Float and Fly Setup?

[FishTank]

Have you guys tried a float and fly setup?  What type of fly and bobber do you use?

I have not tried this method of fishing in a long time and just wanted to hear what everyone had to say.

[fourbizz]

I fiddled with that rig a bit this past winter.

I was using 2-4 lb test pline, 9'6" BPS  Float N' Fly rod, daiwa sol 2500

I was using the 1/16 Bullet Lures jigs with the 7/8" Pear shaped floats and thill wiggle floats.

It was alot of fun. Found out it works REALLY well for a certain other species too!

[rbrick]

I use a bobber and jig for suspended bass.I use a small maribou jig and a bobber at the depth the bass are suspended at.If there's a little ripple on the water you don't have to do anything.Just kick back and wait for the bass to bite.

Rick Wells

Tallahassee

[Jig Man]

I got into it a few years ago and you could only get 1 rod at Bass Pro.  It is an 8.5' microlite.  I make my own jigs from craft hair and use a sort of pear shaped bobber.  Here area a couple of pics.

[Shadcranker]

Punisher Jigs in East TN makes a great kit to get you started. Our BPS here in Nashville sells it. Comes with the jigs, floats, and scent.

Key to the Floating Fly deal is the water temp. It really shines in mid to late Winter on highland reservoirs (deep clear rocky) when the fish suspend.

Water needs to be in the low 40's and colder for it to work well.

[5bass]

I have decent luck with the Punisher Jigs on the float n fly. I like using the speed stops because you can put your bait in the strike zone with no doubts, plus they're so small that they will spool right onto your reel and you can cast with them. Thats real important when you are fishing at more than about 8' or so because its hard to cast a regular bobber effectively with 8' or more of line out. I use a slip Thill bobber in between the speed stop and the jig. The jig sinks to the depth you set the speed stop.....when the bobber hits the speed stop, your jig has hit the strike zone.

It's quite boring to fish but it does work. I find that drifting (if you have any current at all) and not actually moving/working the bait with your rod works best most of the time.....maybe just a slight twitch every now and then.

[.ghoti.]

Agree with fivebass, you gotta use a slip float. I've done pretty well with this on Table Rock, fishing for smallies. Not so good for LM. All the largemouths I've caught on this rig have been small.

If you down-size everything, you'll have one the best rigs for crappie, anytime, anywhere.

Cheers,

GK

[Matt Fly]

Field and Stream has nice fall article on the float and fly that just came out.

Jigman,   nice looking jigs!!!!!    I wished I had some talent like some of you guys.   I bet that has to be one big rush to catch a nice fish on something you created.

  matt

[flechero]

I got into it a few years ago and you could only get 1 rod at Bass Pro.

Just as an FYI to the F & F guys, there is a simple formula for determining what weights a fly blank will cast when built as a spinning rod....  that opens you up to litterally hundres of blanks to build as a F & F rod. And gives you lots of length and multi pc. options. (1 pc all the way to 7 pc. depending on your storage needs)

Just a thought as it appears there is some real interest in this.