FnF question

[dpage70]

alright earlier this year i bought a jig pole for crappie fishing. BPS mighty lite 12 footer. will this rod be ok to for a first timer on the FnF? don't really want to fork out the $100+ for a good one until i feel like i may have somewhat of a grip on it. thanks for any help

[Don Smith]

12' is too long for me. 10' is the limit for FNF for me, but I like the 8'6" best. Its probably harder to land the fish on a 8'6" rod, because of the leader length, but its something I just got used too last season.

Bass Pro Shops makes a nice FNF rod in 8, 8'6" and 10' for $49.00. Silstar makes a steelhead rod in 10' that is around 29 bucks if you look for it.

The very light FNF rods are nice, but not necessary to have a good time. The most important thing is to use the right jig, leader, and bobber.

If your new to the FNF, I suggest looking on the net for a video made by Jim Duckworth. Its worth the 10-12 bucks to own it just to see how to rig and throw it. (www.fishingtennessee.com) Dacker Combs (Keelshield Pro) also made a good video on Laurel last year that has some great information on it also. His website is www.dackercombs.com

And then we have our own right here on fishin.com. Just do a search for elnustsmalljaws, he's probably the authority on Dale with a FNF around here.

Hope this helps.

Don

[Moose1am]

Bottom line on the rod. Make sure that the rod's guides are large enough to pass the bobber stops though the rod easily. This will save you a lot of frustration in keeping the bobber stops at the right depth. If the stops get hung in the rod guides when you cast it will make them slip on the fishing line and you won't be fishing at the same depth. You will have to reset the bobber stop back to the correct depth and cast again. Depth can be critical when fishing for suspended crappie so this is a biggie problem for me. I am not sure if depth is so critical for smallmouth bass when fishing float and fly methods. But crappie won't hit a jig that's below them. They may just ignore it until you hang the jig right in front of their nose. So if they are at 10ft and you fish at 10ft you get bits. If you fish at 12 ft you go without bites. Maybe smallmouth bass are not like that and will hit a jig that's deeper than they are.

THINK OF YOUR FLOAT AND FLY ROD AS PART OF THE SYSTEM. Match the rod to the ohter parts of the entire float and fly system. ie the bobbers, jigs, line, bobber stops and beads that you will be using.


Float n Fly is a method that has been around for a very long time. Basically it's a slip bobber rig setup. I used this method when I was a kid fishing down at KY lake in the 1960. We used it to fish for crappie and bluegills back then.

These days the younger generation has rediscovered this fishing method and refined it a bit and now they use it to fish for smallmouth bass in the winter months.

The method can also be good for suspended largemouth bass or even shallow largemouth bass. I have caught a few nice bass in a small 1/16oz lead head jig with a squirmin squirt plastic body on the jig and fished under a slip float.


A good slip float rod will be able to cast the smaller jigs out effectively and not have the bobber stop get hung up in the reel's line or the rod's guides. Especially the tip end guide. There are several types of bobber stops that are used. Some are made of springs that slip over the fishing line and are then stretched out to clamp down on the line. Some are small plastic slivers that have tiny holes drilled in them a few millimeter's apart. The fishing line is threaded though the holes and the plastic sliver is slipped on down the fishing line to the right spot on the line. Then there are the small rubber band type stops that are pinched on to the line. And finally the type I like to use.. the thrill type bobber stops made out of bead thread and wrapped around a small plastic tube. The fishing line is put thought the tube and the bead thread that was tied onto the small plastic tube with a nail knot is slipped off the plastic tube onto the fishing line. Then the plastic tube is removed from the line and the tag ends of the bead threads nail knot are pulled apart to tighten the nail knot onto the fishing line. Then you cal slide the nail knotted bead thread up or down your fishing line and then tighten it in place. This type of bobber stop will slide though the rod's guides easily if you leave the tag lines long. If you cut the tag lines and leave a stub of bead thread sticking off the nail knot it can create a problem. When casting the nail knot's tag ends can get caught in the last rod guide and hang up. This will make the bobber stop slide up the line and change your jigs depth. You have to have a long rod to prevent the bobber stop from getting past the last guide on the rod. If you have a ten foot rod then you can hang the jig, bobber, bobber stop bead and bobber stop below the tip end of your rod and sling the line out to cast. That way the bobber stop never gets caught up in the rod guide.

