Bobber N' Bait

by Herb S.
(Southwest Michigan)

A couple of weeks ago I took the Daiwa 43M (love it - my most versatile rod) down to a local warm water stream and experimented with a 1/2" Thingamabobber and Gulp Maggots -- Gulp being an easement into bait from the normal flies of 55 years of fly fishing. Well, it is sort of artificial despite being edible according to Berkley. The line was 11' of 6# Stren Gold with 3' of 5X tippet. No split shot was needed, the stream being low and clear at the time and place.

Wow! The 'gills horked the Gulp down like they'd never seen food before. The stuff works! It stays on the hook at least as well as real bait and usually better. The "spare" flies weren't needed. I'm betting that trimming small sections of Gulp will be easier and less messy than live critters for micro fishing.

The bobber worked well, too. I've long used a small bobber on a B&M pole with wax worms to catch bait in the past for catfish and walleye so that was not really a surprise. But it's a very pleasant way to fish and a lot less hassle than tying on markers, at least for a geezer with tremors. Chris's recent post on Nakazima Ball Floats was the inspiration for this blog, by the way. Thanks to Mr. Stewart for his experiments, the reason why this is the best place to read and order from. It keeps evolving like anyone who fishes should. True anglers are always experimenters.

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.

We've all had situations where seriously chewed up flies kept catching fish after fish after fish. It is no sin to tie flies that come off the vise looking seriously chewed up.