Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
I know that to some folks the thought of pursuing fish with lighter than normal tackle makes about as much sense as going fishing without hooks. After all, most anglers just want to go out and "get the fish" so they can bring it home for dinner, and they prefer to do so using the most effective tackle possible. So if I made the argument that light tackle fishing would make their fishing experience more fun, exciting or rewarding, many folks would probably respond that they're already enjoying every minute of their time on the water and don't need to spice their fishing up with the hassle of light tackle.
During these times when closed seasons, smaller catch limits, and larger size limits seem to be making it harder all the time to bring home a catch, I'd also expect to hear from some anglers that the last thing they want to do is handicap themselves with light tackle. But to that note I'd contend that in times like this fishermen should find it all the more appealing to have light tackle be a part of their angling pursuits. After all, as regulations tighten, anglers are more likely to find themselves in situations where they are forced into catch-and-release either because the season is closed, they've caught their limit, or the fish are too small.
Consider our bluefin fishery. When the tuna are biting like crazy but folks can only keep one or two per boat, or the fall run of rockfish when it's quick and easy to catch a two-fish limit, or when schools of snapper bluefish invade the inlet. If you're hooked up to a fish that you can't or don't wish to keep anyway, why rush it to the boat on heavy tackle just so you can cast back out and repeat the process on another fish? I don't know about the rest of you, but for me that kind of fishing starts to get a little too repetitive, particularly when the fish are of all the same type and general size. Those are the times when just a slight change-up in tackle can transform a very monotonous routine into a thrill from every fish.
Going light can spark new fun into "same-old-same-old" fishing action by providing anglers with the chance to milk an extra measure of enjoyment and challenge from fishing opportunities that they might otherwise not consider to be worth pursuing. As an added bonus, the lessons learned while rigging and using light tackle for everyday fishing adventures can pay big dividends later if anglers find themselves accidentally or purposefully doing battle with oversized opponents.
Here on Delmarva we have enough light tackle opportunities that anglers looking to add a little (or a lot) of zest to their fishing adventures shouldn't have much trouble finding an adversary that'll put their stamina and tackle to the test. Inshore and offshore, from bluefish to bluefin tuna, local anglers need only to pick a quarry, consider the circumstances, devise a strategy, rig their tackle, and execute their plan to experience the kind of challenge and fun that most just read about in fishing magazines.
So, what constitutes "light tackle?" Actually, there's no written standards that define when tackle is considered to be "light," it's pretty much up to the angler to decide for themselves, taking into account the weight of the line, size of the fish, the angler's own skill level, and environmental issues such as the sea conditions, depth of the water, or strength of current.
There's so many variables. For instance, 10-pound test would certainly not be considered light tackle for catching 2-pound seabass in 15-feet of water. But put those same fish among a wreck with 200-feet of water above them and 10-pound test would surely qualify as light for the task.
Anglers may occasionally experience times when an unexpected bite from an unintended fish suddenly forces them into an unplanned light tackle battle-royal, such as when a 400-pound thresher shark snaps up a strip of squid on a bottom rig with 20-pound test intended for seabass. Unfortunately such incidences seldom end well for the fisherman, not because the line is too light but because the rest of their tackle (hooks, leader, reel, etc.) will not likely be set-up to handle the forces of such a large fish. Compounding the problem, the crew probably doesn't have the boat rigged and ready to give quick chase. However, even using the same 20-pound line, anglers who choose to intentionally target such a fish can dramatically swing the odds of success in their favor with some advance planning and tackle preparation. Light tackle catches that make it into the record books seldom happen by accident, they start with a goal and end with the execution of a well-planned strategy to achieve the objective.
Choose a quarry. First things first - choose a quarry. It would be a mistake for someone to think that a good strategy would be to just grab some light tackle, head out on the water and "see what they can catch on it." To do it right, anglers should pick a species and then focus their efforts on that particular fish. Of course folks have to make sure they choose the right adversary. Light tackle fishing can mean a lot of lost fish so anglers should consider targeting species that are abundant and the opportunity for hook-ups are relatively great.
Some fish are not "doable." Anglers must also understand that some fish in some situations are simply not candidates for light tackle. For instance, giant bluefin tuna on 4-pound test just isn't going to happen because the breaking strength of the line will never allow the angler to exert enough pressure on the fish that it would even know that it's hooked - let alone wear it down until it could be brought to the boat. It would also be futile to use such tackle to try and catch tautog over relatively deep wrecks or reefs because before the angler could pull it away from the structure the fish would simply swim into a hole or around some debris and break itself off.
