Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3726 Dec 8-21 | Page 12

12
Dec 7 - 21, 2018
VOL.37 • ISS. 26
Bobber Trout Notes
<
Spinning
gear is a
great tool for
shore bound
trout anglers,
because it
allows you
to cast long
distances with
ease so long
as the offering
you are tossing
is sufficiently
heavy.
>

A clear plastic
slip bobber
that you can
fill with water
is a great
tool for trout
casters. Bobbers like this allow the spinning gear armed angler to cast
extremely light offerings like flies and tiny spoons long distances. Best
of all, once the cast is made the fly or spoon can be worked back slowly
just beneath the surface.
<

Thin spoons and
tiny plugs like the Dick
Nites and Flatfish shown
here are well known trout
killers, but due to their
light weight casting them
for distance is tough. A
water filled bobber solves
this problem.
>

Mack’s Lure Smile
Blade Flies are among
Cal Kellogg’s favorite
offerings to pair with
a water bobber. The
flies have all the
lifelike movement of
a traditional woolly
bugger. The Smile Blade ads both flash and vibration to the presentation
even when using an extremely slow retrieve.
presents
The Clear Casting Bubble: A Deadly
Tool For Cold Weather Trouters!
I
’d like to shake the guy’s hand that
invented modern spinning tackle. The
modern spinning setup is light, strong,
simple to use for novices and experts alike
and reliability approaches 100%.
If spinning gear, or any type of conven-
tional gear has an inherent
weakness it’s the inability to
toss really small lightweight
trout baits. I’m talking about
things like bits of night
crawler, mealworms, flies
and the tiniest of spoons
like Dick Nites and Vance’s
Sockeye Slammers. These
offerings are simply too
light to cast for any distance.
And at first glance that
precludes you from casting
such offerings especially if
you are bank fishing. But
alas where there’s a will
there’s specialized tackle for
us anglers to buy!
One solution is to team those light
offerings with some weight in the form
of split shot to allow for comfortable
long-range casting. The problem with this
approach is that to present an offering
anywhere near the surface you have to
retrieve line quickly before the bait, fly
or lure sinks off the map. Unfortunately,
when using the small stuff, fast retrieves
generally aren’t what you want.
The best solution to the problem comes
in the form of a clear plastic bobber or
“casting bubble” as they’ve been dubbed
by some. I call the approach the ‘ol clear
bubble trick. The clear bubbles that I’m
referring to are oval in shape. The bubble
has a hole at either end and a tapered
hollow spike wedges into those holes.
Your main line can be threaded through
the spike.
Basic bubble rigging goes like this.
Take your bubble and pull the spike out
exposing the holes. Submerge the bobber
in water and shake it around to force out
the air and let in water. The holes are small
and it can be tough to get the water to flow
in so you’ll have to work at it a little. I like
to fill my bobbers completely, but we’ll
talk more about that in a bit.
Without removing the bobber from the
water, shove the hollow spike
through the holes until it is firmly
wedged, trapping the water
inside. It’s this trapped water that
is going to add casting weight to
your rig.
Next thread your main line
through the hollow spike impaled
in the bubble. After passing the
line though the spike thread on a
plastic bead and then knot on a
small black swivel. Your leader
will attach the other end of the
swivel….We’ll get back to the
leader soon.
When you thread the bobber on
your line you want the WIDE end of the
spike resting against the bead. That way
when you cast it the pressure tightens the
spike, rather than forcing it out and letting
your water escape.
Eagle Claw offers clear bubbles in 1, 2
and 2.5 inch sizes. I go with the 1 inchers
and I fill my bubble up completely about
95% of the time. A 1 inch bubble filled
with water weighs quite a bit. I haven’t
weighed one but I’d say they weigh at
least an ounce if not more. When I’m
going after trout with a bubble I generally
use a 7 foot spinning rig spooled with
8 pound monofilament. A rig like this
teamed with the aerodynamically shaped
heft of a water filled bubble adds up to the
ability to cast extremely long distances.
The further you can cast the more water
your lure is going to cover.
You’ve probably been wondering why
I fill the bubble completely full with
water? Here’s the deal. Sometimes I want
to present my offering just a hair below
FISH SNIFFER
HOW – TO
by Cal Kellogg
CONTINUED ON PG 12