Another solution to this problem is to buy a fishing rod that has a larger INSIDE DIAMETER guide at the tip end of the rod. This will allow the bobber stops to pass though the rod guides easier and not get hung up. This is one of the little things that you don't think about until after you have the new rod on the lake and make the first few casts.

I first really started using the bobber stops again this past few years. I use this method for spooky crappie. ie slabs at Patoka Lake.

I use the smallest bobber that I can find. Bett's foam floats that are only 1" long and about 1/4" in diameter. These are white with red stripe painted on them. You can find them at Wal-Mart. You can buy the Thrill bobber stops but they are rather expensive. I make mine own. I save the tiny plastic tube from the bobber stops that I purchased and then tie new bead thread over them. It's a lot cheaper doing it this way and knots not that hard. Or you can just buy bead thread at a hobby store or craft's store and tie them to the fishing line with a knot called the "Float Stop Knot".

Take 2 turns (3 if necessary) around the main line at the chosen point on the main line.

Bring both ends around to form a Surgeon's knot.

Tighten into shape bringing the coils close together.

When choosing the bobber stop bead make sure that's it will pass though the rod guides. The outside diameter of the bead will be smaller than the INSIDE DIAMETER of the rod's guide on the tip end of the rod. And the hole in the bead should have a hole size that's not to large. It should be just big enough to thread some 10lb test fishing mono though the hole. And then the bead should be big enough to not pass though the slip bobbers hole.

I have had small bead stops get hung up inside the bobber at times. When this happens the jig won't pull the fishing line though the bobber and the jig won't sink below the surface like it's suppose to.

If you use the thrill type slip bobbers that are made out of wood this may not be a problem. But if you use these cheap light weight foam bobbers this can be a problem. I keep a few extra foam bobbers handy and will put on a new bobber when necessary.

I also take some clear nail polish and paint the top hole on my foam bobbers with this stuff. When it dries it protect the foam and hardens the foam up around the top hole. This does two things. It hardens the hole to keep it's size so that beads don't get stuck in the top hole of the bobber. And it also helps stop the fishing line from cutting a groove in the top hole of the bobber. When the fishing line gets hung up in a groves at the top hole of the bobber it won't allow the jig to fall though the slip bobber. There is too much friction between the bobber and the fishing line and the jig will just hang right below the bobber and the fishing line won't slide though the bobber.

There are some of the problems that I have encountered when fishing the float and fly method with the light weight foam bobbers

I use these foam bobbers for two reasons. They are light weight and when they hit the water they don't scare the fish as much as a heavy bobber would. And if a fish take the jig and just sits there the weight is taken off these light bobber and they will actually pop up and lay over on the water's surface. That happens a lot when crappie are just inhaling the jigs and not moving. With the jig inside the crappie's mouth the weight is taken off the light weight foam bobber and it will pop up higher and actually fall over on it's side. That's when it time to quickly but gently set the hook. You would be surprised at how many time a fish will have eaten the jig on the fall and you don't even know you have a bite.
Regards,

Moose1am

[elnutsmalljaws]

I will help all I can but if I am the "authority" on the topic, then we are all in bad shape.

You can buy a Silstar decent FNF rod for around $50, which is what I started with and would still have if I had not stepped on it and broke it. I did go to the All Pro 10' rod and love it, even more than the Silstar but there was nothing wrong with the Silstar rod. My suggestion is to buy what you can afford and the better equipment you have, the more likely you will enjoy FNF. It is not for everyone but is my absolute favorite time to fish with night fishing a close second. I respect Moose a lot from his post on this site but will have to disagree with him on the use of a slip bobber. I don't think you will catch nearly the fish with a slip bobber than a normal FNF bobber (Bob's Bobber). The FNF bobber tells you way too much information that a normal bobber or slip bobber will not. Plus, I am not so sure that a 1/16 oz or 1/32 oz jig will pull the line thru the slip bobber to even make it to the bobber stop. Plus when you work the jig with nothing stopping the slip bobber on the bottom then the jig will move up and down in the water column and I have my best luck with "less is more approach". I want my jig to stay in the same depth and "quiver" to attract a bite. Plus, with a slip bobber and the fish comes from beneath and takes in the jig but rises in the water column the slip bobber will not detect a bite where as the FNF bobber will lay on its side. Jusy my opinion.

