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Bobber doggin?

53K views 73 replies 39 participants last post by  steelheadking 
#1 Ā·
I keep hearing about bobber doggin but don't have any idea what it is.
Anyone care to explain what it is?

Thanks
John
 
#2 Ā·
we use this technique to fish Steelhead on the lower John Day river. It's easy and very productive! get a long rod with a spinning reel, use a slip bobber and a long leader ( 8 + feet ) and set the boober to the right depth, up there we use **** stripe prawns for bait. point your boat down stream and use your kicker to keep the boat oriented. deploy the lines 80 - 100' behind the boat ( up stream from the boat ) and let the current drift you over the water you wish to fish. the kicker is used only to help keep the boat pointed the correct direction, you are not trolling and we will kick it in and out of gear as we go to accomplish this. toss the rod in the rod holder and just wait for the take down. its that simple. no need to watch the bobber either.. the rod will just double over when you get a take. simple and very effective technique.
 
#3 Ā·
Iā€™ve not heard that term before, but a lot of the time on the Snake & C we will toss shrimp on a jig out below a bobber and let the boat drift slowly downstream it catches fish. We usually don't even have the kicker on unless we need it.
 
#4 Ā·
^Agreed very effective technique. Although if you were looking to fish this technique from the bank it can be equally successful as I found out this past season.

Set your bobber rod up with a slip bobber (I use the west coast floats) usually a 3/8 ounce or 1/2 size float. Your main line runs to a snap swivel where you attach enough pencil lead to tick the bottom. Tie about a 3ft. leader to the snap swivel, on that leader have a size one hook tied with an egg loop. Now either fish boraxed eggs or a big trout bead pegged about 1in from the hook.
Now the key here is that your bobber will be pointing downstream. When the bobber is pointing downstream this means your pencil lead is ticking the bottom and your bead/eggs are being fished correctly and lying in the strike zone. Its a deadly technique to add to your steelhead arsenal, especially in low and clear water conditions.
 
#11 Ā·
^Agreed very effective technique. Although if you were looking to fish this technique from the bank it can be equally successful as I found out this past season.

Set your bobber rod up with a slip bobber (I use the west coast floats) usually a 3/8 ounce or 1/2 size float. Your main line runs to a snap swivel where you attach enough pencil lead to tick the bottom. Tie about a 3ft. leader to the snap swivel, on that leader have a size one hook tied with an egg loop. Now either fish boraxed eggs or a big trout bead pegged about 1in from the hook.
Now the key here is that your bobber will be pointing downstream. When the bobber is pointing downstream this means your pencil lead is ticking the bottom and your bead/eggs are being fished correctly and lying in the strike zone. Its a deadly technique to add to your steelhead arsenal, especially in low and clear water conditions.
Also the way I do it-One thing to do during higher flows is shorten your leader or add tiny split shot down your leader to keep bait in the zone
 
#5 Ā·
It is basically side-drifting with a float, generally using a little larger slinky or pencil lead. More forgiving in that you don't need to change weights as often for flow variance in different holes.
It is also the best way to mimick side-drifting from the bank.
 
#7 Ā·
You arent suspending the bait, or lure in a true, vertical manner. You are simply using a slightly under weighted(ideally) float to help keep your lead from hanging up on the bottom while you "cheater drift" fish the run, or hole.

If you are just starting out. Set your gear at 8-10 ft. and adjust your lead rather than your stop knot. Your float is pointing downstream, and kind of 'ticking' while your lead plinks off the bottom. If you see very pronounced movement on the float, lighten up, if the float wants to slide thru too quick, or doesnt 'tick' at all, or even tries to stand upright... More lead.
 
#8 Ā· (Edited)
1911 that technique, I call that driggin, essentially drift Fishin with a float. Bobber doggin is casting your bait downstream of the boat and fishing the water before the boat reaches the stretch you wanna fish.

Is rather drift fish personally ! But it's a good technique for cover lotsa water.
 
