On the cheap --

I have been fishing 5' UL for almost two decades now, but this spring I fell for a 7' Shakespeare MicroLite rod. On that I put an old Shakespeare 225UL Alpha reel (the ones with the bronze and the fleck coloring from maybe 2006 or so, but still my favorite reet). I spooled it with 4# GAMMA ESP Ice (breaks at 4.9# with a diameter of 0.006"/.15mm). I was throwing 1/64 black head on a #10 hook with a black 1.25" Bobby Garland Itty Bit Swim'R tail. All I carry are black jig heads (powder painted) and this tail only in all black and all white. That is all I find I need. One color or the other works or nothing works. I keep the buggy whip rigged in the car with me. I get to fish on a whim.
I went sunfishing for about an hour and a half on the way home from the supermarket this morning. It wasn't a fish on every cast but it got pretty close to that. I put em all back but could have kept 8 or 10 big enough to fillet. All of em were big enough for fry hards. I had a blast.
I used the ice line because it is softer than summer lines and lays beautifully on the spool. It is also sensitive to a fault even being soft.
There have been a couple of pike and small largemouths at a couple of pounds that have joined the party in the past on this rod. That is great fun! The Alpha drag is just plain smooth, too. Those little reels have landed 38" and 40" muskies for me using standard GAMMA poly flex 4#.
One doesn't need to spend a fortune to have fun with this sport.

I agree, but it sure is fun getting new stuff!!

How does Gamma hi-vis line compare in visibility to Mr. Crappie hi-vis? Does it come in bulk spools?

Agree with everything you said.
My challenge is casting lure designs made from the parts of two soft plastic lures and rigging them on a 1/24 or 1/16 oz unpainted ball head with either a #6 or #4 hook depending on body length. I catch pretty much anything that swims : caught 5 species yesterday on different lures in different colors.


The only difference is the line I use: 8# test/ 2 lb diameter Kastking braid spooled on spinning and spincast reels.
If the drag is smooth and gear ratio 4:1 of faster, I'll use any reel especially under if under $40. I also like the brand rod you use. Mine is 6' - same brand and light action.
Attachment 379973Attachment 379974

Man those fish can put a whack on different lures and feel 3x their size when fought on light tackle !

I still have and use that 7ft Shakespeare Micro and if it breaks I'll go and spend that $16 again..... Great rod to keep in the truck..... Or boat.....

I don't spend a whole lot of money on rods and reels. Have three ABU's but got them years ago. Most expensive one was a 6500 C3 and as I really paid about $60 for it. Have a 2500 I got about 18 yrs ago and saw one on the internet for sale somewhere for $1250! Couldn't believe anyone would pay that much for a reel. Of course I love mine and would not sell it at pretty much any price. Just isn't necessary to spend a lot of money to fish. Have a Mitchell 300 from the 1940's I wanted a new rod for. Found a Shakespere splnning combo in the Bi Mart for $19 and liked the rod, full handle! Bought it and really like it with the 300 on it. Took that little Shakespere reel and put it on a kokanee rod and feel's just fine. If all it lasted was one season it would be worth the money.

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Originally Posted by SKs Crappie Catching Adventures

I still have and use that 7ft Shakespeare Micro and if it breaks I'll go and spend that $16 again..... Great rod to keep in the truck..... Or boat.....

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Or the back seat of your work car. I keep mine rigged and since I almost never have a passenger it lays right across the passenger seat beside me. I got shoreline all around me no matter which direction I go... The variety of plastic tails available makes it completely unnecessary to ever rely on live bait, not for panfish; so I make frequent detours from trips to wet a line. I live by myself; so I have no one I need to answer to about take a couple of hours off here or there. I just have to be careful not to melt the ice cream on the way home from the grocery store.

You certainly don’t need expensive gear to catch fish. No doubt about that. My 10 year old son uses Shakespeare UL rods with Abu Garcia cardinal reels. He catches a bunch of fish with that setup.


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Originally Posted by Schmoopie

How does Gamma hi-vis line compare in visibility to Mr. Crappie hi-vis? Does it come in bulk spools?