Too deep. Extreme depth is also a major obstacle to the success of light tackle fishing because it often requires so much weight to get the bait or lure down to the fish. That weight, plus the added forces applied by water pressure on the line, can be too much for the line to take. When you factor in the pull of a fish, which probably doesn't even have to "pull" because at great depths a big fish could stop swimming altogether and its dead weight alone would be too much for the line to withstand, it's obvious that light tackle doesn't mix well with deep water.
Problems with currents. Since too much water pressure on a light line can pop it just as easily as a frozen drag, anglers will sometimes encounter situations where the current is so strong that there is no way to effectively fish light tackle, particularly if they are fishing from the shore and not able to move freely with the flow of the water as they could from a boat.
Too many fishermen - too many fish. Another obstacle is the presence of too many other fishermen. Because light tackle often has the fish taking a lot of line and the angler following it around with the boat or up and down the shoreline, the last thing that needs to be thrown into the mix is other fishermen with lines, anchors, boats, and anything else that might hinder the battle. Light tackle fishing requires that fishermen find a place away from everyone else where they can focus 100% on the task at hand. A similar problem can result from too many fish. When a fish is hooked from a school it will likely try to stay with the school during the fight creating a good opportunity for the line to be broken on a fin, a tail, or even in the mouth of another fish. This can also happen when anglers chum or chunk-up a bunch of fish up behind the boat.
Consider the health of the fish. Light tackle anglers must also take into consideration the health and survivability of their quarry. To the fisherman, a "break-off" might be just another lost fish and a chance to get lines back in the water to try again. But it's not such a good deal for a fish if it dies from physiological complications resulting from the stress and struggle or because it's left too weak to avoid becoming lunch for sharks or other predators. Also, what happens if the line breaks and the fish is left to swim around trailing leader and line until the hook eventually corrodes away? Anglers must take such things into consideration to determine if it's ethical to use light tackle in the first place. Of course, anglers looking to increase their fun without running the risk of killing the fish in the process have the option of dropping down just a single line class or two. A 50-pound tuna caught and released on 20-pound tackle is going to fair a lot better than one caught on 6-pound!
Devise a strategy. Most anglers will encounter times when, purely by accident, they find themselves in a light tackle situation; a huge blue marlin slurps down chunk bait intended for small dolphin, a 100-pound stingray bites a kingfish rig in the surf, or a giant bluefin pounces on a lure intended for bluefish. Sometimes the angler will emerge triumphant from such encounters, but more likely the victor will be the one wearing scales. Then again, the record books are filled with incredible catches of fish weighing hundreds of pounds taken on line testing in the single digits. Such catches don't just "happen" because the angler got "lucky," they represent what's possible when anglers research a species, formulate and plan, prepare their tackle, and execute a strategy.
Have enough time to make it happen. When planning out a light tackle adventure, anglers should keep in mind how long it could take to land whatever fish they might be doing battle with. Hooking some big monster on sewing thread at the end of the day might not be such a good idea if the battle runs past sunset; light tackle battles get a lot more complicated in the dark, so too during periods of bad weather and rough seas. Light tackle anglers have enough adversities to overcome; they don't need to be dealing with climatic issues.
Some methods are just not doable. One of the first things anglers learn when they "go light" is that they cannot always employ the same baits, lures, hooks, or leaders that they are accustomed to using with heavier tackle because the light line cannot withstand the added pressure when the terminal tackle is cast, trolled, jigged, or drifted across the bottom. A green machine behind a bird simply cannot be snapped to 10-pound test and trolled at six knots because the line will break before the rig is towed ten feet. To fish smaller lures, lighter weights and thinner leaders effectively, light tackle almost always requires that some kind of concessions be made in the terminal tackle used. The silver lining to this imposition is that in many instances fish that might otherwise shy away from hitting big rigs with heavy leaders will more readily snatch up the lighter rigs.
Setting big hooks. It used to be that hook setting was an issue with light tackle because only so much pressure could be applied with the light line to plant the hook into the fish's jaw. But today with small but very strong laser or chemically sharpened hooks, getting a good hook-set is not so much of a problem with light tackle, particularly when circle hooks are used.
Use good knots, line and leader. Paramount for light tackle success is that anglers use good quality knots, line and leaders. While the line and leader part of this equation is simply a matter of buying top-notch materials, when it comes to knots there's no easy solution other than learning, practicing, and then being able to tie the proper knot as needed. Knots are typically the weakest link between fish and fisherman and during a long fight they are going to be stressed to the max. Anglers will find that when working with super light lines it can be hard enough just to see the line, let alone tie a smooth and effective knot, so as much rigging and knot tying as possible should be done before-hand in a stable and controlled environment rather than out on the water. By making rigs, tying knots, and (most importantly) testing those knots before heading out to sea, anglers should be able to avoid a terminal tackle malfunction after hook-up. It's far better to have a knot fail while being tested by the fisherman than later on when tested by a fish.
