Quote Originally Posted by Hlleonard View Post
A slip bobber of some kind would be a great improvement to the system for me.... I would like not having to mess with the long rod as well but I played with the stuff a little last year (never caught a fish during the time) and had the problem Elnut was describing with the line not wanting to slip through the bobber...I think if I had a bobber I could easily get hold of and release myself I might like that better than the long rod.... casting the long leaders don't bother me as much as trying to get the fish in the boat with the long leaders.
First, I aint no genius, takes me a while to catch on, but one thing I do know! 9 times outa 10 anybody fishing the FNF correctly will put a whoopin' on ya if your using a slip float. Its live and learn, and I learned by fishing it day in day out, now here is my 2 cents worth.

1. Use of a 3 way swivel: Its used for a reason, we use bobbers that have been cut, with the weight in the center. They float on their side when dropped into a cup of water with the 3 way swivel attached to the bobber! Why is this important? The slightest weight of the fly, once it reaches its desired depth causes the bobber to stand up. Hmm, what happens when a 5 lbs brown ***** it up and moves 2 feet up into the water column? I'll let you try it and you'll figure it out.

2. Lets me know exactly where my ledges/drops are. My best spots are cuts inside main pockets, with drops off of a 9' bar, that drop into 16 feet of water. Soon as my bobber stands up, I know i'm right where I want it.

3. 8.5 foot rod is what I use, I dont need a net, but its nice. And I do use one. And landing large browns or blacks is no problem, the rod does all the work.

4. Using the swivel rig makes using braided line as main line easy, and using either 4 or 6 lbs floro is my method, and I personally think it makes a very big difference. I rarely retie my braid, and I dont lose bobbers.

Just a few reasons I use it, but to each his own. Its a barrel of fun, and I catch my fair share in the cold water with it. Still love the jig, and shakeyhead, but I'd have to turn around and drive 60 miles back home if I left my fnf gear by accident!

Don