All Things Ultralight

I have preferred fishing with ultralight tackle most of my fishing years and I am 76. I believe my tackle is respectable in that category. But as I have read through quite a bit of the "All Things Ultralight" sub forum I have found only a small minority of posts that are non JDM. It is actually somewhat discouraging. So as a result I have been doing a lot of reading just to learn what I can about this JDM stuff.

I don't question the quality or the appeal thereof the JDM tackle. But it is beyond my budget. Yet there seem to be a number of folks on here acquiring one after another rods and reels. I have to think long and hard before adding even one more to my inventory. That's fine. I still enjoy reading what you folks say about it here.

At any rate it is all about the fishing, right? I just wish "All Things Ultralight" had more for us poor folk. Well maybe not poor. I am rich in many ways and I do manage to spend a little money on my tackle. My two favorite UL rods are both St. Croix, an Avid and a Premier. I have had them both at least 15 years. Until I very recently on here started reading about this JDM stuff I have never felt undergunned. I still don't.

Are there any folks on here who fish UL tackle that isn't JDM? Do you feel your tackle allows you to fish the way you want to?

The one thing I have learned about JDM reels that I like is the shallow spools on the reels. I always wondered why most spinning reels had spools with such high capacity, especially in the lighter tackle. But quite a number of years ago many US spinning reels came with a plastic clam shell that you could install to reduce the capacity. I haven't seen that lately.

Anyhow those are my rambling comments. I would love to read further discussion. Nothing I have said is intended to offend anyone.

I have been known to wind black electrical tape on the spools to reduce the amount of line needed

It sounds like we are a lot a like. I enjoy reading about $200 reels and $50 line, but will I buy one? probably not. I am also not trying offend anyone. An normal buy for me would be a $20 ebay reel, $20 walmart rod and a $10 spool of mrcrapplie line. I use my stuff until it breaks or becomes defective, some may say a $200 reel may last longer, which may be true in some ways, but not when you drop it on a boulder.

I have a tackle box devoted to UL lures. It’s not a small bag at all. I like fishing small ponds, rivers and creeks with my gear. I use my UL gear for crappie but sometimes I have to step up a bit with my gear to get those crappie out from underneath the docks on the large lakes in my area.
One thing that I have to force myself to do is sometimes use a small float or indicator to suspend my jig or bait to entice the fish when the bite slows down.

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Originally Posted by UpstateSC_Bill

I have preferred fishing with ultralight tackle most of my fishing years and I am 76. I believe my tackle is respectable in that category. But as I have read through quite a bit of the "All Things Ultralight" sub forum I have found only a small minority of posts that are non JDM. It is actually somewhat discouraging. So as a result I have been doing a lot of reading just to learn what I can about this JDM stuff.

I don't question the quality or the appeal thereof the JDM tackle. But it is beyond my budget. Yet there seem to be a number of folks on here acquiring one after another rods and reels. I have to think long and hard before adding even one more to my inventory. That's fine. I still enjoy reading what you folks say about it here.

At any rate it is all about the fishing, right? I just wish "All Things Ultralight" had more for us poor folk. Well maybe not poor. I am rich in many ways and I do manage to spend a little money on my tackle. My two favorite UL rods are both St. Croix, an Avid and a Premier. I have had them both at least 15 years. Until I very recently on here started reading about this JDM stuff I have never felt undergunned. I still don't.

Are there any folks on here who fish UL tackle that isn't JDM? Do you feel your tackle allows you to fish the way you want to?

The one thing I have learned about JDM reels that I like is the shallow spools on the reels. I always wondered why most spinning reels had spools with such high capacity, especially in the lighter tackle. But quite a number of years ago many US spinning reels came with a plastic clam shell that you could install to reduce the capacity. I haven't seen that lately.

Anyhow those are my rambling comments. I would love to read further discussion. Nothing I have said is intended to offend anyone.

