Thread: Light bite: by Babe Winkelman

Even when casting sometimes they will bite light. Last week, my biggest fish hit the lightest when reeling in a curlytail grub.

Great article

Pretty much a daily occurrence with me!

Love it. Especially the part about the bobber. Never thought of that.

A couple more ideas:

1) Bobbers- Some bobbers come in two colors, some have a third color strip dividing the two main colors. If you balance your rig so it floats on dividing line, or with just a little of the bottom color showing, a crappie lifting the bait up will be noticed easily. With a pencil or other elongated bobber, more of the bottom color is exposed as the fish lifts the bait. With a round bobber (unweighted) the first sign of lifting may be the bobber turning on its side. Set the hook!

2) Rod tips- Watching your rod tip is a tight-lining technique. It works best when you have just enough weight to pull your line tight, load your rod and let you feel the weight of your rig. Effectiveness also depends on the stretch of the line you are using and how deep you are fishing. Less stretch makes it more likely you will see your rod tip move because the line stretch isn't absorbing the movement. A rig dedicated to tight-lining would benefit by using low stretch line, and the fact the line doesn't float won't be an issue.

3) Line watching- Any short, sharp movement of your line could well be a fish. And aside from a slack line tightening or a tight line going slack, watch carefully for any sideways movement of your line. A fish that has lifted your bait is likely to move to the side, and that line movement may be the only clue that a fish is carrying off your bait. Set the hook!

4) Line holding- With a spinning or underspin reel use your finger to hold your line while tight-lining. On your rod hand, pull the line up with your index finger and hold it there. Sometimes you can feel the strikes through the line when there is no movement you can see. Or it will confirm that a movement of your line or rod tip that you might otherwise ignore was in fact a hit. Set the hook!

Re-reading my post, I realized I had some brain lock and left out a bit. The old brain ain't what it used to be. (May not have been much to start with.)

Add to (3): Use a brightly colored bobber stop knot to make it easier to see line movement. It's also useful to set your depth when tight lining, placing the knot at the waterline when the bait is at the depth you want. If they're hitting at a certain depth, either held steady or moving through it, the knot will tell you when you've reached the depth and make it easier to see your line move.

Where can I find this article?

Good article, thanks for sharing. Ferdi