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I get my Gamma direct from the Black Knight factory in Pennsylvania. I don't generally use hi-vis not for UL or ice. I prefer the clear. But check out the website: Fishing Line– GammaFishing
Bulk spools? yes in a couple of larger sizes for just about everything they offer. All sizes have charts showing line diameter and both rated and actual breaking test. I have never used Mr Crappie and prefer clear lines anyway; so I can't honestly answer you on that. Gamma PolyFlex comes in a number of colors and they have a dedicated hi-vis Panfish line. I will say this I have compared the GAMMA I use to Trilene and Stren and it is superior to both, more superior to Trilene than to Stren. I also tried Nanofil when it first came out and took it back for refund, disgusted with it. You can also get braid and fluorocarbon from Black Knight. I am not a fly fisherman but IIRC they also make FrogHair fly leaders.

Some years back the fishing lines of GAMMA got sold to Black Knight industries, who kept the product name and the process. I did not notice any decrease in quality. Ordering direct online gets solid service from Black Knight and quick turn around. I have been dealing with them for years and have no complaints. The only hi-vis I use is when I upgrade to 8 pound yellow for carp. But what I keep in the car for whim outings is clear 4# ESP Ice and clear 4# PolyFlex on UL rods. I keep a selection of jig heads and plastic tails right there beside the rods. I find that with GAMMA I really do not need the lack of stretch of a braid to feel the lightest bites, but then I am also a line and rod tip watcher, too. That extra bit of stretch is a also buffer that is sometimes needed on the UL setup, because everything eats tiny quite commonly. Bonus game fish are surprisingly common even on the smallest offerings.

It is important to match your LINE DIAMETER and LIMPNESS to the ACTION of the rod/reel combination and the WEIGHT of the lure being cast. To handle over weight fish you need to be able to trust your drag and then it falls to your skill both in presentation and handling hookups.

I couldn't agree with you more. Ive caught a lot of fish on cheap rods and reels.

I have no expensive rods, save for the Fenwick 4wt I built last year. Reels about the same. I use a few Presidents and find them fine for how I fish. I have a couple of old Diawa Capricorn’s that are noticeably smoother than anything else I own, and I bought them both used. One of the hi vis mono lines that I’ve come to like is the Stren Crappie in 2lb. The clear is good also but I can’t see it, and most water around here is stained. I had several of the micro rods and I’m down to a couple of 7’ and a 6’6” that does a great job with a slip float. A $20 Mitchell avocet and I’m fishing. Not against spending a few dollars on some good gear but Murphy stays too close to me and if I broke a very expensive rod(by my standards) I would beat myself up over it for a long time. I got to handle a nice JDM setup a few weeks back that belongs to Deepfry and I have to say that its everything they are reported to be. To each his own, glad to see we all follow our own lead sometimes.

I have the luxury of trying both ends of the spectrum. I have one high end JDM rod with a Pflueger 20 lined with high end JDM nylon hi vis. It is by far the most sensitive rod that I have ever owned, and it casts and fishes beautifully. That said and for that kind of money it darn well should. Today due to high river snot I decided to go topwater, and went out with my TSS Trout Slayer also equipped with a Pflueger 20, and 2 lb Stren Crappie. That whole outfit is under $100, not a bank breaker, and I have to tell you it was just pure fun to fish. The TSS is pretty sensitive, and with the 2lb really gets the drag singing! I enjoyed the explosive takes, and even the misses were fun to watch. So no, you don't have to spend a lot to have a LOT of fun fishing ultralight for the little guys. Like Skeet, I have come to really like the Stren Crappie in 2Lb, it casts and ties well, is easy to see and a 3rd of the price of the high end JDM.
Just my take on it. There is some nice stuff out there these days that won't dent the wallet too badly.
Bob

My youngest brother and I were talking/ laughing about how we used a stick or pine cones as floats when we were kids . Made our own quills from turkey feathers . All bait was dug or caught with a crayfish rake . Only thought mill end line was the only way it was sold . Grand paw kept the barn hallway full of drying cane with bricks tied to the end to keep straight . I have some old bass reels that are 40 yrs. old. Have given kids at school or church (if they show real interest ) lots of tackle , rod and reels . For 30 plus years I taught a fly fishing class every spring for any kid who wanted to learn how . Last count we had was over a hundred . One kid mails me black gnats every year because he knows that is my go to on a fly rod . My biggest down fall is I do it all ! crappie , bream, catfish , salt water for reds, speckled trout , trot lines and jugs . Can't afford the very best lol .

