How to rig a micro fishing pole

Micro fishing is the pursuit of tiny fish with hook and line. There are many species of fish in the world. A large number never reach lengths longer than an average adult's fingers!

Micro fishing gear allows us to fish for those diminutive fish. While some can be caught on small hooks and light line, specialty micro fishing gear is more effective. When using a small light micro fishing rod, a four inch fish can even put up a formidable fight!

If you're looking for more information on micro fishing in general, check out our microfishing guide. If you want to learn about rigging poles for micro fishing, then please read on.

Micro fishing with a "regular" rod

Before we talk about rigging rods we have to decide what kind of rod we are talking about. We sell a variety of microfishing rods made for catching tiny fish. Though you can also use a spinning rod to catch micros.

If you want to use a traditional fishing rod you can simply attach a micro fishing hook to the end of your line. Catching micros doesn't require anything more than a hook and micro fishing bait.

Of course you can tie more detailed rigs too. While most micro fish can be caught with a single baited micro hook, having indicators or weights on the line can help you catch more fish. Some fish dwell on the bottom. Others are light biters. Additional tackle can make you a better anglers.

Using a micro fishing rod

Micro fishing rods are fixed rods. They don't have reels. You attach a length of line to the lilian at the end of the pole with a level line knot. Then you attach a hook to the other end of your line.

In most situations you will want your main line to be about as long as your pole. You can use longer or shorter lengths of line, but that can make fishing difficult. A line that is too long is difficult to manage. A line that is too short makes it tough to get a fish you hook into your hand.

To keep things simple, you can tie a micro hook straight to your line and start fishing. This will allow you to catch many micros like dace and chubs that are within visible distance.

For deeper water, fish you can't see, or very light biting fish, you may need to attach a micro fishing float or line markers to your line. You can also attach weight like a twist on line sinker if you want to fish for bottom dwelling species like darters.

We carry complete micro rigs from Japan that come ready-to-fish. These rigs are tied on specialty micro line. They have micro floats and just enough weight to balance the rig. To use these rigs, simple slide the loop over the lilian on your rod and cinch it down. You can adjust the depth of the float and weight as necessary.

More micro fishing rig tips

Many anglers will tie a tippet clip to the end of their main line. Then they can attach a snelled micro fishing hook right to the clip. This makes it easy to attach incredibly small micro fishing hooks to the line. Tippet clips can be used on micro fishing rods, spinning rods, or even fly rods!

Another thing to note is that micro fishing hooks really do work. You can certainly buy small hooks for game fish. Fly tying hooks are available as tiny as size 32! Yet micro fishing hooks have specially sharpened tiny hook points that can penetrate the mouths of small fish. If you're having trouble hooking micros, try using micro hooks.

Don't overlook indicators either. Some micro fish will barely bite a bait. Or they will pick up your bait and spit it out before you know what happened. Using micro floats and line markers can help you sense bites and set the hook before you miss the fish.

You don't have to spend an arm and a leg to catch micros. Some anglers save money by being creative with their tackle. A straight tree branch or piece of bamboo can catch micros. So can the end piece of an old fly rod. A bit of light monofilament or fly fishing tippet can be used as micro fishing line. A piece of an old foam flip flop can even be formed into a micro float!