Threadlining

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Threadlining is generally accepted to mean ultralight spin fishing. Coined in Britain in the 1920s, the term initially meant bait fishing with a light line. What we now think of as ultralight spin fishing was developed in France in the 1930's. In the 50's and 60's spin fishing became popular in the US.

What I find interesting is that back then, there was no such thing as "ultralight" spin fishing. Spin fishing, just regular old spin fishing, (often called hairlining or threadlining) was fishing with lines of 3 lb breaking strength or less. Somehow, the definition has changed in the last 50 years. Many people today consider 6 lb line to be "ultralight." You would be hard pressed to find an ultralight rod designed for the US market that is not rated for line up to 6 lb test.

When you consider that virtually all lines made for the US market break well above their stated strength, it turns out that "ultralight" in the US ends up being rods designed for lines that in reality are 8 lb test or even stronger. What the heck happened?  What happened was people wanting stronger lines and stiffer rods. I've seen more than a few comments in internet forums and Facebook groups complaining that US ultralight rods are too whippy.

That is a far cry from Arne St. Claire's 1961 book The Modern Science of Spin Fishing, which lamented at all commercial spinning rods available then were way too stiff. He believed that to get a good spinning rod, one actually suitable for spin fishing, you had to get a custom rod that was made from a fly rod blank.

In 2009, Joe Robinson tried to resurrect threadlining, publishing his book Piscatorial Absurdities. He was introduced to threadlining by no less a figure than Dave Whitlock in 1988. With a small, light custom made rod, a 3 lb test line and a 1/16 oz jig, Dave lured Joe to the dark side. Over the next twenty years, Joe took up Arne St. Claire's mantle and almost single-handedly promoted spin fishing the way it had been done - with soft rods made from fly rod blanks and lines of 3 lb test or less.

By the time he wrote his book, Joe had read everything he could find about spin fishing in the early years. He made a persuasive case for fishing with light, flexible rods and light lines. His book, and his followers, caught the eye of Temple Fork Outfitters. To provide new Threadliners with an appropriate rod so they didn't have to build one themselves or hire a custom builder to make one for them, TFO introduced a Gary Loomis Signature Fly/Spin rod. I have no idea how many of the rods TFO sold, but now, ten years later, the rod is no longer offered.

What I found a little surprising is that the TFO Spin/Fly rod didn't really adhere to the way Joe Robinson actually fished. In his book, Joe Robinson recommended fishing with 6X, 7X or even 8X tippet material (which pretty much ranges from 3.5 lb down to 1.8 lb test). The rod, though, was rated for line up to 6 lb test (which for virtually all spinning line available in the US really means at least 8 lb breaking strength).

I think what probably happened is that TFO knew the market and knew that the American spin fishing community was not going to buy a rod rated for line no stronger than an honest 3 lb test (by which I mean a line that actually breaks at 3 lb).

Threadlining in Japan

I guess I should have written that TFO knew the US market. There are more than a few Japanese rods rated for line no stronger than 3 lb, including rods designed for salt water fishing.

The salt water rods are designed for Ajing - fishing for Aji (Japanese horse mackerel), which don't get over about a foot long and maybe 3/4 lb. The Tenryu Lunakia 632S-LML is an example of a salt water rod designed for line of 3 lb or less.

The fresh water rods are designed for trout fishing in Areas, which are private, pay to fish operations. Most are lakes, although there are also some streams that are essentially one large man-made pool after another. The lakes, obviously, have no current and the streams have minimal  current. Because anglers in areas do not have to fight the current as well as the fish, and there are no snags that they must keep fish away from, there is no need to fish with a heavy line. The fish in Areas are highly pressured, so anglers use small lures and very thin lines. Sunline and Varivas both offer 1.2 lb test lines for fishing in Areas.

While I don't carry any 1.2 lb lines, I do carry a couple 2 lb lines, and several rods rated for lines of 3 lb and under.

If you're on a budget, the Daiwa Iprimi rods run about $150. If budget is not a concern, the Daiwa Presso AGS 54XUL-S runs about three times that. What I like about the rods designed for Areas is that they are soft rods that will get a good bend with even a modest fish. The Presso AGS 54XUL-S and Iprimi 56XULl-S are just  lot of fun with headwaters brookies.

In addition to being rated for light lines, the Area rods are rated for light lures. The most popular lures for fishing in Areas are micro spoons. They are small enough that little wild trout can take them easily. So can pumpkinseeds in the town park, for that matter. 

Snap Casts

An interesting aspect of the rods that Erne St. Clair and Joe Robinson advocated is their ability to do wave casts. A wave cast is hard to describe and even harder to execute. I have run across several people who have the TFO Gary Loomis Signature Spin/Fly rod - all online, I have not seen the rod itself. Not a one of them does Erne St. Clair's wave casts with it.

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