[GeoFisher]

Hey.........

Watch e-Bay. I purchased a G. Loomis FF rod for $50.00. It was broken, but so what. I will send it back to Loomis for another $50.00, and will end up with a BRAND NEW G. Loomis FF rod for $100.00. That is $150 cheaper than BPS's price on the rod......

I've also seen the Silstar rods talked about here go for $29.00. Again, Really good prices.

Later,

[smljaw]

I plan to FNF for the first time this December. I've considered buying one of these $30 rods as a starter...

http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catal...rTarget=browse

[GeoFisher]

Not a bad rod..

I like the Wally Marshall Crappie rods.....That is what I started with.

BTW......the IM6 blank is a LOT heavier than an IM7 or IM8. When using #### a LONG rod, it really wears on your arm.....so you might want to think about IM7 or IM8.

Later,

Geo

[Fishnhunt]

I think the fnf must be fished with a fixed float ie; clipped to the line,otherwise you would not need a long rod.the trick to the fnf is being able to cast the cork with 10or12 feet of line hanging down below it.It just won't work with a slip bobber rig.Jigs just not heavy enough to pull the line through and it takes an ultralite jig.
I'm having a 10'fter custom made as we speak.They will cast better with larger eyes out on the end.fun way to fish. Good luck

[dpage70]

hey guys thanks a lot for all of the info. i messed with my BPS rod for a second in the yard with a crappie jig on it and yeah i think the this rod isnt going to get it. i'll look for the silstar rod. i just dont want to spend $120 for a rod when i dont know even the first thing about FnF yet. Hey Elnut, everyone seems to put you at the top of their list for FnF so if you want a freebie trip to dale for a day of FnF this year just let me know. we can take my boat and the gas is on me if you'll spread the knowledge around a little lol. hopefully he accepts bribes.

[Moose1am]

I'll defer to what the others say here as I don't fish for smallmouth bass.

I was bascially describing the way I fish for crappie at Patoka Lake.

I watched a guy catch some nice big slabs at Patoka one day and he showed me his method. He won the CrappieUSA Spring Tournament two years in a row using the method I described. But the one question I have always wanted to know is did he fix his slip float bobber with a plastic peg or not. I lost contact with him and never did see him again.

So maybe the fixed float and the long poles work better for catching smallmouths.

I'll have to try it someday. Thanks for the tip on FnF fishing. I learned something new today.

He said he was using a custom rod too but didn't say where he got his rod. He was from the Louisville, KY area though so I wonder if he got the rod from some shop in that area?

[Moose1am]

One thing I would want to try if I ever fish for smallmouth using a fnf method is some of the new Fishing line from Berkley. The FireLine Crystal was advertized in this quarters issue of Crappie World Magazine. It's as thin as 2lb test line but is as strong as 6lb test line. I fish with 6 lb test stren on my drop shot crappie poles and vertically fish that with a weight on the bottom and a loop knot with a crappie hook.

But I also fish with a ultra light rod and reel spooled with 2lb test fishing line from Stren. Man that 2lb stuff is great for casting a 1/16 oz lead head jig. I can cast this line a mile out there and it does not seem to get loops in the line. I use to use 4lb and 6 lb test Berkley Trilene and gave up on that line with my ultralight reels. I have more problems with line twist. And yes I know how to put the line on the reel without twisting the line. It was not my method of installing the fishing line on the reel that caused the problems. It was the fishing line.. not me. LOL

Regards,

Moose1am

[dpage70]

hey would that Bass pro FnF rod that smalljaw be something similar to the silstar rod? if so i'll probably try that one.