Fishing flies with spinning rod & bubble float

[sashkello]

Hi all!

Some time ago when I was fishing for trout in Tasmania, I got myself a few flies to try using them with a bubble float on my spinning rod. I've tried it a few times with zero success and so wanted to clarify how exactly you can use them. Almost all trout I've caught so far was on spinners and I do love fishing with them. However, in faster running and shallower streams they are quite hard or sometimes impossible to use. In areas with plentiful snags using surface flies would be such a great option!

Here are my problems with it. When I tried fishing streams with them, what happens is that the bubble gets carried by the current and drags the fly after it. I might be wrong, but to me it feels like the fish gets spooked by a giant floating thing which comes 2 seconds before the fly? And when the current is slow or there are eddies, the whole contraption just gets stuck in one spot and I have to reel it in, which creates waves and so again there is disturbance created by the float which spooks the fish.

Am I doing something wrong or maybe it simply only works in certain circumstances and doesn't work in situations above? Or was I just unlucky and on another day fish would be all over it?

I've actually seen a guy with a spinning rod simply standing in the middle of the creek and letting the line off the spool to carry the fly down the stream. Not sure how successful that technique was, but probably worth trying as well? Can't really cast anywhere this way, but I guess since trout is supposedly waiting for the current to bring the food to them, it might go where the fish is in a natural way...

[Little_Flatty]

@sashkello it’s far from my area of expertise and interest but I have learned a thing or two just listening in on fellow fly anglers. What kind of flies do you have?

What you were doing sounds a lot like nymphing, except with a spin rod. So if you don’t already, maybe pick up some nymphs. There is a fly fishing store in the sydney CBD that might be able to advise you on fly selection, methods and locations. More online and I can PM you a few if interested.

Starlo has a good video covering a similar style of fishing, albeit with specialised ultralight gear and no bubble float.

Finally keep an eye on the trout season river closures, though I’m sure you’re probably well aware of that, having fished for trout in the past.

[yella king]

Hi

if you are using wet fly`s ( nymph`s ) I would get rid of the bubble float and try small piece of cork. Run the line through the cork until you have your desired drop length then place a small split shot to hold it there, the split shot will also add weight for casting. you can slowly wind the fly back when in slow moving water

If you want to use surface fly`s you can use the same technic but wax the line from the cork to the fly. there is a wax that fly fisherman use for their leaders but not sure what it is called.

hope this may help

 

[sashkello]

17 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

There is a fly fishing store in the sydney CBD

Yup, I've visited it and it does look dangerous for a person like me who has a bit of obsession with collecting things, so I try to avoid it for now ha-ha I've got a range of flies, both sinking and floating, about a dozen of them a shop owner in Tasmania recommended. I've only used a couple, just gathering dust in my tackle box for now.

18 hours ago, Little_Flatty said:

Starlo has a good video covering a similar style of fishing, albeit with specialised ultralight gear and no bubble float.

He's got some great videos for sure, haven't seen this one - the rod is quite pricey, but it's not the only rod graded for <5g casting I've seen. I.e., Atomic Arrowz light rods claim 2-10g casting, maybe if I get one of those it will work just as well.

[sashkello]

16 hours ago, yella king said:

if you are using wet fly`s ( nymph`s ) I would get rid of the bubble float and try small piece of cork. Run the line through the cork until you have your desired drop length then place a small split shot to hold it there, the split shot will also add weight for casting. you can slowly wind the fly back when in slow moving water

OK, I'll try it out.

I've actually had this harebrained idea while contemplating my life in wet shoes on a bank of an ice cold river... What if I take a piece of stick or bark, attach it to my line somehow and use it as a natural float? Light rod would be able to cast it well enough if it's above ~5g (or I could embed a small sinker in it), and the fish wouldn't be too spooked by a little branch floating down the river. Not sure if it's a stroke of genius or something really stupid.

[Little_Flatty]

9 hours ago, sashkello said:

Yup, I've visited it and it does look dangerous for a person like me who has a bit of obsession with collecting things, so I try to avoid it for now ha-ha I've got a range of flies, both sinking and floating, about a dozen of them a shop owner in Tasmania recommended. I've only used a couple, just gathering dust in my tackle box for now.

He's got some great videos for sure, haven't seen this one - the rod is quite pricey, but it's not the only rod graded for <5g casting I've seen. I.e., Atomic Arrowz light rods claim 2-10g casting, maybe if I get one of those it will work just as well.

Yeah don’t over think it with the rod. It’s better to have the length for line management purposes, but the cast weight is more important.

If you have an ultralight rod, then try@yella king‘s idea with the cork or get yourself some strike indicator putty. I’d be more worried about line drag in the current (causing an unnatural drift) and the size of the float than the colour. I know fly anglers go to some effort to introduce some slack in their line when presenting flies (though it should be noted they’re fishing with floating lines).

Flies are for most part modestly priced and there could be worse things to collect. But I warn you, don’t start tying them unless you want to go down a real deep and expensive rabbit hole! You will NOT save money! Same applies to any kind of fishing with fly gear!🤣

[savit]

On 8/19/2024 at 9:18 AM, sashkello said:

OK, I'll try it out.

I've actually had this harebrained idea while contemplating my life in wet shoes on a bank of an ice cold river... What if I take a piece of stick or bark, attach it to my line somehow and use it as a natural float? Light rod would be able to cast it well enough if it's above ~5g (or I could embed a small sinker in it), and the fish wouldn't be too spooked by a little branch floating down the river. Not sure if it's a stroke of genius or something really stupid.

Used to fish a lot succesfully with a short dry wood branch (half of finger length, pencil thickness) as a float with flies in currents for spooky freshwater fish in the past. Just cut a crack (half cm or so deep)  on opposite ends of branch and fit a line in cracks.  Cracks to be perpendicular, also wrap a line a few times around branch.  No sinker. 100% 'organic' float so fish is not scared.  If fish is reasonably big or snags - better  to make several floats. Not designed for distance casting but for the currents environment quite fine.