Jig - fishing style

[Nightprowler]

I was on my home lake and saw a few fellas fishing with tiny bobbers and 10-12 foot long poles. I didn't want to get to close, but was interested in exactly what they were doing to catch some nice crappies. They were casting as fas as they could throw there nothing weight rig. They let is sit for a few seconds and begin popping the cork every couple seconds. Anybody know the details of this style of finshing?
thanks for any help

[crappielimits]

Sounds like they had suspend fish. I would guess they set the cork at the depth of the fish and put a light jig (slow falling) and popped it in as we do on spawners in the spring.

[crappiekid24]

I do this all the time. Use weighted bobbers and you can either pop em or you can reel it in very slowly. I was doing this yesterday catching crappie at a dam.

[CrappiePappy]

I was on my home lake and saw a few fellas fishing with tiny bobbers and 10-12 foot long poles. I didn't want to get to close, but was interested in exactly what they were doing to catch some nice crappies. They were casting as fas as they could throw there nothing weight rig. They let is sit for a few seconds and begin popping the cork every couple seconds. Anybody know the details of this style of finshing?
thanks for any help

I'd call that the "Float n Fly" method !! (or a slight variation of it)

... cp

[shipahoy41]

There has been a LOT of talk about the Float and Fly lately in magazines and on regional TV shows. The "Newest" tactic to catch big fish!

Reality is that the "Float and Fly" has been around for years. It was originally a way to catch crappie in the winter. Fishermen used the rig to fish small jigs and minnows for crappie. The problem was that in East Tennessee where the technique originated, crappie and smallmouth seem to like to inhabit the same areas of the lake during winter. Winter Crappie fishermen were breaking off a LOT of small jigs thanks too smallmouth bass, and not just any smallmouth bass, but BIG smallmouth.

Many anglers have used the Float and Fly and others have used some form of it over the years. However the real genesis of the "Float and Fly" was a gentleman who ran a tackle store in East Tennessee. Charlie Nuckols kept hearing his winter customers cursing those darn smallmouth and decided to see if he could figure out a way to catch some nice smallmouth using a crappie style rig.

I don't know what kind of rig he used, but it worked. Other guides, and fishermen learned the way of the Float and Fly and each brought his or her own outlook to the rigging of the Float and Fly.

Bob Coan of Celina Tennessee is probably one of the most studied on the subject of the Float and Fly. (Matter of fact most of the information for this article is from Bob) Bob has developed his own rig, and can at times get a bit persnickety when folks try to tell him that they can do it BETTER.

The bobber is your basic foam/ styrofoam bobber with weighted bottom. Bob takes the bobber and removes the guts carefully. He then cuts the bobber in half and takes a cigarette or other available hot item and creates a depression in the middle of the bobber for the weight to fit into. He inserts the weight from the bottom into the middle of the bobber and puts the bobber back together, and glues the 2 halves back together. (If you don't like the idea of tearing apart a bobber, Dale Hollow One Stop in Celina Tennessee, sells a Bob's Bobber that was designed based on Bob's idea. It is called Bob's Bobber. You can purchase the bobber on line at www.punisherjigs.com )

What the Bob's bobber is designed to do is to lie over on its side when there is no weight pulling it down. The idea being that when a smallmouth comes up from under the bobber, the bobber without weight on it will lay over indicating a strike.

Most times the bobber will sink when a smallie is on, but occasionally the smallmouth are under the bait coming up and this gives you just a slight edge in hooking the fish. The other thing this accomplishes is to let you know when your jig is resting on the bottom. On the initial cast if the bobber is on its side it is too shallow. Pull away from shore until the bobber stands due to the weight of the jig. After that if it lays over there is a smallmouth coming up on the jig.

The idea of the swivel is to keep the bait at a specific level and to reduce the amount of stress on the line. This is accomplished by not having to wrap your line around the bobber and creating a stress point by concentrating coiling around the bobber shaft. Other writers have said this is complicating the Float and Fly. I see at is simplifying it. Rather than having to retie a blood not when you break a leader, you just pull off the right amount of Seaguar Fluorocarbon line and tie a Palomar Knot, which is one of the easiest to tie.



The Basic Rig is this. Power Pro Line in 1 pound diameter 8 pound test tied to the Three Way Swivel. A Seaguar Fluorocarbon Leader from 8 to 18 feet in length, depending on the depth of the bait fish. Tie this to the 3 Way Swivel. Tie the Jig to the rig and you have the Float and Fly Rigged. I like to use a Palomar Knot for all my tie on's. To do that you tie the leader first, then tie the Power Pro to the Swivel ... this is so that when you bring the Power Pro over you can just pull the Seaguar leader through, OR just roll it up and pass it through the over loop of the Palomar Knot.

[The Lip RIPPERS]

We used the method here for years & its still effective, year round fishing over brush or drop offs, one thing we often do is fish with 2 jigs below the float. But if its a lite bite 1 small jig is usually the ticket. This is deadly on pressured or spooky fish with lots of boat traffic.

[crappiekeith]

I always fish that way in open water with T.H.E. Jig.
I'll catch thousands of crappies every year.

[Nightprowler]

Any pictures of what might be used as the bait.

[shipahoy41]

Any pictures of what might be used as the bait.

I just use my handmade jigs.

[crappiekeith]