Use the right tackle. Since light tackle hook-ups can result in long drawn out battles between man and fish, anglers should ensure that their tackle is in perfect working order and designed for the task. Drags should be properly set and silky-smooth, roller guides should all turn freely, and fishermen should know exactly how much line they have on their reels to work with. In fact, the two most important considerations when choosing a light tackle reel is drag and line capacity. For most inshore fishing where the water is relatively shallow, line capacity is less important because the fish won't likely have as much room to run. But anglers fishing the open ocean need to have a lot of line on their reels, because even if they plan on chasing the fish with the boat there's a good chance that it'll take many hundreds of yards of line before they can get the boat moving. While there are certainly times when spinning reels will do the job, to end up with right combination of line capacity and smooth drag, most light tackle fishermen, particularly in the ocean, usually end up fishing with conventional type reels.
Anglers should also know that they can't just take any reel, put light line on it and expect it to perform properly. Reel drags are designed to handle lines within a certain range. Slip out of that range and the drag won't perform properly. So loading a reel designed for 20-30 pound line with 8-pound test would be a mistake because, even though it would hold a lot of the lighter line, the drag would probably not do it's job properly at the lower settings.
For the record books. If all this talk isn't enough to sell someone on the idea of using light tackle, maybe the thought of setting a world record might do the trick. The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) is the one organization recognized around the world for properly qualifying, recording, and keeping records for most of the game fish caught around the world in both fresh and saltwater. Records are maintained not just for heaviest “all-tackle” catches in each species, but also for “line-class” catches in 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 30, 50, 80, and 130 pound test line, fly-tackle records in 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, and 20 pound tippet, as well as junior-angler catches. Records are also broken down into men’s and women’s categories. So there may be over 20 individuals who hold world records at the same time for a given species of fish. You can bet that with so many species of fish in the world, there are not only a lot of records on the books, there’s also a gang of potential records still waiting to be set.
To keep the world record process fair for the anglers, the IGFA has a trunk-load of rules that stipulate how fish must be landed, what type of bait and tackle may and may not be used, and what procedures must be followed after the catch to officially qualify it as a record.
All records are still “potentials” until IGFA receives a properly completed application, a sample of the fishing line and all terminal tackle used to catch the fish, as well as a barrage of photos showing the angler with the fish, the tackle, and the fish on a certified weigh scale. Finally, before qualifying a record the IGFA uses some kind of high-tech gizmo to check the true breaking strength of the line.
To many fishermen the thought of setting a “world record” might seem like such a longshot that it’s pretty much dismissed as a dream that will never come true. That’s probably because many assume that world records are set by anglers who just luck into an extra ordinarily large fish one day. Maybe sometimes it happens that way, but more times than not records are set by anglers who are specifically trying to set a record. They do their research and know what size and type of fish they have to catch, are very aware of IGFA tackle requirements and angling rules, know ahead of time where they can weight their catch on a certified scale, and have all the extra necessities such as cameras, tape measures, IGFA forms, ready for action when the time comes.
With just a little research some folks might find that getting in the record books could be within their reach. I’m not saying it’ll be easy – but it’s certainly not impossible. The place to start is the IGFA website (www.igfa.org) where you can get all the details about what the organization requires for a record. Unfortunately, you have to be a member in order to access all their information, including the complete record list. But it’s worth the $40 membership fee just to stay abreast of all the record standings, not to mention all the stuff they send you.
Once you have the rules and all the record lists you can look-up whatever type of fish you want to pursue and see if there is a record in a line class category that you think you have a shot at beating. Then make sure all your tackle conforms to IGFA specifications and go fishing! Particularly if you’re trying for a super light line category like #2 or #4, don’t expect things to go your way - right away. Figure you’re going to break off a lot of fish in the process but with each mishap you’ll gain a little more experience that will hopefully get you closer to your ultimate goal of getting in the official IGFA record book.
A lot of fishermen will be quick to claim that they "aren't into that light tackle stuff," but sometimes Mother Nature will have other ideas and impale a big-old-something-or-other on the end of our line when we least expect it. While no one can be totally prepared to handle anything that might bite their line, having at least some knowledge of light tackle fishing could sometimes mean the difference between returning to the dock with a "one that got away" story - or a pose for the cover of the Coastal Fisherman.
Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and Captain of the charter boat “Fish Finder”, docked at the Ocean City Fishing Center.
