Lighten Up! ---For More Fun Fshing!!!

LIGHTEN UP FOR MORE FUN FISHING

by

Dick Alley

           Eddie Boland was a great fisherman and a good friend--and also an excellent business man.

Capt Bill Herold plays a fall bluefish on light tackle

       He had many friends. In fact every customer was his friend  and as a result his sources as to where the fish were and what they were hitting was always excellent. In my own case, he introduced me to striped bass fishing, not by telling me where to go and what to use, but by taking me out in his boat and catching my first striped bass, hence hooking me for life. A couple of days later, I was back in the store purchasing my first surf casting outfit.

    Later in the season when big cow bass moved into our waters, he was happy to sell me a more sturdy rig capable of casting the big Atoms, poppers and metal lures attractive to these bigger  fish. When  smaller stripers and blues became commonplace in a day's fishing, Ed always came up with an idea to keep everybody fishing. One of his best ideas came when Ed purchased a bunch of one-handed, lighter action rods designed by famed rod-designer Joe Ciaglia and suddenly ultra-light salt water fishing became the new fad. There was an exciting new challenge  whether for foot-long stripers and Taylor blues or fish of 5 or 7 pounds that were as much a memory on the ultra-light rod as a 40-pound fish on heavy surf gear.

           Our old Westport Tackle group were a fun bunch of guys. Almost any day of the week, it was a place where we could go to swap fishing stories, gather information and on Saturdays, share a beer or two. When the Alou Eel or the Kastmaster became the hottest striper lure, everybody was casting  one in a matter of hours.

Bob Byers loved playing  2 to 4 pound blues on a one-handed rod.

Likewise a new rod or method became part of everybody's arsenal as fast as word of mouth could work. Before we knew it, we were participating in weekly contests for biggest fish on ultra-light tackle. Lures couldn't be heavier than 3/4 of an ounce. Line couldn't test out at more than 10 pounds. It made for lots of fun and some sizable fish showed up in the process.
            Ultra-light tackle  isn't restricted to salt water. Sweet water anglers  whether spinning or fly fishing can find more fun in downsizing their tackle.  Down -sizing also offers distinct advantages. Bored on a slow trout day? Bring out the  U-L spinning rod or the 3-Weight, fly rod, find a bunch of bluegills on their spawning beds.  Flatten the barbs on your hooks and release bluegills on every cast---or keep a few for a delicious meal.
           Common sense has to prevail when choosing tackle. Ultra-light doesn't work when hauling big-mouth bass out of the lily pads. It's  not preferable for bottom fishing whether in salt or fresh water.  It does however provide a challenging alternative when needed.
                                                                              dwa