Float N Fly anyone

[Bill Babler]

I have watched that video multiple times. If you look they are pitching that jig a few feet in front of them. Won't work here for our early season clear water suspended bass. They are basically drop shotting it. You need to stay away from our fish, for the most part a full cast. Getting over clear water bass that are suspended in 15' to 30 ft. Over depth and they are gone in a flash. You must get it away from you. 

Here is the problem and you all can help me with this. On a full cast I cannot get the jig using a 1/16th or 1/32nd. Ounce to fall. It stays near the float and the jig and the float are pulled by the  weight of the main line and the friction of the line on the water back to you, or it just sits there and won't fall

Early in the season in cold water and I'm saying water in the under 45 degree range I can get twice as many bites On a 1/80th. Or a 1/64th. Oz jig. I have these with a size 1 hook. As the water warms I can move to a bigger bait in the  1/32 or 1/16th oz. size. If I go at any time to a 1/8th. oz. bait it just does not work as well and I get very few bites

In the last 10 years myself, clients and friends out of my boat have easily caught 2000 plus keepers on a floater on Bull Shoals and Table Rock. I would love to have a better method than the long line but I just cannot make it work. 

Lines I have tried are 3,4,5,6,8 pound test Maxima. I have also tried 2,4,6,8 pound carbon.  Best deal for me is braid to the float and 4lb. Carbon to the fly

Couple of things here, rate of fall makes no difference as they very seldom take it on the fall.  99% of the time they just move up and eat it as it suspecteds there. And, for sure if there is a ripple or wind they just don't want it.  Works way better on flat, slick water

What am I doing wrong on the slip float. I have worked with it for hours as did both Bill Richey and Bill Beck and none of the 3 of us could get it to work here

 

[Bill Babler]

As was just posted this is also popular for walleye. The exception is they are putting live bait on a 1/8th, 1/4 and 3/8th oz. Jig head to get the depth they desire  just way to big to interest White River Bass

Another question that was posted was on landing fish. No problem if you have a partner as a 12' rod in a 6' man's extended hand/arm standing up, easily reaches close to 18 to 20 ft.  Little more difficult when your by yourself

[Fish24/7]

I use a slip bobber rig. Cigar floats. Push the plug into the top,(either end) and I like Eagle claw bobber stops. Never have problems with the jig not sinking. Sometimes theres a little bit of foam inside the float you have to poke out with a piece of wire, but most of the floats are hollow. I use braid tied to a  very long leader of 6lb. Typically 20'. usually set the bobber stop somewhere between 8-15' above the jig. This won't work very well at all with mirco guide rods.

 With a 1/16 or 1/32,the only two sizes I use, the float it sits a little bit sideways on the surface. lift bites it lays totally flat. When they  grab it and go down it stands up and goes underwater.

As far as spooking fish in clear water. Sometimes it depends on the boat. Bigger boats with bigger motors are gonna easily spook more fish than a tiny boat with a trolling motor, a canoe or kayak. Sometimes I think just a ticking transducer  will even spook fish, other days I've seen bass come up from 20+'  to the boat to investigate the clicking noise.

I can sit right on top of bass and crappie that are just 6-8' under me. Where you can see the bottom in 12'.  They only spooked when a 20' bass boat with a big motor shut down 50 yds from me. 

I've been fishing off a dock and could see crappie suspended 3-4' down. A bass boat comes into the cove shuts down 200' away and all the crappie under that dock spooked. 

Other days I've caught bass with boats running around me all over the place right beside me, guess it just depends on the mood of the fish. From my experience the colder the water, the easier they spook.

[Bill Babler]

As you all know I love the phat fly but early cold water season the smaller flys work much better 1/80th, 1/64, and 1/32. I had these custom made with the size 1 gammy. 

At times the shad this early in the season can be smaller than a dime. 

Again if you can see bass in either TR or Bull sitting under me which is seldom with the naked eye I can't catch them. I have to get away and cast to them. 