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I fly fish a good bit and have read comments like this for years on fly boards. Premium fly rods are now in the $800-$1000 range. Do you need one to fly fish? Nope! The fish don’t care! LOL

Fish whatever you like, and don’t worry about “keeping up with the JDM Joneses”. LOL

BTW, don’t be ashamed to fish with St. Croix rods. Lots of people consider them to be premium rods. LOL

FYI: I own one JDM rod (bought from a member here.). It’s really sweet, but I probably won’t buy another. I’m trying to save money to buy a $1000 fly rod. LOL

I’ve dabbled in the JDM market some , but it’s been the entry level , around $100 or less . Actually, I’ve paid more for my St Croix rods .
I probably own over fifty UL rods . Most are USA domestic rods , several ST Croix rods .
I think I’ve been looking for , the perfect UL rod .
And about six months ago I think I found it .
It is a JDM rod , but I only paid around $70 for it . And it’s a four piece travel rod .
I ordered it through Amazon Japan .
It’s an Abu Garcia Mass Beat 6’3” light . It’s labeled light but it’s closer to an American UL .
It’s all I fish with now .
I like it so much , I bought two more as backups . One stays in its case , in my car , just in case I do something stupid and break my original.
Not all JDM equipment has to cost a ton of money.
To me it’s about performance , not how much it cost.

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Originally Posted by gillchaser999

I’ve dabbled in the JDM market some , but it’s been the entry level , around $100 or less . Actually, I’ve paid more for my St Croix rods .
I probably own over fifty UL rods . Most are USA domestic rods , several ST Croix rods .
I think I’ve been looking for , the perfect UL rod .
And about six months ago I think I found it .
It is a JDM rod , but I only paid around $70 for it . And it’s a four piece travel rod .
I ordered it through Amazon Japan .
It’s an Abu Garcia Mass Beat 6’3” light . It’s labeled light but it’s closer to an American UL .
It’s all I fish with now .
I like it so much , I bought two more as backups . One stays in its case , in my car , just in case I do something stupid and break my original.
Not all JDM equipment has to cost a ton of money.
To me it’s about performance , not how much it cost.

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I was going to reference you Gill. Very few are aware that they can get many US market reels out of Japan....with the shallow spools. The Sahara and Stradic are considerably cheaper from Japan than in US stores. From all I have read about the Mass Beat it is a bargain for sure.


Regards

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Originally Posted by fredo

I fly fish a good bit and have read comments like this for years on fly boards. Premium fly rods are now in the $800-$1000 range. Do you need one to fly fish? Nope! The fish don’t care! LOL

Fish whatever you like, and don’t worry about “keeping up with the JDM Joneses”. LOL

BTW, don’t be ashamed to fish with St. Croix rods. Lots of people consider them to be premium rods. LOL

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I need to clarify my point a little. I don't care one bit about keeping up with any Joneses or even Rockefellers. The discouraging thing is that there is very little discussion here about any equipment other than JDM. I am not ashamed of my St. Croix rods either. I've caught a fish or two with them.

And I used to do some fly fishing quite a while back. The high end fly rods have been over $1000 a long time now. And I have seen a number of the "do you need it" discussions on those forums. Never participated in those discussions.

I am not questioning if you need any of the expensive stuff. Of course you don't NEED it. But I fully understand why you would want it. It is all good stuff. I am just wondering about the total dominance of the JDM stuff in an "ALL Things Ultralight" forum.

Feel free to post away on any topic you desire. Your posts may help to swing the balance .

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Originally Posted by UpstateSC_Bill

I need to clarify my point a little. I don't care one bit about keeping up with any Joneses or even Rockefellers. The discouraging thing is that there is very little discussion here about any equipment other than JDM. I am not ashamed of my St. Croix rods either. I've caught a fish or two with them.

And I used to do some fly fishing quite a while back. The high end fly rods have been over $1000 a long time now. And I have seen a number of the "do you need it" discussions on those forums. Never participated in those discussions.

I am not questioning if you need any of the expensive stuff. Of course you don't NEED it. But I fully understand why you would want it. It is all good stuff. I am just wondering about the total dominance of the JDM stuff in an "ALL Things Ultralight" forum.

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As has been said...discuss what you want to discuss. I don't recall anyone on here ever poo pooing someone else's gear. This is big subforum.....I recall a number of posts of folks talking about UL gear other than JDM sourced.


Regards

I’m a big fan of St Croix rods. Shimano reels on all of them even my ditch pickle rods. Deer and turkeys don’t care what gun you shoot them with and fish don’t care what rods you use to catch them.

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Originally Posted by Alphahawk

As has been said...discuss what you want to discuss. I don't recall anyone on here ever poo pooing someone else's gear. This is big subforum.....I recall a number of posts of folks talking about UL gear other than JDM sourced.


Regards

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I am not suggesting in any way that anybody ever poo-pooed any body else's equipment. And neither is that my intention. That is what I love about crappie.com. But I have read the entire all things ultralight subforum and while there are some non JDM posts they are few and far between. I've also read a bunch of the parent forum and it is almost the same. If you are honest with yourself I expect you would agree. You have to go to the main crappie forum to get away from it. But then the focus there isn't UL and panfish.

