Stupid Bobber fishing Questions

[brshooter]

Sorry for the dumb questions, but I am a total bobber fishing rookie except for a bit of jig fishing for steelhead. I keep reading about people bobber fishing for chinook in the Tillamook area. I have searched the archives and found discussion about the best rods and lines for bobber fishing and not trolling in bobber fishing water :grin: , but not much on technique or areas.
Is this done in the bay or the tidewater of the Trask & Wilson? Are these areas accessable with a sled or is it drift boat water? Now I don't expect anyone to give up their zipper-lip honey hole or anything like that. Just some general information.
How about terminal rigging?

Thanks.

[crabbait]

Ok, I will try to cover this briefly: Start with a quality hook that is extremely sharp (try 5/0, I use Owner Cutting Point). Next, from 20-30" of leader. Use line heavy enough to get the job done. I use 40lb Maxima Cameleon or UG. Next comes a weight, at least 1oz..

Now for the main line: First a bobber stop. Pre-tied knots work well as do rubber bands tied off and cut with 1/4" stubs. Next, slide on a bead that has a hole small enough that the stop won't slide through and large enough that it will not reel through your first guide. Next I add a bright corky (it makes it easy to identify my bobber and when it hops on top of my bobber I know that my weight is not sitting on the bottom). Next comes a bobber with enough flotation to float your bait and weight. Many people then add another bead, another bobber stop, then tie off to your weight (trolling type) or swivel with weight attached.

The lower bobber stop will keep your bobber on the line should you break off above your swivel or weight.

I use 50lb Tuff for mainline but many others use 80lb Tuff to good effect and still others use mono and mucilin for floatation. All will work, some better than others.

This will do you for a start. Weights and bobbers can vary greatly. Up to 3oz for long casts from shore and huge bobbers. Many people darken the lower part of their bobbers and customise to make identification easy.

Good luck. :smile:

[ 09-22-2002, 10:28 PM: Message edited by: crabbait ]

[Flatfish]

Well I am not a float expert,but I read about it on the internet,so here goes.Almost any water is bobber water.That said,I have done best in the deep,slow,boiling(is that really how ya spell that-boiling???)holes where the fish tend to stack up.That said,we do a sort of Tillamook Chinook boondog thing with them too.Just find a featureless(no water is really featureless,it just looks that way from the surface.Underwater there are oodles of tiny current breaks and mini channels that the fish hold and travel in.To learn them requires a SCUBA cert...or you can just bobber/boondog these areas and see if anyones home).Super deep holes with overhead cover(in many forms)are the bobbers strong points.Remember,the bright fish that you want to take home sit in fast water.The later in the season it gets,the more fish you will have to pick thru to get a quality keeper out of slow water.Use the bobber as a strike indicater(a friend is a fly guide.He reads this.He will go bonkers when I use the term "Strink Indicater" and egg fishing in the same breath.HAA HAA Mike,you lurkin' weenie)and you will be suprised at where a 30 pounder can hide.
Some folks like to use long leaders,24" plus,when bobber fishing.I cut them down as short as legal.Many bites are missed when the fish rises to the bait,then picks it up...MUNCHES YOUR EGGS and drops it.All before you could detect a bite.The bobber just swirled around.The legnth of line to your lead controlls this.Proceed accordingly.I can't think that boiling is right huh.Anyway,have at it.
Mark and the sleeping dog.

[Gregor]

sled or drift boat? I've never been there for the fishing, heck, probably been 30+ years since I last visited the area :shocked: but it sounds like a blast..so if a db is game, fill me in. I'll haul mine down and invite some boatless ifish'rs to join in the fun. :cheers:

[ 09-25-2002, 12:46 AM: Message edited by: Gregor ]

[KingFisher85]

This is just my 2 cents

7 foot leaders

[NEUTRON]

Gregor... driftboats don't work very well in tidewater... (jk) NOT. Find a launch, have front and rear anchors. Then go find Nanooks honey hole... no...plenty of good spots.
I'm sure there is a few boatless Ifishers that might share a tip or two for a ride.