[FishnDave]

I'm also using 1/80th to 1/48th oz jigs, typically, although I've gone to as large as 1/32nd....but the 1/32nd size starts to get a little unwieldy on the fly rod when coupled with a big enough indicator to float that.  And I'm not fishing very deep at all...usually 2 feet or less, but sometimes as deep as 4-6 feet.  That's usually the length of my tippet, so I haven't bothered to try fishing deeper than that.

[Quillback]

3 hours ago, abkeenan said:

I made up like 8 of the cigar shaped bobbers to the specs of Mike Bucca. He has quite a few videos on YouTube of him fishing the FnF and of him giving tutorials of the how-to's including the specific bobber so that you can detect a "lift bite". I took them, cut them in half, created a cavity to transplant the weight in the middle instead of at the ends and then epoxied them back together. I did this like 4 years ago and HAVE YET TO TRY THE FnF. I have all the jigs and everything.

 

Yeah I hear you, I have a few things FNF related myself in my tackle stash.  I have used them however and even caught a few fish.

Sometimes it is better to stay away from the videos, especially for easily influenced folks such as myself.  I absolutely refuse to watch videos of guys throwing, big, expensive hard bodied swimbaits.  I am afraid if I watch them, I'll end up with a swimbait rod, special reel, expensive line, and a half-dozen $200 swim baits.  

[Bill Babler]

24 minutes ago, Quillback said:

Yeah I hear you, I have a few things FNF related myself in my tackle stash.  I have used them however and even caught a few fish.

Sometimes it is better to stay away from the videos, especially for easily influenced folks such as myself.  I absolutely refuse to watch videos of guys throwing, big, expensive hard bodied swimbaits.  I am afraid if I watch them, I'll end up with a swimbait rod, special reel, expensive line, and a half-dozen $200 swim baits.  

I have just the Rod for you 😃

[snagged in outlet 3]

1 hour ago, Quillback said:

Yeah I hear you, I have a few things FNF related myself in my tackle stash.  I have used them however and even caught a few fish.

Sometimes it is better to stay away from the videos, especially for easily influenced folks such as myself.  I absolutely refuse to watch videos of guys throwing, big, expensive hard bodied swimbaits.  I am afraid if I watch them, I'll end up with a swimbait rod, special reel, expensive line, and a half-dozen $200 swim baits.  

Winter time with no fishing for a while compounds the problem...

[dtrs5kprs]

2 hours ago, Quillback said:

Yeah I hear you, I have a few things FNF related myself in my tackle stash.  I have used them however and even caught a few fish.

Sometimes it is better to stay away from the videos, especially for easily influenced folks such as myself.  I absolutely refuse to watch videos of guys throwing, big, expensive hard bodied swimbaits.  I am afraid if I watch them, I'll end up with a swimbait rod, special reel, expensive line, and a half-dozen $200 swim baits.  

*looks around nervously

[bobby b.]

On 2/3/2021 at 11:20 AM, Bill Babler said:

Over depth and they are gone in a flash. You must get it away from you. 

Bill,

Some questions:

- How far does the boat need to be away from the drop?

- Do you use the trolling motor anchor to stay in place?  I'm assuming with no wind there would be minimal need for troller action.  True?

- Spro Float N Fly smallest is 1/16 oz.  What do you use for smaller than 1/16oz?

I wanted to try using a flyfishing pole. Using a 6 weight 9 ft pole with 12 ft of 8 lb invisz on the fly line I was able to easily throw about 20 ft away from the boat with no wind using a 1/64 oz maribou jig and a microball float (the kind with the rubberband keeper.) a foot away from the fly line   Heavier jigs require two balls and do not throw as good for me but it's been awhile.  Do you think this would work and do you have any suggestions for improvement?  What do you use for 1/64 or 1/80 oz.  jigs with bigger hooks than these trout maribou jigs?

Thanks

Bobby