BFS Bobber Help Needed

[Knotty]

I'm having trouble casting light jig heads under bobbers (indicator, float, choose the word you like) with BFS. The two items of mass on the line don't load the rod or fly with an even pull on the line, causing birds nests. At least that's what I think is happening. In particular I'd like to be able to cast sub 2 g payloads under a small foam Trout Magnet float or similar. Typically have 2 or 4# line. Any tips?

[Hobie-Wan Kenobi]

Have you tried slip bobbers? They consolidate the bobber to the lure until it hits the water.

Could always get those little kid bobbers that hide the hook during casting too.

[uljersey]

Casting bubble perhaps ?

https://shopkarls.com/blog/how-to-use-b ... t-fishing/

[Knotty]

Thanks guys. I'm familiar with slip and casting bubbles but there are some issues. First, I get lazy and just want to quickly attach a float at the length needed. With both bubble and bobber you have to take off the hook tto rig the floats. Second, when the float isn't fixed (slip bobber), anything but a dead drift pulls the light jighead up. Often all the way to the float.

Today I tried a heavier 3 g fixed float. It also helicoptered a bit but that could be tamed with increased spool tension to avoid over runs. May just have to use these instead of the little styrofoam trout magnet floats.

[slipperybob]

Buy yourself the cheapest topwater lure like anything like a Spook puppy or Torpedo and remove all hardware and/or props. They make for the best casting bobbers and you can even play walk the dog, although it really wouldn't do much for that lure.

yes if you really wanted to just use a spook and slide the line through...get some O-rings that will go over the Spook. Now you got yourself a sliding adjustable bobber that casts great and fishes awesome to hoot too. And what if fish are just now biting your Spook. Well of course switch to a hooked spook, duh! Or just now tie a treble hook to end of line and slide that close to the bobber, I mean lure.

I love it when I see my Spook goes for a dive as a fish takes the fly or micro jig.

[uljersey]

Buy yourself the cheapest topwater lure like anything like a Spook puppy or Torpedo and remove all hardware and/or props. They make for the best casting bobbers and you can even play walk the dog, although it really wouldn't do much for that lure.

yes if you really wanted to just use a spook and slide the line through...get some O-rings that will go over the Spook. Now you got yourself a sliding adjustable bobber that casts great and fishes awesome to hoot too. And what if fish are just now biting your Spook. Well of course switch to a hooked spook, duh! Or just now tie a treble hook to end of line and slide that close to the bobber, I mean lure.

I love it when I see my Spook goes for a dive as a fish takes the fly or micro jig.

Brilliant

[Bronzeye]

Knotty, I bought some of these last year in the smallest size:
https://www.fishusa.com/Bill-Lewis-Rocket-Bobbers

They facilitate casting a light jig a long way, as they are made of plastic. A single spring-loaded clip makes them easy to attach to your line.

The problem with round plastic bobbers of similar weight is that they provide too much resistance when a small fish tries to suck in a dangling bait. This elongated bobber is balanced to lie on its side in the water but be ready to pivot when a light bait below it is taken. This does allow a fish to suck in the jig from a distance of an inch or so with minimal resistance.

I caught half a dozen finicky bluegills in twenty minutes or so using this bobber with a jig, but found I had to be ready to set the hook at the first tilt of the bobber or it would be rejected, probably because of the sudden resistance of the bobber when the fish turned. If the fish were more aggressive or if live bait were used, that might not be a problem.

Because of the casting distance it affords, I plan to have one along when I am wading for panfish, if only to determine whether a distant stump might be holding any fish worthy of wading closer to.

[slipperybob]

What most people don't know about bobbers is that one should use the long pencil bobbers for really small light weight lures. The concept is to be able to thread onto the long bobber on top and bottom. The long stem of these kinds of bobbers helps to prevent light lures and line from wrapping itself onto a bobber. Again if the stems can accommodate an O-ring or one may just use some rubber hose sleeves to act as line holder. The long pencil bobbers also generally make less splash upon water surface impact. The most perfectly balanced bobber would be at 45 degree angle while it is set and sitting on the water surface. If bobber stands straight up and down, there's a bite. If bobber stem falls flat down onto water service, you've gotten an up-bite. If you buy the really small ones, they're no better than little bite indicators. It's one of those Thill Floats that's tiny and barely even floats a BB or two BB in weight.

Personally I'd rather use a top water lure if casting distance is what I'm after. They will hold a BB or two in weight just fine as well.

[ras]

Depending on how you work your jig heads, you may be able to leverage Caro rigs that Japanese use for mackerel fishing from long distances. I've used them for their intended purposes and they work quite well with lift and fall presentations. Haven't tried with a baitcaster though.