[fishbait]

Both boats will work fine, the bigger sleds can be kinds cumbersom, and have limited mobility in low water. Some areas are 6-12 inches at low water. You will need two good anchors, 30 lbs or so, also a good brush clip (bass pro shops) is handy sometimes. Short leaders are best, see above. Big baits are the norm here. On the Trask, bobbber water is from 101 down to the mouth. I used to bobber fish Cap Johnsons at High slack and do really well, then it got popular and kinda crowded, 2 yrs ago the slot filled in, so until it washes back out , thats over. Remember, these are moving fish, boats, stumps, current dictate whare these fish will travel, and the sun and time of the tide will determine their depth. They like stumps and brush, so if you are smart, be prepared to drag a 40 lber out of a brush pile. You can catch fish with lighter gear, but you will limit you chances of landing that big pig. I use 80 tuff, 40 leader, 50 this year, leader and a 6/0 or two. But I am fishing for a couple of specific fish, over 50 this year. Oh, and if you want to increase your hook up's, learn to reel down on a bite, vs doing a John Wayne swing, it will catch you more fish and improve you knowledge of just what kind of a bite you were getting. Good luck............ FB

[plugcut]

Fishbait you gave them all the secerets to catching fish in tide water. However I still like round bobbers (got any). Had one go down on me Saturday.
The boggies are really bad this year. Been using berry bags makes the bait last much longer then one pass. Didn't seem to keep'em from biting. Round bobber going down

[WaterDog]

Don’t be afraid to fish in the weeds like fishbait says. I liken it to bass fishin, only better. Nothing neater than pulling a big nook out of brush pile or out from behind a log. I’m using 40lb leader with a 6/0 hook, 36-40 inches. 65lb power pro main, 1.5 oz banana weight, and a thill big fish bobber. I think in another thread it was mentioned that the thin cylindrical bobbers worked best and the round one’s were made good ornaments. That is a fact. The thin bobbers are much more sensitive and if you pay attention you can see the bite before the bobber goes under(if it goes under). Seeing the bite will give you time to reel down on it before the hook is set. Don’t forget to have good milky eggs too.

[crabbait]

I agree wholeheartedly with Fishbait and Waterdog. Use as sensitve a bobber as you can find and wind down before you rip lips.

Plugcut - That's Pogeys aka sculpin (v. boggies) (see Haiku).

[ 09-25-2002, 11:01 AM: Message edited by: crabbait ]

[Fish Hunter]

YOU GOTTA LOVE THOSE NON-POLITICALLY CORRECT HAIKU'S :cheers:

[Fish Hunter]

Oh, good bobber fishing tips also. I must admit to being a chinook bobber fishing virgin. I hope to change that this fall. It sounds very appealing doing battle in the brush and confined surroundings.

[steelhead_fishn]

GI Joes has some great pre-maid bobber stops that work excellent. They are basically a braided line prewrapped around a piece of plastic. They are really cheap, and it takes 2 seconds to put one on. The type of line they use works very well sliding through guides.

Jeff

[Chris Nordling]

Fishhunter-

Don't worry, we'll fix that........ :cheers:

Good tips guys.

Other than trolling , I'm not to sure what else a 7' leader is good for ( bobber fishing or not), but what the heck, it may be the hott tip of the year :wink:

One other note, you may want a stronger rod ; ie 25-50 #( or meat stick) than you normally might use. Coupled with a quality reel ( with a good clean drag and good line) this will help you turn and control that chrome Whale you just hooked . Some of those holes are smaller than the fish holding in them :grin:

To Moby :cheers:

Chris :cool:

[ 09-25-2002, 01:16 PM: Message edited by: FWF1 ]

[fishbait]

OK, going to be contriversal here........ You do not need eggs that milk to catch fish, lots of fish in tidewater....... I do not care what everyone else says, I have been doing it for over 25 years.... Period...... Now there are times that I will fish a wet egg, not very wet though, I call it semi dry, but one of my main cures, also catches high percentage of hens, (not sure why) results in an egg that when put on the hook is almost as dry as a piece of cardboard. ...... facts is facts...... think about this, tide comming in at a good clip, fish are moving up with the tide. when a fish moving at 6 mph overtakes your bait that is moving at 3 mph in a 3.5 mph current (line drag,) , what is she going to do first, see it or smell it ? I know what the experts say, but I also know what has worked for me for the last 25 years.... Would not consider fishing these eggs in the river backbouncing, there you need a egg that milks.....Ok, now chew on that for awahile, menawhile my bobber just twitched and I gotta go.......... FB

[Fish Hunter]

FWF1..Thanks :grin: ...I'll be hounding you good when I get back from deer camp. Will be back by Oct 6.

