Growing up on James Island the opportunity to fish was always present. Before I was old enough to drive my buddies and I would hop on our bikes and ride to the nearest creek or pond and fish for hours. Fishing the neighborhood lakes provided my first exposure to ultra light tackle. We would use this smaller tackle to give the small bream and bass a fighting chance when we hooked them. We also cast little rooster tails and jigs and the lightweight rods and line allowed us a good casting distance. It was not until many years later that I discovered the fun of using ultra light tackle to target inshore and near shore saltwater species.
Ultra light tackle provides great advantages when it comes to casting distance with lighter lures and bait. This helps to target fish in shallow water conditions that may become spooked by the noise of heavier lures. This is the concept behind fly-fishing, but it does not require the practice and knowledge of fly-fishing. During the month of September the inshore fish feed in the shallowest of waters, chasing live shrimp, minnows, finger mullet, and anything else they can get their mouths on. Many times these fish are feeding in just inches of water and stealth is of the utmost importance. A longer cast with a lighter lure allows you to target your fish from farther away with fewer disturbances. The other great part of ultra light tackle is the amount of skill it takes to land our target without breaking your line or having the fish empty your reel. It is very intense from the time you hook the fish until the time the fish has been landed.
The obvious disadvantage of using such light tackle is the fact that you are not able to control a fish as well as you can with heavier tackle. With heavier line and tackle you can turn a fish if it heads in a direction that may cause trouble, like toward an oyster bed or a dock piling. When fishing with ultra light tackle it is a must to have quality rod, reel, and line. The margin for error is slim and you need to have confidence that