Bubble fishing for trout

How small is your rod and how light is your line? It's not about the size of your tackle, but how you work it. Come share your Ultralight and Bait Finesse System (BFS) fishing success here!
1nutinthewater
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Bubble fishing for trout

Post by 1nutinthewater » Mon Dec 03, 2018 2:49 pm

After 40+ years of trout fishing small streams I tried bubble fishing a local lake this summer. It Took purchasing numerous rods, reels, flies, line, weights, bobbers, etc. and i still have much to learn but after 14 trips So far my favorite setup is the daiwa tatula lt spinning reel on a Loomis TSR 901 rod.
I started with Casting reels but with standing dead trees throughout I considered the number of potentially huge backlashes and stuck with the spinner- Also did not ever find a rod that felt good and could handle an 7' leader under a fixed bobber.
So it looks like i am stuck with the calcutta conquest bfs until i find a suitable rod.

Success was crazy good and to my amazement i never saw anyone else trying this although i did notice a few flyfisherman.

Anyone else around the world try this method?
Our tradition is that of the first who sneaked away to the creek when tribe did not really need fish

1nutinthewater
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Re: Bubble fishing for trout

Post by 1nutinthewater » Mon Dec 03, 2018 2:51 pm

1nutinthewater wrote:After 40+ years of trout fishing small streams I tried bubble fishing a local lake this summer. It Took purchasing numerous rods, reels, flies, line, weights, bobbers, etc. and i still have much to learn but after 14 trips So far my favorite setup is the daiwa tatula lt spinning reel on a Loomis TSR 901 rod.
I started with Casting reels but with standing dead trees throughout I considered the number of potentially huge backlashes and stuck with the spinner- Also did not ever find a rod that felt good and could handle an 7' leader under a fixed bobber.
So it looks like i am stuck with the calcutta conquest bfs until i find a suitable rod.

I have only tried wooly buggars but will be trying some weighted jigs this coming summer so i do not have to add any weight to the leader.

Success was crazy good and to my amazement i never saw anyone else trying this although i did notice a few flyfisherman.

Anyone else around the world try this method?
Our tradition is that of the first who sneaked away to the creek when tribe did not really need fish

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Re: Bubble fishing for trout

Post by Bronzeye » Mon Dec 03, 2018 2:59 pm

In about an hour on a summer morning, I caught two 10-12" trout casting a dry fly with a clear spinning bubble on a lake. I tried it on streams, too, and caught some, but found it harder to avoid drag on the fly in current with a bubble than with mendable fly line. These efforts were done with spinning gear.

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Re: Bubble fishing for trout

Post by ultralight » Mon Dec 03, 2018 11:39 pm

The Trout Magnet people have been huge proponents of this type of fishing.

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Re: Bubble fishing for trout

Post by CM_Stewart » Tue Dec 04, 2018 5:40 am

I fished that way when my dad thought I was too little to handle a fly rod. Caught lots of fish. Never, ever used a 7' foot leader below the bubble. I don't remember exactly how long it was but best guess is about 4 feet. Perhaps 7 feet is better, but I am sure mine was shorter.
Chris Stewart
(affiliations: TenkaraBum.com, Finesse-Fishing.com)

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Re: Bubble fishing for trout

Post by Allsorts » Tue Dec 04, 2018 7:50 am

The Europeans have developed a system to present flies at up to 70 yards using casting floats / weights called 'bombarda' or ' sbirulino'. Mostly used for sea trout in the Baltic. I've dabbled with them and they are certainly a useful tool. No too sure about leader lengths but I found 40% of rod length to be reasonably easy to handle.
Bombarda.jpg
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1nutinthewater
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Re: Bubble fishing for trout

Post by 1nutinthewater » Tue Dec 04, 2018 8:53 am

7' fixed leader under a 1/8 oz indicator is not the easiest to cast with a 7' rod but until i find a better method....
I tried a slip bobber but when retrieving the fly it pulls it up out of the zone.
Our tradition is that of the first who sneaked away to the creek when tribe did not really need fish

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Re: Bubble fishing for trout

Post by 1nutinthewater » Tue Dec 04, 2018 7:33 pm

Has anyone tried the USDM Daiwa Presso? they make a 9' , 2-6# UL model but at $80 I'm a little leary on quality.
Our tradition is that of the first who sneaked away to the creek when tribe did not really need fish

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Re: Bubble fishing for trout

Post by uljersey » Tue Dec 04, 2018 7:52 pm

1nutinthewater wrote:Has anyone tried the USDM Daiwa Presso? they make a 9' , 2-6# UL model but at $80 I'm a little leary on quality.
I have the 7' one. Not a horrible rod, a bit noodly for my tastes but works well for presentations where a solid backbone isn't required. Had a minor issue with a trim ring on the reel nut coming off, nothing a dab of epoxy couldn't cure. Cork and overall build quality is in line for the asking price.