[Drakestar]

The US market is woefully (if not to say ridiculously) underdeveloped when it comes to floats. I'd look up "match fishing waggler" and go from there. Personally I run 6+ gram wagglers from "Dream Float Serie Walter" and "Serie Joker" for my float & flies and they work perfectly: heavy enough to cast well, almost no resistance (because almost the entire bobber is submerged and only the tip of the antenna sticks out), very stable in the water (that's what wagglers were developed for), and able to indicate both positive and negative bites (when fish pick up the fly, instead of pulling it down). Search eBay or Google, it'll reveal results like this: https://www.anglingproshop.com/product/ ... rie-walter

Edit: This is for stationary float n fly fishing, btw. It won't work as well for dragging a jig.

[Knotty]

Appreciate the responses. Some suggestions are too heavy for the rods I'll be using but still worth looking into.

Hope to get back with comments and questions once I've had more time to digest the info.

[Knotty]

Knotty, I bought some of these last year in the smallest size:
https://www.fishusa.com/Bill-Lewis-Rocket-Bobbers

They facilitate casting a light jig a long way, as they are made of plastic. A single spring-loaded clip makes them easy to attach to your line.

The problem with round plastic bobbers of similar weight is that they provide too much resistance when a small fish tries to suck in a dangling bait. This elongated bobber is balanced to lie on its side in the water but be ready to pivot when a light bait below it is taken. This does allow a fish to suck in the jig from a distance of an inch or so with minimal resistance.

I caught half a dozen finicky bluegills in twenty minutes or so using this bobber with a jig, but found I had to be ready to set the hook at the first tilt of the bobber or it would be rejected, probably because of the sudden resistance of the bobber when the fish turned. If the fish were more aggressive or if live bait were used, that might not be a problem.

Because of the casting distance it affords, I plan to have one along when I am wading for panfish, if only to determine whether a distant stump might be holding any fish worthy of wading closer to.

Thanks Bronzeye. I'm familiar with Rocket Bobbers and like them. Easy to switch between slip and locked. Good with 1/64 - 1/16 oz jig heads but unfortunately the ultra light Rocket Bobber is 6 g, which puts it over the lure weight limit for most of the rods I'd be carrying on small stream trips. In particular the Tsurinoya Ares.

[Knotty]

Buy yourself the cheapest topwater lure like anything like a Spook puppy or Torpedo and remove all hardware and/or props. They make for the best casting bobbers and you can even play walk the dog, although it really wouldn't do much for that lure.

yes if you really wanted to just use a spook and slide the line through...get some O-rings that will go over the Spook. Now you got yourself a sliding adjustable bobber that casts great and fishes awesome to hoot too. And what if fish are just now biting your Spook. Well of course switch to a hooked spook, duh! Or just now tie a treble hook to end of line and slide that close to the bobber, I mean lure.

I love it when I see my Spook goes for a dive as a fish takes the fly or micro jig.

slipperybob, sounds good. I've tried something similar for casting flies but got fouled a lot, despite knowing to brake the line before it hits the water. Maybe with the slightly heavier micro jig it it will go better for me.

[Knotty]

Depending on how you work your jig heads, you may be able to leverage Caro rigs that Japanese use for mackerel fishing from long distances. I've used them for their intended purposes and they work quite well with lift and fall presentations. Haven't tried with a baitcaster though.

ras, I'm glad you brought this up because I had ordered some ultra light (about 4 g) caro/bombarda/sbirolino last spring, then forgot about them until you brought it up. Didn't get to try it with BFS yet but both floating and sinking versions worked well doing some test casting on spinning. My plan is mostly to use them to cast flies and they tangled much less than when using a floating lure for the same purpose. The were good for getting the lure/fly cast but being mostly clear they're hard to see so you can't visually detect strikes easily. Definitely seems like a good solution for when you will be working the bait and not just letting it sit.

[Knotty]

The US market is woefully (if not to say ridiculously) underdeveloped when it comes to floats. I'd look up "match fishing waggler" and go from there. Personally I run 6+ gram wagglers from "Dream Float Serie Walter" and "Serie Joker" for my float & flies and they work perfectly: heavy enough to cast well, almost no resistance (because almost the entire bobber is submerged and only the tip of the antenna sticks out), very stable in the water (that's what wagglers were developed for), and able to indicate both positive and negative bites (when fish pick up the fly, instead of pulling it down). Search eBay or Google, it'll reveal results like this: https://www.anglingproshop.com/product/ ... rie-walter

Edit: This is for stationary float n fly fishing, btw. It won't work as well for dragging a jig.

Drakestar, I couldn't agree more about the US market being underdeveloped in this area. When I started fishing 5 or 6 years ago I was dumbfounded by all these bobbers that had no markings as to how much they weight or what weight lure they were designed for. The wagglers look great. The lightest one in your link is 6 g, so too heavy for my purposes but I'll keep looking. On the downside, it's for stationary fishing and rigging is kind of complicated.