Sunday, April 14, 2013

 

Bombarda fishing for Trout

 
Hello there fellow anglers
I thought I would post a post on Trout fishing, both a popular eating and game fish around the world.
 
In this post and the videos I have made, I will explain how to fish for trout in a pretty simple and highly effective way, with a regular spinning rod and reel. My 15 yearol daughter landed a 10 pound trout on this kinda rig in past seasons.
Videos: 

For this you will need:

A Bombard float.
2-3 split shots.
Fluorocarbon line. (4 -7 lbs is fine)
Small Single hook.
Spinning rod and reel. 

I’m not going to go much into detail on hook size, as there are so freaking many different ways to set the size. Japanese, American and English all seem to have different size classes to the same hooks. So a Size 6 in England is a different size in Japan and the US. But I figure a small hook is a small hook no matter where you are from.

The hook size I use in the video is the absolute biggest hooks I would use for freshwater trout’s, can’t say it enough small quality hooks for trout is the best option.

Now I could go into details for hours and write a book on this Trout fishing topic, but that’s already been done many times. So if you don’t know a whole lot about fish movement and placement in the water according to weather changes, I can highly recommend a trip to the library or bookstore to find a book about it. Google also knows, but sometimes you find stuff in books that people haven’t posted online.

Smaller and shallow ponds are easier to read then others, mainly because there is minimal current in the water and it’s the weather that have the biggest effect on the water.  Big ponds and lakes, the current is much more generated by temperature differences, in the water due to depth changes but wind also have some to say. So the wind can be in one direction, but the underwater current can be a different direction. The current effects the natural placement of the trout’s hunting ground, they are going to hunt where the current naturally would carry the prey animals. So fishing this area always gives more strikes, it’s only a question about reading the water and get your bait out and present it right. The Air pressure also have a great impact on the feeding and activity, low pressure is not that good, between 1010 and 1025 hPa is ideal if you want to get technical.

Bombard floats:                                        
You can get different types and sizes, floating, intermedia and sinking, between 10 and 30 grams, with 5 g. interval. Thread your reel line thru the Bombarda float, tie a small swivel or quick-change swivel in the end of the line and your Bombarda is now mounted. Some place a small plastic beet between the float and the swivel, I haven’t experienced any difference so now I just leave the beet out.

I mainly use intermedia and floating, but are you fishing deep waters a sinking bombarda is the key to get to the bottom region. Are you fishing in small shallow ponds and streams, the floating is my favorite and the intermedia is great for the in between or if it’s weedy. The split shots pull your rig to the bottom and the distance from the last sinker to the Power bait, determines the depth of the lure.(well powerbait floats, so the distance above the bottom) I normally start with a shot placed about 20 cm from the hook, then another 1-2 split shots with 5 inches in between. Work it thru the water a few times, if you have no strikes after 5 min you should change your depth. Spend a little time on that, maybe move spot if you’re not sure you are on the fish and the depth changes haven’t given you strikes.

Reel motion:
Cast your line out, close the reel before the float hits the water. This will make shure the rig will land further away, with less chance of tangling. Try to overshoot the area the fish are located, and let the lure sink. Now start reeling in slowly, stop cranking after maybe 10-15-20 turns and wait 5-6 seconds. Start reeling again and continue the start n stop action, the second you feel a strike open the reel and let it take the bait for a short run before you close the reel and set the hook.

Fluorocarbon:
It’s very simple, fluorocarbon is worth the few extra bucks. You only need to use it for your rig material, so there is no need to fill your reel spool with fluorocarbon line. A good casting line is preferred of cause, but one of the key elements to lure presentation and more strikes is fluorocarbon rigs. The reflection of light in fluorocarbon is the same as water, rendering it nearly impossible for the fish to see the line. What more can you ask for, then invisible line? Pick a rig line with a lesser break strength, then your reel line. That way you are more likely only to lose the fish and hook, keeping your Bombard float safe on your reel line.    

The Rig:
Start with a fluorocarbon line about the length of your rod, once you get a hang of it you can with benefit make the rig longer. Tie a small single hook, in one end of the line. I prefer spade hooks or at least a spade hook knot, it gives a better hooking angle, it’s a really strong knot and the power bait sticks better to the hook. In the other end we tie a figure-eight loop, now place 2-3 BB size split shots onto your rig line. Start about 20 cm. from the hook knot, and follow with about 10 cm intervals. Don’t close them too tight, you want to be able to move them up and down, without damaging the fluorocarbon. It’s easier to replace a dropped split shot, then changing rig and rehook the fish.

Bait:
I prefer Power bait doe, but you can use all kind of artificial baits or live worms. Power bait gives me a wide selection in colors, it is fast to switch from one color to another if the first selection didn’t give you any strikes. My favorite colors are White, black and cheese yellow doe. 

I roll a small ball to get it firm, place it on the hook and press it back into shape of a ball covering the hook. Then I roll the ball in the palm of my hand, so I get a small tail shape rolled out in a slight angle to the hook. This will give it a great, rotating presentation that will tempt most trout’s to a fast strike.

Now you just need to tie up some rigs, get a few Bombarda floats and get out and try it. You can also use clear bubble floats, but they don’t cast anywhere near as well and often makes too big and loud a splash when it hits the water.

Now let's say you need a beer break or what ever, you can just cast out and let it sit as normal and get back to cranking the reel after you finished your beer.

Tight Lines

4 comments:

  1. Really nice article.I have never fished for trout before.And this article is a great read to someone like me that has never attempted it before.You really did a great job explaining everything.

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    1. Thank you Paul Andrews, very kind words. I'm glad you liked it

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    Replies
    1. Too bad about your comment not appearing, I hate when that happens!

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