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Re: Bubble fishing for trout

Post by earthworm77 » Wed Dec 05, 2018 8:11 am

1nutinthewater wrote:Has anyone tried the USDM Daiwa Presso? they make a 9' , 2-6# UL model but at $80 I'm a little leary on quality.
I wrote a review for the US Presso and am putting the finishing touches on getting photos. It should be up by the 1st of the the year here. I got a 6-6 UL Presso for 45.10 shipped on ebay. I have a 5-6ul. I really like the rod and it will work for you if you understand its capabilities, for this type of fishing, I'd imagine it would be good.

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Re: Bubble fishing for trout

Post by ogrich31 » Wed Dec 05, 2018 12:12 pm

1nutinthewater wrote:7' fixed leader under a 1/8 oz indicator is not the easiest to cast with a 7' rod but until i find a better method....
I tried a slip bobber but when retrieving the fly it pulls it up out of the zone.
What indicator are you using that weighs 1/8oz? Just wondering because I may want to try them out.

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Re: Bubble fishing for trout

Post by 1nutinthewater » Wed Dec 05, 2018 1:42 pm

ogrich31 wrote:
1nutinthewater wrote:7' fixed leader under a 1/8 oz indicator is not the easiest to cast with a 7' rod but until i find a better method....
I tried a slip bobber but when retrieving the fly it pulls it up out of the zone.
What indicator are you using that weighs 1/8oz? Just wondering because I may want to try them out.
Cleardrift.
1/8 indicates what it will handle not he actual weight of the float. I will weigh one when i get home.
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Our tradition is that of the first who sneaked away to the creek when tribe did not really need fish

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ogrich31
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Re: Bubble fishing for trout

Post by ogrich31 » Wed Dec 05, 2018 2:19 pm

1nutinthewater wrote:
ogrich31 wrote:
1nutinthewater wrote:7' fixed leader under a 1/8 oz indicator is not the easiest to cast with a 7' rod but until i find a better method....
I tried a slip bobber but when retrieving the fly it pulls it up out of the zone.
What indicator are you using that weighs 1/8oz? Just wondering because I may want to try them out.
Cleardrift.
1/8 indicates what it will handle not he actual weight of the float. I will weigh one when i get home.
Thanks!

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Re: Bubble fishing for trout

Post by Alphahawk » Wed Dec 05, 2018 5:23 pm

I don’t use a bubble but do use a 9 foot rod with a float and a Trout Magnet under the float. Catches of 50-150 trout a day are common. Been doing this for about 10 years. When I first started it I went 5 days a week 365 a year for about 3 years.....but as of late I don’t wade fish as much anymore due to back issues. This method is deadly on trout. Here is video of my nephew fishing the TM under the float. If you do a YouTube search you will find a ton of videos. There is also a Facebook Trout Magnet Users Group of about a thousand members who fish this method that can answer any questions you may have.

Regards

https://youtu.be/tECQtr4fQtg

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Re: Bubble fishing for trout

Post by 1nutinthewater » Wed Dec 05, 2018 7:33 pm

ogrich31 wrote:
1nutinthewater wrote:
ogrich31 wrote:
1nutinthewater wrote:7' fixed leader under a 1/8 oz indicator is not the easiest to cast with a 7' rod but until i find a better method....
I tried a slip bobber but when retrieving the fly it pulls it up out of the zone.
What indicator are you using that weighs 1/8oz? Just wondering because I may want to try them out.
Cleardrift.
1/8 indicates what it will handle not he actual weight of the float. I will weigh one when i get home.
Thanks!
The Cleardrift "Super sleeker" 8g floats weigh 3.1g
They were perfect with an 1/8oz weight, wooly bugger and tiny section of sliding hollow core underneath. The bright orange top was right at water level and easy to watch while slowly bringing it in.
Our tradition is that of the first who sneaked away to the creek when tribe did not really need fish

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