rod based on what they feel. When setting the hook with light line, you’ll need to be more aggressive than you otherwise would. The line will not offer as much strength in this regard, so you’re yank on the rod to set the hook needs to be strong and decisive. When you’re learning to fish with this method, it can be little intimidating to set the hook, but just remember that if you mess up and miss the fish, you probably learned something valuable that will help you hone in on your technique.
Another consideration for setting the hook and succeeding with light tackle fishing is properly setting your drag. If your drag is too loose, the drag will slip when you try to set the hook and will result in a lost fish. I would recommend making sure you get the thinnest and sharpest hooks you can, such as the Mustad Ultrapoints, for your target species to also help with hook setting. Sharp hooks will always penetrate the mouth of a fish better than dull hooks. Now if your drag setting is too tight when light line fishing, you may accidentally snap your line, also resulting in a lost fish. A good rule of thumb for a drag setting is 20-30% of your weakest line strength.
Newer anglers may assume that more personal physical strength is required to pull in a fish with light tackle. This is not necessarily true as light tackle fishing is more about the skill and grace required to hook a fish and keep it on, rather than how strong you are against the power of the fish. You may miss a few fish as you’re learning, but it’ll be worth it if you have the patience to learn it. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll look like a pro and you will have gained some skills to outfish all your friends. During the fight with a fish, you’ll most certainly need to reposition the boat to gain leverage, change the angle of your rod, and/or walk along the shore. It’s very important to reel in the line quickly every chance you get, and this makes the “line retrieve per crank” statistic of your light reel a critical factor in deciding which reel to buy.
Light tackle is used in all types of fishing applications. You can use it ice fishing, fishing with jigs in the great lakes, flats fishing, trolling and surf fishing. In each area, the idea is the same—reels with shallow spools, rods with high sensitivity, lighter pound test line, and light lures.
The sensitivity of the rod is one of the key features of light tackle fishing. When searching for a rod, you can test the sensitivity in the store by putting a hook on the line and seeing if you can feel differences as you drag that hook along different surfaces in the store. You’ll also want one that has a handle that feels comfortable for you. Some anglers prefer the cork handle, and others prefer an EVA texture. Keep in mind that you’ll want something that you wouldn’t mind handling for a longer fight since light tackle fishing encourages the fight and you’ll be working the rod more than you would with a medium or heavy tackle setup. Casting and spinning rods both work, and the choice between a casting and spinning rod is more often driven by the type of reel you’d like to use. If you want a casting or baitcasting reel, you’ll choose a casting rod. If you like to use a spinning reel, opt for a spinning rod.
We hope you enjoyed learning about light tackle fishing with us. While you’re here, read some of our other recent articles, like the 9 Best Saltwater Topwater Lures, and Best Spinning Reels for Saltwater. We will soon be adding an article discussing specific rod, reel, line and lure setups for light tackle fishing, so check back soon!
