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Bassmaster/November 2007FOR SOME, PERHAPS confusion about the name of the technique is enough to keep them away.
Float 'n' fly, floating fly, floatin' fly, float -n- fly, float & fly. What do you call it and how do you spell it?Â
For others, it is a belief that a fly rod is in involved.
And for still others,it is the notion that this method will catch only smallmouth bass and only on a few peculiarly appropriate Tennessee River impoundments, such as Dale Hollow.
As a consequence, many are missing out on a simple, pleasurable and productive way of angling in winter that will catch largemouth and spotted bass (and yes, smallmouth), in lakes and reservoirs all over the country.
First, let's be clear about the name. Â We will call it "float-and-fly," for the method makes use of both float and a fly, which actually is a 1/16-ounce jig.
But it does not require a fly rod.
"Clients really are skeptical in the beginning. Â They're afraid of having to use a fly rod," says Bobby Gentry, a Dale Hollow guide (www.bobbygentry.com, 270.427.0419) who has been introducing anglers to the technique for years. "Once they understand that we will be using spinning tackle, they're much more comfortable with the idea."
"The hardest thing for some of the more serious bass fishermen to accept is that they're watching a bobber," Gentry adds. "But once people have tried it and understand how it works, they love it.
"One of the most common comments I get, especially from older fishermen, is that float-and-fly reminds them of fishing when they were kids." Â They like that. And they like the fact that we catch large fish.
"They really like that part."Â
That fondness is reflected in the fact that Gentry booked an average of three float-and-fly trips a week during the winter of 2005-06, compared with just one trip a week the winter before. And it is indicative of the steadily growing popularity of this technique as Gentry and others, such as jig-maker Stephen Headrick, more aggressively preach the gospel of the float-and-fly.
Yes, anglers are still missing out, as the float-and-fly has not been tried on many fisheries where it would produce just as well as it does on Dale Hollow. But word is spreading.
"I have anglers come down from Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana to learn float-and-fly tactics. They're fishing it on Lake Erie," says Gentry, who adds that he has caught bass using the technique on Barren River, Kentcuky Lake, Green River and Lake Cumberland, as well as his home waters.
"It's catching on with more and more Kentucky and Tennessee anglers, but Pennsylvania is third for Internet orders (www.punisherjigs.com)," says Headrick, who also sells his jigs and other float-and-fly items at his Dale Hollow 1 Stop convenience store in Celina, Tenn.
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