Northwest Reel Life March 2024 Volume 3 Issue 5 - Flipbook - Page 13
like to float fish beads. My
float fishing approach for
beads combines a float,
inline weight, a long leader
with some split shot in the
middle, and a soft bead
that bounces along the
bottom. Aside from these
techniques, I love to throw
spoons and spinners. If I am
fishing from a drift boat as
opposed to bank fishing,
I like to troll plugs in long
stretches of slower-moving,
deep water.
If I was to start fresh right
now, I would have a lot less
gear in my garage. Now
there are many different
types of rods and some
work better for certain
techniques. If I had to pick
one rod to use for multiple
techniques, I would go
with a 9’6”, 6-10# to 8-17#
rated spinning rod with a
30/3000 or 35/3500 size
spinning reel. I prefer a bit
lighter rod to maximize
sensitivity and have found
that 30# braid works best
for my mainline along
with a 10-15’ bumper of
fluorocarbon. This is a
great all-around rod and
reel setup that will allow
you to employ most of the
methods that I listed above.
If you want to focus on float
fishing, I recommend a
10’6” rod that is designed
for this purpose. The added
length really helps you
mend your line easily. For
“old school” drift fishing, I
prefer a one-piece 7’6” rod
but most of the time I am
bobber dogging, which is
simply drift fishing with
the addition of a float/
bobber to pull your gear
naturally along the bottom
and downstream. A 9’6”
rod works great for bobber
dogging, and you can easily
break it down to fit inside
your car.
Once you have your
clothing, rod, and
reel, you can focus on
terminal tackle. For this,
I recommend going to
your local tackle shop as
opposed to a “big box”
store.
You will get valuable
advice that will help you
to purchase the best gear.
Also, lean on what you
learned from the guides
you fished with, and make
sure to take pictures of their
gear setups and rigging
when you fish with them.
At this point, you’re going to
need a collection of swivels,
bobber stops, small beads
for your bobber stop, and
leader material, generally
fluorocarbon. Note that if
you don’t want to tie your
leaders immediately, you
can purchase them pretied.
It’s also a good idea to have
a selection of hooks in sizes
from #4 to 1/0 or even 2/0
in some cases. Purchase
a box of soft beads in a
variety of sizes and colors,
some maribou jigs in pink/
cerise/orange combinations
and the red/white/black
nightmare patterns, as well
as 1/8 or 1/4oz jig heads (I
prefer white) and some 3.5”
plastic/rubber worms.
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