Big Spring Bluegills on the Float and Fly System

For those of you who love to Float and Fly Fish, don't put those rods and reels away just yet. There is some great fishing in the spring and summer for BIG bluegill on clear Tennessee Mountain Reservoirs and I am sure on other lakes around the country.

I recently spent a couple of days with Bob Coan the Float and Fly Guru who invented Bob's Bobber and the Coan Rig for fishing the Float and Fly. Well Bob has discovered that BIG bluegill love to bite in the spring and they love to do it at the 10 foot level and maybe even deeper in some areas.

This time the rig is a bit different but almost the same. I use a double ring swivel. I use Triple Fish Camo line down to the swivel and then Seaguar CoPolymer to the hook or lure. Personally I use a Spittin Image Popeye with a wax worm when I fish. I like the Black and blue model in either 1/16th ounce or 1/32nd ounce. Other rigs can use a Trout Magnet a Punisher 1/16th ounce jig in duck feather or in black and blue, or just a plain Fly Fishing Hook with a cricket. Why the Fly Fishing Hook? The cam action that the fly fishing hook provides when setting the hook with a cricket or even with the Float and Fly.



I found a nice fluorescent bobber that is much smaller than the Bob's Bobber and I did the surgery to make it into a Bob's Bobber with the weight inside. This lets the bobber lay on its side when the lure is on the bottom, and also allows it to lay over when a fish comes up from underneath to get the bait. Just like the winter Float and Fly.

Of course the rod I use is an All Pro Float and Fly 10 Foot in length. Basically you fish exactly the same way you do with the Winter Float and Fly. Just cast it out and then jiggle the rod to make the bait move in the water. Bluegill and Shellcracker will smash this lure on the bed and during the middle of the day even when they are not on the nest, bluegill will take almost any offering that looks like an insect or a worm.

The reason again is the same as the winter Float and Fly. The bait is in the right place, presented to the fish where he wants it in clear water. In the clear lakes of Central Tennessee bluegill gather to nest deeper than in most lakes. The 10 foot level seems to be the place at least on Dale Hollow. Fish up to 2 pounds are caught in deeper water. However the way to find the big fish is look for gatherings of hundreds of smaller fish shallow. Move out into 7 to 12 foot of water and start fishing. Move the bait out deeper and deeper as you go to find the big fish.

One of the best ways to move is to use the Motorguide Pinpoint Trolling Motor. Set the motor to run at the 12 to 14 foot depth. Move along the shoreline keeping the bait in the 7 t o 12 foot level. Backs of creeks and the small creeks that come into them are great for this kind of fishing. You are looking for shallow water less than 20 feet deep at the mouth of the creek, which changes to a flat area where fish can dig out a nest.

Information for this article was provided by:
Bob Coan Dale Hollow Fishing Guide
Spittin Image Popeye's