Float n' Fly Failure

[38 Super Fan]

I really made a commitment to catch fish with this technique this year, but in half a dozen trips since the new year started, I haven't been able to catch one fish on this rig. I've really put some effort into this too, in fact, I don't think I've effort put this much time in with a rig and gotten such poor results. On numerous occasions I've thrown the float n' fly into areas where I was positive that fish were holding, not even a nibble. Then I'll throw a jerkbait in, and catch a fish on the first or second cast. I know many in this area have had a lot of success with the float n' fly, but I think I'm gonna be putting mine away.

 

It hasn't been all bad though. My old standby, the hard jerkbait, has been fishing great. Even caught this nice smallie last month:

 

[BigSkyBasser]

I also share your affinity for negative results with the float n' fly despite it being wildly popular up here in the north country. I've even followed up with a float and senko in the exact same areas and have caught fish all day long. 

 

My plan is to try it if I'm ever bored and find a school of smallmouth that are biting anything as I also have this issue with hair jigs that I have yet to figure out how to get bit on.

[Darren.]

1 minute ago, BigSkyBasser said:

I also share your affinity for negative results with the float n' fly despite it being wildly popular up here in the north country. I've even followed up with a float and senko in the exact same areas and have caught fish all day long. 

 

My plan is to try it if I'm ever bored and find a school of smallmouth that are biting anything as I also have this issue with hair jigs that I have yet to figure out how to get bit on.

 

I was gonna suggest the "float and senko" wacky rigged!

Great presentation.

[Dwight Hottle]

3 minutes ago, BigSkyBasser said:

 

My plan is to try it if I'm ever bored and find a school of smallmouth that are biting anything as I also have this issue with hair jigs that I have yet to figure out how to get bit on.

 

Hair jigs work just give them a little time. I caught my 3rd biggest smallie on one.

 

[38 Super Fan]

3 hours ago, BigSkyBasser said:

I also share your affinity for negative results with the float n' fly despite it being wildly popular up here in the north country. I've even followed up with a float and senko in the exact same areas and have caught fish all day long. 

 

My plan is to try it if I'm ever bored and find a school of smallmouth that are biting anything as I also have this issue with hair jigs that I have yet to figure out how to get bit on.

Ah yes, the float and senko, I haven't tried that one in years.

3 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

 

Hair jigs work just give them a little time. I caught my 3rd biggest smallie on one.

 

 That puts mine to shame!

 

I haven't had a great deal of luck with hair jigs either, just out of curiosity, how do you like to fish them?

[RoLo]

The main theme of the 'Float & Fly' delivery is to offer a bait with a Slow Natural Glide,

as the bait pendulums slowly back under the float. Although it can be very effective on passive smallies,

it tends to be wasteful of time for active bass. 

 

Roger

[Darren.]

21 minutes ago, RoLo said:

The main theme of the 'Float & Fly' delivery is to offer a bait with a Slow Natural Glide,

as the bait pendulums slowly back under the float. Although it can be very effective on passive smallies,

it tends to be wasteful of time for active bass. 

 

Roger

 

That's good info to know. I've been pondering putting

together a FnF rig and will have to file this for future

thought.

[BigSkyBasser]

4 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

 

Hair jigs work just give them a little time. I caught my 3rd biggest smallie on one.

 

 

I've watched some videos of Seth Feider talking about his techniques with hair jigs and tried to just slow roll them as well as jig n' pop them like a tube and neither have ever done me any real good. Caught about a 6 pound pike on one last year though haha....

[RoLo]

6 minutes ago, Darren. said:

 

That's good info to know. I've been pondering putting

together a FnF rig and will have to file this for future

thought.

 

Float & Fly is most popular in gin-clear lakes like Dale Hollow, TN

but if you're not marking smallies, it can be very time-consuming.

 

[Darren.]

2 minutes ago, RoLo said:

 

The FnF is most popular in gin-clear lakes like Dale Hollow, TN

but if you're not marking smallies, it can be very time-consuming.

 

 

Maybe, then, it's something to avoid in my waters?

Down here in the Tidewater area of VA, we have no

smallies, only large mouth...

[Dwight Hottle]

2 hours ago, 38 Super Fan said:

Ah yes, the float and senko, I haven't tried that one in years.

 That puts mine to shame!

 

I haven't had a great deal of luck with hair jigs either, just out of curiosity, how do you like to fish them?

 

I like to drag them behind the boat as I drift with the wind. Occasionally popping them off the bottom. I use spinning tackle with them and try to use just enough jig weight to stay close to the bottom based on how fast I'm drifting. That 6-14 was caught on a perch imitation hair jig in Lake Erie while fishing over a rock reef. 

[38 Super Fan]

14 hours ago, RoLo said:

The main theme of the 'Float & Fly' delivery is to offer a bait with a Slow Natural Glide,

as the bait pendulums slowly back under the float. Although it can be very effective on passive smallies,

it tends to be wasteful of time for active bass. 

 

Roger

The mild winter here this year has probably made the float n fly much less effective than usual. Better luck next year maybe.

[everythingthatswims]

@Darren.I use a float-n-fly on winter largemouth in ponds and small rivers regularly. I use a gulp minnow on a lightweight jighead ususally 1/64-1/16

[Darren.]

4 minutes ago, everythingthatswims said:

@Darren.I use a float-n-fly on winter largemouth in ponds and small rivers regularly. I use a gulp minnow on a lightweight jighead ususally 1/64-1/16

 

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind when I (eventually) give the

FnF a try. I've got some 1/16 jig heads I use for crappie

fishing, so they'd work well, I think.

[TnRiver46]

@38 Super Fan I believe we fish the same lake sometimes (Norris) and float and fly is popular there. I have never caught a bass with this tactic and I have given it more than its fair share of chances. The problem, in my opinion, is the float. I have caught tons of bass with hair jigs, just never with a float. I have two buddies that refuse to throw anything but float and fly on Norris and this winter it wasn't cold enough. They caught a couple here and there but I was catching them chasing shad on top in January 

[38 Super Fan]

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

@38 Super Fan I believe we fish the same lake sometimes (Norris) and float and fly is popular there. I have never caught a bass with this tactic and I have given it more than its fair share of chances. The problem, in my opinion, is the float. I have caught tons of bass with hair jigs, just never with a float. I have two buddies that refuse to throw anything but float and fly on Norris and this winter it wasn't cold enough. They caught a couple here and there but I was catching them chasing shad on top in January 

Thanks for the reply. Yep, I've mostly tried it on Norris, a little bit on Laurel here in KY too. I kind of figured I picked a bad year to try and learn it, it's been the most mild Winter that I can remember.

 

How are you fishing those hair jigs? I haven't tried those a lot, but what little I've tried them there, I haven't caught a thing. I've really been trying to branch out this Winter, but I just can't seem to catch anything unless I'm throwing a jerkbait.

[TnRiver46]

8 hours ago, 38 Super Fan said:

Thanks for the reply. Yep, I've mostly tried it on Norris, a little bit on Laurel here in KY too. I kind of figured I picked a bad year to try and learn it, it's been the most mild Winter that I can remember.

 

How are you fishing those hair jigs? I haven't tried those a lot, but what little I've tried them there, I haven't caught a thing. I've really been trying to branch out this Winter, but I just can't seem to catch anything unless I'm throwing a jerkbait.

Throw them against the bank and just let them fall on a tightline with an occasional twitch of the rod tip. Don't be afraid to let them go way down deep, I tie my own because you will lose a lot. A jighead with a Berkley gulp minnow works better than anything