When I married my current wife her best friend had a fishing husband who HAD to have st croix rods and a bunch of them and expensive reels and boat. first time we went fishing to gether and I was killing the big BG and bass and my wife was doing well too and their boat was ketching diddly. at lunch she asked me was most important about my fishing gear and I said "it's on sale?" and she just glared at her husband! LOL

have bought two of those 7 ' shakespear rods in last year and liked them when fighting fish but both tips broke way too easily under not much stress. have obtained BnM rods on sale for my 12' plus and even a 10 footer which I like when dock dipping not shooting. bought a top end St Croix and high end shimano reel from a buddy who had got his license suspended and selling off his tackle and they are ok but nothing special IMO. caught president reels on sale and have several and like them for my go to combo's. have multiple reels of different brands on my good rods and they all do just fine when you keep them lubed up. agree you don't have to spend a fortune on tackle, electronics and boats to have success after our Crappie! Or any other species

My most recent find was a pair of small spinning reels at a garage sale for 4$ each. One was a Diawa Regal X 1500 IA, the other a Gander Mtn.Guide series GS150. I put Viscous 2 lb on one and power pro 8-3 Hi Vis yellow on the other . Both reels run quite smooth after a clean and lube . I'll put one on another yard sale find that was a 6045ULG Quantum Micro 4 piece 5' rod I picked this up at a farm-yard sale still in the plastic case unopened for 3$ .I'll use this rod for longer walk in's with the float tube. Long for me these days is a mile or two. The rod is admittedly nothing to boast of , but it has a OK feel and it would lift a fish without concern of breaking. lol The guides look somewhat overbuilt for the rod. I have way too many panfish outfits, but great grandsons like to fish also. lol (Fishing on the cheap) WOW! That could be a forum title all it's own. lol

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Originally Posted by Olegiller1

My most recent find was a pair of small spinning reels at a garage sale for 4$ each. One was a Diawa Regal X 1500 IA, the other a Gander Mtn.Guide series GS150. I put Viscous 2 lb on one and power pro 8-3 Hi Vis yellow on the other . Both reels run quite smooth after a clean and lube . I'll put one on another yard sale find that was a 6045ULG Quantum Micro 4 piece 5' rod I picked this up at a farm-yard sale still in the plastic case unopened for 3$ .I'll use this rod for longer walk in's with the float tube. Long for me these days is a mile or two. The rod is admittedly nothing to boast of , but it has a OK feel and it would lift a fish without concern of breaking. lol The guides look somewhat overbuilt for the rod. I have way too many panfish outfits, but great grandsons like to fish also. lol (Fishing on the cheap) WOW! That could be a forum title all it's own. lol

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Where ya been?

Life gets in the way .Wife having problems getting around, and I'm her caretaker. That and some forms of old fashioned laziness. A plate of gill fillets is sounding good.

You can get more new stuff if you go inexpensive. :biggrin Like most things, there's a non-linear curve between price and value with rods and reels. Everyone has to decide where on that curve they find their sweet spot.

I have 8-10 set ups in my car nearly all time. Gotta be prepared.

I've always been the kind of person to stick with the $20 combos from Walmart. Recently though after talking with a friend of mine who pretty exclusively uses St Croix and other expensive brands, I decided I'd give it a shot. In the last week I ordered a St Croix Mojo Bass rod and a Kuying Teton ultralight. Pairing those up with a Shimano Sahara 2500 and a Daiwa Legalis 1000. I know the Kuying isn't exactly expensive, but I'll give both of these rods and reels a shot and see if I can see any difference between them and the cheap stuff. My hypothesis is that I won't be able to tell.

The power Pro 8-3 hi vis yellow that I put on one of my recent reels ran the gills off in our local shallow canal. The viscous 2 lb worked quite well and brought to hand 10 gills barely fillet size for I and my great grandson. The power pro will be good as previously proven in the deep 20' strip pits . I've ordered a replacement spool at $9 for the $4 reel for light line so I can put the reel back in service.

One addition I want to make, and that’s regarding weight. Most better rods are lightweight to very lightweight, which adds to the pleasure of having them in hand. While the muscles are more relaxed I think that we are able to feel the smaller, almost imperceptible taps from fish bothering our baits. When I look for a rod, one of the deciding factors is the muscle on the top of the forearm. When I flip the rod, how much does that muscle have to work to flip and stop the rod? I think we’ve all handled some rods that we liked until we flip it around a little, then we frown a little and put it back in the rack. Some of them had a stout price tag too. Good rods are almost effortless to hold and balanced.