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: 

How to fish Trout with Bombarda part 1

How to fish Trout with Bombarda part 2 (HD) 

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

Carp fever

The Carp fever is making me itching all over!

Today I sorted out my tackle box with Rigs, Safety clips, Hooks and all those small bits and pieces to see what I need for the new season. Boxed up two reels and extra spools, moved my rods out of the old hold-all and into my new 5 rod quiver with sleeves. Separated two sleeves and packed the quiver with the rest of the rods away again.

I'm slowly getting ready to go to Ebro River in Spain, only bringing two rods and the minimum things needed. Leaving Saturday evening after a shop event and a meeting with hopefully another sponsor, leaving with a truck loaded with a little tackle and more than a ton of bait. We (my sponsor) have a bait delivery in Spain, so no I'm not gonna  be feeding with a ton of bait on this trip.

Looking forward to see the Ebro river, catch some big fat Carps and get started on the 2013 Carp season! And I promise I will return, with a ton of pictures, video footage and interesting stories!

Cheers - Pali 

New Season

Finally I got launched the new season of The Boilie Effect!

To start this 2nd season I decided to make a video about boilie production, so I visited Northern Baits in Norway and in their Baitcave I made A LOT of boiles.

For those who don't know what boilies is, it's a boiled doe ball used for Carp and Catfish bait. I make them from a mix of many different ingredients, the main ingredients are LT-94 Fishmeal (made from whole fish)and Krill meal along with Eggs, undiluted krill protein and spices.

I hope you all will enjoy this 1st. episode "A shit load of boilies" and the rest of the new season, I've put in a lot of effort in planing this season.

In the 2nd. episode I will visit the Ebro river in Spain, home of Monster Catfish and Giant Carps.

Cheers - Pali

Against all recommendations

Going against all recommendations
and breaking my personal record

My first carp session of 2012 - by Pali

Finally I was able to get out there for a full weekend Carp session; this was my first overnight fishing trip of 2012. I have had plans to go out for so long, but then the water froze solid, my daughter got sick and so on. The following weekend I had everything packed from the weekend before, had charged up my camera and nothing could stop me. At least that’s what I thought - Thursday morning I cracked a tooth and had to get it pulled Friday morning, so with that start on my weekend I didn’t feel like going anywhere. Tho half my face was still numb you just know, that’s only going to last till the anesthetic wears off and then pain will follow. Not really the best combination for a fishing trip and sleeping outdoors in match, with a bleeding bone deep crater in the jaw. We still have cold nights, some below freezing. Normally that’s not something that would bother me, but let’s face it I’m not Bear Grylls.

My daughter canceled the following weekend, as she had some school things she needed to take care of. So now I was determined to get out there, but where to go? Last year I have been fishing all the local ponds on the island I live on, also visiting a few not so local ponds and lakes. I wanted this to be a great start of 2012, now that I had so much trouble getting started.

A few years ago I moved from the mainland to the Island Fyn, moving in with my wonderful girlfriend. I used to live in a small town called Haderslev, where there are some wonderful areas with great nature. A wonderful forest, a few good size ponds. One near an old water mill, a place I have spent many summer nights, mainly drinking a few around a campfire with good friends. But I have often seen carp fishers around the lake, also I found some information that the carps in the lake where old. (15-20 years or more)
I figured that there would be a fair chance they had grown huge, if not savages with bbq’s have eaten them all or thieving basterds have moved them all to ‘private’ ponds. Why I’m not very specific with lake names and locations, but again if your local or have a bit of insight as an Danish carp angler you will know what lake I’m talking about. (If your a catch and release angler, you can always write me for locations) 

The Carp Addiction

Try it once and Carping can get you hooked for life!– by Pali

As mentioned in my first blog post, I’m an addict angler and one of my poisons is Carp fishing.
First time I heard about carp fishing was from a mate I knew thru a friend’s Chat room, he was always on about all these huge carps he was landing. And yeah yeah it’s all great, everyone know how fishermen like to tell tales and on their way home the fish grow an extra foot and gain a few pounds. I really didn’t know anything about carp fishing, and did not pay much attention to his ½drunk fisherman tales to begin with.

Then one day I’m out fishing for bait in a pond I at the time just recently heard about, I see these 3 guys with a lot of fancy equipment. At least it looked very fancy to me as a regular Joe, who might been fishing for many years but mainly for trout and pike. They are there with some odd tents (bivys) and electronic bait alarms and what not; I’m standing at fair distance fishing for my common roaches that I’m going to use for bait in the following weekend for Pike fishing. I don’t know what to think, besides “isn’t that a bit too much equipment and taking all the fun out of fishing with electronic bait alarms?”

Short after one of their alarms go off and this funny looking little fella come running out of his tent, like a Jack-in-the-box he’s running to his rod. In a speed that’s normally only seen if someone just knocked over a Harley Davidson outside a Biker bar, he reaches his rod and picks it up and set’s the hook. Now it got interesting, it was clearly not a small fish he just hooked.
By the bend on his rod and the scream from his reel, that was not a bad size fish at all. I took a sip of my beer and continued to fish for my puny little roaches, thinking “Ahh they are pike fishing and he had hooked a large Pike, good for them”.
But after good fight he landed something I had to go investigate, I was standing too far away to see what he just caught. But not that far away, that it wasn’t clear to me that, it was defiantly not a pike!

A Passion for Fishing

An introduction of an angling addict, powered by passion! - by Pali

This is my first blog entry here; in fact it’s my first blog entry ever. I used to have an online diary on a gardening site, where I would do daily or weekly updates on my passion for indoor and greenhouse gardening. Share pictures and helpful step-by-step information, DIY tutorials on hydroponic grow systems and True Aeroponics. That later led me to write product reviews for an European gardening magazine published in 5 languages, I have traveled as far as to Australia to optimize greenhouses for flower production. But enough about all that, this is a blog about my passion for fishing.

It all started with my granddad taking me fishing a summer when I was a small kid, no more than 6 years old. Fishing in the stream running not far from their house, he showed me how to tie my first knots and how far from the cork we should place the hook n worm. We would sit for many hours that summer fishing, just talking and looking for that cork float to go under. We would eat the lunch my grandmother had prepared us, he would drink a cold beer and I would drink my grandmother’s homemade fruit cordial, and if I was really lucky I would maybe get a soda pop.

I have always loved the outdoors, as a kid I grew up on a small farm where we grew all our veggies, milked our cow and slaughtered our own animals for meat. I didn’t have a lot of fancy toys, no PlayStations and Xbox’s around back then (later I would get a Comodore64). My best friend was my ET bike (BMX bike) and my fishing rod, after watching Steven Spielberg’s Movie ET in the 80’s every real boy wanted a BMX bike. They were common known here as the ET bike. I would ride that for several miles on dirt roads, with a backpack on my back. Packed with my small telescopic rod, a small tackle box, my lunchbox with a few sammies and something to drink. Riding to the nearest trout lake, there I would hide my bike in the forest scrubs and sneak into the pay lake area. Crossing a stream by a knocked over tree, as I didn’t have money to pay for the fishing. Being around 7-8 years old, no one really paid any attention to me anyway. Everyone would think I was with my parents there, but the fact being I can’t really recall my dad ever taking me fishing just him and me. After some time the owner started to notice I was there a lot, but never gave me any trouble about it. Told me to pay when I could and when I could not it was okay too, but it would be better if I parked my bike in the parking area and walked on the trails to the pond, instead of hiding in the bushes and risking falling in the cold stream, crossing it all by myself in the forest with no one to help me if I had fallen in.