As you said post about what I want. I will certainly do so. And I am sure I will get friendly, helpful responses. I visit a fair number of forums and this is without a doubt the nicest, friendliest bunch anywhere.

But I also completely enjoy your's and other's posts on JDM as well. Keep up all the useful information. Maybe someday I can save up the money to stick my toe in the JDM water.

I too have had my roots in domestic, sometimes downright cheap equipment. I found a 5’ Fenwick at a flea market for two dollars and didn’t have to fix anything on it. I don’t have any true JDM rods or reels yet, but like you I’m studying up on some of it and will one day take a small bite of that pie. I have to handle a rod before I buy it usually so I recently built a 5’6” Fenwick UL to what I saw as JDM style and weight. It’s sweet and was way under $100. Now if I handle someone else’s nice rod I might have to look into one of my own, but my stable is already pretty full. I will say that a more expensive reel with lots of bearings, in some cases, is a thing of wonder in your hand and I’ll have one sometime soon. I became spoiled on a Daiwa Capricorn 1500 reel that rotated itself from the weight of the handle. That was 15 years ago and it’s still smooth and casts very well. I want another like that with todays technology. So as you see I will spend some money here and there. I also will pass on a lot of things and put those extra dollars to use somewhere else. One of my first UL setups was a 5’6” browning Sliaflex rod with a Daiwa Mini Mite reel that I used until the gears were gone and would bind under the pressure of a good gill. Haven’t been the same since. If you see one of my posts of a recent trip, it usually has a pic of the rod and jig I use. Other than plastics I tie my own, a lot of the time the colors come from the plastics I use. To me, a rod over $60 takes a lot of thought and I own none of the St Croix lineup. One of theirs has my eye but runs about twice my comfort level so it’s been on the want list for almost ten years now. We all fish and think different and we all get along here and our gear is like our thoughts, all different. Bring your tales of your events, tackle and trips here, we’d all like to read about them. Hope to hear from you soon.

One big advantage the JDM spin rods have are their micro guides. These rods cast further than American made rods due to less line slap. One reason for fishing ultralight is so one can cast lighter lures and jigs, even flies. So I'm a JDM rod convert for life until the American rod makers figure that out.

As for shallow spools I can see their use for light lines for pan fish and bass. But I fish rivers for trout and sometimes I like having a deep spool for the extra line backing when drift fishing. My last purchased reel, a Shimano Vanguard 2000 I purchased in the US for the deeper spool.

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Skeetbum,

When you said "I have to handle a rod before I buy it" that is exactly how I feel. I am not buying any rod that I haven't handled and I know of nowhere around me that I can do that with a JDM rod. I kind of feel the same way about a reel. But at least with a reel it is less of a problem to return it if I don't like it.

I'll see if I ever find the means and inclination to buy JDM tackle of any kind. In the meanwhile I am slowly learning more about it. But I am satisfied and happy with what I use. My St. Croix's are 15 or more years old so they were a lot less when I bought them and my income was a lot more back then.

Happy Easter.


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Originally Posted by UpstateSC_Bill

I am not suggesting in any way that anybody ever poo-pooed any body else's equipment. And neither is that my intention. That is what I love about crappie.com. But I have read the entire all things ultralight subforum and while there are some non JDM posts they are few and far between. I've also read a bunch of the parent forum and it is almost the same. If you are honest with yourself I expect you would agree. You have to go to the main crappie forum to get away from it. But then the focus there isn't UL and panfish.

As you said post about what I want. I will certainly do so. And I am sure I will get friendly, helpful responses. I visit a fair number of forums and this is without a doubt the nicest, friendliest bunch anywhere.

But I also completely enjoy your's and other's posts on JDM as well. Keep up all the useful information. Maybe someday I can save up the money to stick my toe in the JDM water.

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I often find myself checking the app several times a day to read posts. We sure have a good bunch of folks on here. I’ve seen the back and forth banter on other fishing blogs (not going to take names) but the ones here are remarkably more civil, respectful, and genuinely helpful; because they are centered on sharing knowledge and experience, and not show boating. The current world needs a big dose of this.

There are people on crappie.com who have helped me a lot which has allowed me to have memorable days on the water.

We have got ourselves a good community on here.

Happy Easter and God bless all!


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