Spin rod with bubble and fly?

[Gramps]

Would you consider fishing a bubble and fly with a spin rod harder than conventional fly fishing a fly?

I ask because of presentation.You can hardly be gentle when you're slapping a bubble on the water on every cast.

Let's see what conversation this brings?

[Bill Blake]

Last time I looked the splash never stopped other spin fishermen from catching fish, I don't see why it would be any different with fly and bubble. If you are in still water then you can just wait for the fish to 'calm down' after making a cast and if fishing moving water then just cast farther upstream than you would/could with a fly rod.

I do think there are probably occasions where fly fishermen or other spin fishermen have an advantage over the bubble fisherman, but I also think that the opposite is true.

[Gramps]

Most spin fisherman fish subsurface. I was talking about dry flies.

[Avalon]

Dear Gramps,

I've never seen anyone attempt to fish a dry fly with a spinning rod and a bubble float? How in the world would you control your drift or make an accurate cast?

I have seen plenty of guys wish wet flies and nymphs in lakes using the bubbles and they hammer fish. The greatest fly caster on Earth couldn't possibly cover 1/2 of the amount of water a spin fisher can cover with a bubble float.

Best Wishes,
Avalon

[CM_Stewart]

Dear Gramps,

I have seen plenty of guys wish wet flies and nymphs in lakes using the bubbles and they hammer fish.

I used to do that when I was a kid. It works!

[Micropteris]

Harder no, different yes

[Gramps]

It's been the way i've fished for years. I usually use streamers and wet flies. one of the most effective is using Pistol Petes.

Their is a trend on ultra light fishing now. You use light mono (or floro) 4 lb line, light action short rods (5-6ft), and all the flies you would use in fly fishing. Including all the dry flies.

I guess that's what my question is. How do you do a delicate dry fly presentation with a bubble and dry fly? How do you avoid drag? The light mono line would be great for drag, but how do you control the drag the bubble will cause?

[Micropteris]

How do you control the drag a fly line would cause? You mend or you feed line. Use the drag from the bubble to pick up your light spinning line off the water and place it on the water where you want it or maybe just keep feeding line while the bubble and the fly float down river, like you would a flyline to keep your fly from dragging. Flyfishing is all about technique and line handling, just take these principles and apply them to the spin setup. Harder no just different. Nothing is perfect (except maybe a net). Half the fun is playing with a new or different idea and trying to get it to work for you.

[Gramps]

How do you control the drag a fly line would cause? You mend or you feed line. Use the drag from the bubble to pick up your light spinning line off the water and place it on the water where you want it or maybe just keep feeding line while the bubble and the fly float down river, like you would a flyline to keep your fly from dragging. Flyfishing is all about technique and line handling, just take these principles and apply them to the spin setup. Harder no just different. Nothing is perfect (except maybe a net). Half the fun is playing with a new or different idea and trying to get it to work for you.

Very good. What about the splash from the bubble? cast way up stream, and work it down where you want it?

Probably some situations like a small still pool that you would have to pass up.

[Bamboozle]

How do you do a delicate dry fly presentation with a bubble and dry fly? How do you avoid drag? The light mono line would be great for drag, but how do you control the drag the bubble will cause?

I used to do it all the time back in the day. I would sneak upstream of a rising fish, flip the bubble & fly on a long leader, hold it in the current then open the bail and let it drift fly first downstream making sure to click over the bail a few feet before the fly got to the fish's lie.

Upstream casting was a whole other matter unless it was a wide stream but the boobber in most cases precedes the fly.