Floatin' Fly

[Winston]

What is the floatin' fly I'm hearing about? How is it rigged and how is it fished?

[abkeenan]

Winston, thanks for bringing this topic up as I am curious if anyone uses this technique at TR. Ive been thinking of trying it out for the last couple of years but just haven't gotten around to it yet. One would think that if it works great on smallies in the Tennessee lakes then it should work here on TR also....but you never know. If they want something suspended like a jerkbait, which clearly does well on TR during the cold water months, this little jig should also do pretty well one would think. Maybe even tip it with a live minnow or something.

Here is a website that explains it all in great detail and should help:

http://www.floatandfly.com/

[Dutch]

I started doing it several years ago. I have almost quit because I have caught lmb, spots, crappie, perch, cats, whites, drum and carp on it and not even one smallmouth. From the reading I have done over the years it seems that a cloudy day with spitting snow or rain is the time that they catch the big smallies. On those days I am not going.

[Hogfan]

There were some FLW guys using this method last spring when they were here. I personally saw a co-angler catch a short smallmouth on it while the pro was throwing a jerkbait. Heard some pros were using them too. When I first saw it I remember thinking "is that guy really using a bobber in an FLW tournament" because I had never heard of the technique.

[innova]

I have never tried it on the rock, but can so without a doubt it works great on Beaver.

Chunk Rock ledges and Bluff Walls is the place to try. My favorite jig colors on Beaver are White with the tip dipped in chartuese on cloudy days and blue on sky blue days.

[Don P]

I fish Dale Hollow usually at least twice a year....they swear by the float-n-fly down there for winter smallmouth.

I bought a bunch of phat flies last year to try but could not force myself to fish with a bobber. I'm more of a jig fisherman and to me a big part of fishing fun is feeling the bite. I primarily use silver buddys and jerkbaits along bluff walls and main channel points in early march then switch to grubs when we go back in April. My go to bait though is a footballhead and stickworm.

I have never fished Tablerock but plan to try it this winter as soon as we get a weekend in the 40's. My dad will probably be draggin a fly from the back of the boat.

Heres a link to some videos of the Phat flies in action. Hope this is legal.

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/vlogpage.html?ccode=VLOG134

Heres a link to a good Dale Hollow forum:

http://www.smalljaw.com/

Alot of good info on there pertaining to the float-n-fly and other smallmouth tactics.

[snagged in outlet 3]

I bought the Float n Fly system quite a few ago. It did real well around the dam area of T-rock fro smallies.

I bought the "sampler" pack and the jigs with a little blue in them rocked. The last time I used them was with a guide buddy of mine and I left them in his boat when we finished. I rarely fish T-rock anymore when in Branson but I would use the FnF system if I did.

I also just cast them out and work them back without the float and they did real well.

SIO3

[aftersh0ck]

I was going to say we were doing this 20 years ago when i was a teenager, to catch fish up in trees with out getting snagged when walking around the lake.

we used plastic grubs that way. i used to tie on 2 almost 15in apart helps cast further on top of catching doubles.

later on used it from the boat to catch crappie that were bitting slow.

[RSBreth]

Yes the "Float and Fly". The hot new technique - that's about 30-years old, if not older.

Seriously, it does work, but I find that if you can get them to hit a suspended jig, you can get them to hit a suspending jerkbait, and the jerkbait fish tend to be bigger.

A couple I keep bookmarked on this topic: In-Fisherman - Advanced Float and Fly Technique.

And a counterpoint - Float and Fly- can make you laugh or cry.

[skeeter]

Tried the "Float n' Fly" system (the "fly" is nothing more than a jig tied with "craft hair" like you used to see on those ugly little Troll dolls) years ago when the original guy who manufactured and sold the kits was still alive.

Found out quickly on TR you had to have at least 10 to 12 feet of line out below the stationary float. A "slip-bobber" won't work to make casting the rig easier because you can't effectively "twitch" the jig with it due to line movement.

Got my decades old 9wt, 9ft Eagle Claw fly rod out to cast this cumbersome thing with and even with a rod that long it was very difficult for me to cast it. I had to hear the bobber hit the water first on the backcast before bringing the rig forward and it quickly became a case of "chuck and duck" and it was a pain to throw it. Not recommended if another person is sharing the boat with you.

There must be some renewed interest in the system as one of our local guys is inquiring about using the F n' F system too and he does very well in the cold weather with other methods.