[FISHNFOOL]

fishbait--I'm with ya on this one---but being a californian (oregon wanna-be)----what do I know?!!! Last years vacation in Oct around Tillamook area I caught 3 fish on the hardest eggs ever fished!!! --(a friend attempted to cure them ) I had to cut them with sharp scissors and they cut into hard squares. Results 5 bobber downs and 3 chromers in the net!! (sand shrimp might have had a little something to do with it) All BUCKS though--looks like I'll be using those rock hard eggs again this oct in tidewater. Enjoy the bobber downs this fall!! on second thought maybe it was those californian sacramento river eggs that did the trick!! want to trade?? any biters??

[ 09-25-2002, 04:20 PM: Message edited by: FISHNFOOL ]

[First Bite]

Lots of good info about tidewater bobber fishing, except fishbaits'...just kidding there Steve ole buddy.

When the rivers rise (even a couple feet) and
fish are moving past the tidewater and into the upper rivers, bobber fishing is still an excellent way to get into fish. This is when you can toss a variety of baits and/or jigs for Chinook holding in classic steelhead water that is from 3-8 feet deep.

We did a Hot Tamale Show last October with the Wilson river sitting at 2.7 feet and caught three nice Chinook in the upper river.

Mark

[fishbait]

Mark,
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh............. Don't tell everyone how nice it is to be down in tidewater, almost all alone hooking and releasing BRIGHT BIG nookers in early/mid NOVEMBER.............. It seems that once the rains come, everyone forgets their bobbers......... WRONG....... They gotta go through tidewater to get to the river, and a low low mid November means that the fish will be stacking up for a few hours where you can really rail on um if you are there at the right time. Just remember, this is transistion water, moving fish, try to understand what the fish are doing and where they will be and you will catch 10 times more fish than if you just achor up in a hole and spend all day. Man I'm gettin twitchie........... sooooooooonnnnnnn it will be happening big time...

[Nanook]

[ 11-25-2002, 09:52 AM: Message edited by: ****** ]

[crabbait]

WOW, ******. Over 2200 posts and that's the longest I've seen from you yet! :grin:

[Nanook]

Back to the top for bobber fishing. :smile:

[Chris Nordling]

******-

Test float tomorrow. Do I dare and say what brand ? :whazzup:

Let's just say Willie isn't it. Bummer too. I've been looking for top quality used, and came across a 16x57 F__SH- __te. :grin:

Still wanna go, even if you gotta hide ,so no one sees you :wink: :wink:

Fishhunter-
Ring me when the deer are gone :smile:
Chris :cool:

[Nanook]

http://www.fish-rite.com/images/drftontrail.gif

Nice boat. Bobbers down. You gonna paint "Drift Fishin' Mission" on it because it's a Fishrite? :tongue: Miss mine this time of year.

Mu ha ha. :grin: graemlins/hearton.gif

http://www.gifs.net/animate/pawswalk.gif

[ 09-26-2002, 07:58 PM: Message edited by: ****** ]

[Chris Nordling]

LOL !!!!! :grin: :grin: :grin:

BOBBER DOWN !!!

Chris :cool:

[kodiakfisher]

I will add this while bobber fishing for Coho Believe it or not I was just using a red and white clip on bobber and over six times I had Coho come up and grab my bobber and once in the process of getting my bobber back I hooked one in the mouth with a short leader.

Now on to the point when the Coho take a bait they never took the bobber down. The bobber turned into a strike indicator like flatfish mentioned. If that bobber paused or twitched at all SET THE HOOK and yes real down and hook set is the way to go, actually I always had the rod realled (sp) down to expedite hook sets, also hook set to the down stream side pulls the hook deeper into them as opposed to away from them.

Yes I know your talking about Chinook fishing but this is Coho season.

Kodiakfisher

[Nanook]

[ 10-08-2002, 03:58 PM: Message edited by: ****** ]