#9 Ā·
1911, with the technique you described I'm trying to visualize the set up. Is it a slip float to swivel, then a leader with the lead partially touching bottom. Where is the bait in this set-up, tied inline or at the bottom? I;m familair with bobberdoggin but haven't ever seen this.
 
#15 Ā·
what I don't follow is...regarding the diagram offered...you're using 10' of line under the bobber to the weight. I would imagine that in most cases you would have enough to reach the bottom but others not. Also, in most cases you would be dragging with an increased chance of snagging..No?
 
#18 Ā·
Hence why you are using an underweighted float. the extra buoyancy of the float keeps your weight from hanging up. 8-10 ft is a general rule of thumb because it keeps you in contact with the bottom in 90% of instances. If the water is deeper, move your stop a little further up the line. If you are fishing shallower water most of the time, you could shorten the stop up a bit.
 
#17 Ā·
Here is the set up that I use.
9.5 ft lamiglas certified pro 4-10 lb spinning rod
Good Shimano spinning reel with 18lb yellow power pro.
Put a bobber stop 8ft up from your slinky, use a 1oz west coast float tie on a 4 ft side drift rig with a cheater and some good eggs

Put the drift boat in the middle of the river, cast to the seam inside and in front of the boat. The water in the seam is 4-5 ft deep slow the boat to the same speed as the float. The float will lean down stream and dink along as it pulls the slinky and bait down river.

I fish in the forks area with a guide every year and we can cover miles of river with out snagging up and catch lots of fish......Pretty AWSOME when the bobber jerks back up river!
 
#19 Ā·
So aparently the area where you cast this rig determines whether you are 'bobber dogging' or not... Hmm. OK, the rig is the same, boat, or bank. But you are able to use the boat to position your presentation. There is one huge difference. From the bank, or what some may call 'driggin' you are devoid of the boat, but you can get more passes thru the meat of the drift if you so choose. Whatever you want to call the 'rig'... It fishes well, and it fishes effectively without snagging if it is set-up proper.
 
#25 Ā·
This is all very interesting, and funny. Over the years I have used bobbers to keep from hanging up on limb snags, rocks etc. or to target fish suspended in a certain depth range. Sometimes my bobber is ahead of my presentation and sometimes it is behind it. Sometimes my presentation is bouncing bottom and some times it doesn't need to. Varies on the river conditions and dynamics of the stretch I am fishing and how the fish are reacting that particular day. How I fished with a bobber never mattered to me as long as I got results. Never worried about what to call it other than fishing with a bobber.
 
#28 Ā·
I was always under the impression it was a technique used alot in lower tidewater or where there is a fairly consistent depth for an extended amount of river. I remember " bobberdogging " on the siletz down in tidewater in a friends sled. We would cast them out on each side of the boat. None of them would be hitting bottom all bobbers set at about 6 foot in depth and we just drifted downstream with the current. Using the motor only to reposition the sled. This was very effective that day.
 
#49 Ā· (Edited)
I concur.

One would not bobberdog a jig or a wedding ring but rather fish them just off the bottom by adjusting the slip float appropriately for the depth of the run.
Conversely, one could drag bottom with eggs, worm, shrimp, plastic, etcetra. The term bobberdoggin' or "dragging bottom" works with bait whereas other presentations (jigs) fish better suspended.

I'm amazed there is confusion about the difference in Techniques and how to rig them up.
 
#50 Ā·
I concur.

One would not bobberdog a jig or a wedding ring but rather fish them just off the bottom by adjusting the slip float appropriately for the depth of the run.
Conversely, one could drag bottom with eggs, worm, shrimp, plastic, etcetra. The term bobberdoggin' or "dragging bottom" works with bait whereas other presentations (jigs) fish better suspended.

I'm amazed there is confusion about the difference in Technics and how to rig them up.
when using this technique with a bobber and a worm due the fish just drop these bobbers under? or is a subtle takedown?
 
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