Which rod for slip float fishing?

[David Jackson]

First time poster, long time reader. Love bluegill fishing and it is mostly all I do. I currently use a 7 foot light action bass pro micro light for most of my fishing. I do not use slip floats usually but would like to use them more. Problem is, it seems the guides on this rod are not right for the bobber stops to go through them on the cast. Can someone recommend a rod for this purpose? I am in the market now as I just recently had a long time St. Croix 5 footer break in the door of my truck. I loved that rod and had it for many years. Tiny but a great till and crappies rod that held a lot a of great memories. I do have a 5 foot ugly stick but am not realy happy with it and had earmarked that for my eight year old as I figure even he cannot break it, haha. I have looked at the St. Cross series but not sure if I want to spend that much. So looking for a 5-7 foot, UL for slip float fishing. Any thought?
Thanks,

Dave

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Here's a thought:
A 7' fly rod, with snake guides.
The guides should pass a stop knot with ease.
Use electrical tape or Velcro straps to mount a reel on the handle.
If you have a bunch of money burning a hole in your pocket, you can get a fly rod mated to a spinning reel seat from a custom maker - some manufacturers are probably offering it, too.
A Tennessee style handle is pretty common in this application.
The fly rod also gives a lot of whip to help launch light rigs and small slip float rigs.
There are several guys here who can do this sort of thing, in fact.

[Slip Sinker]

always wanted to try fishing with a flyrod and spinning... i just dont think itll be as sensitive.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

It won't, but it'll lob a small bait or rig a nice long way.
For you, sensitivity is important cos you fish far and down, or vertical, most of the time.
With a buggy whip rod, the aim is mostly to fish "fine and far off."

Carl Hendrix does it, come to think of it. And he seems to do pretty good...

[Slip Sinker]

and one of the main reasons i love the fly rod is the bend... it is awesome for catching gills. carl does a roll cast with the quill either he is extremely gifted or this requires alot of practice and or both. i want to get that down because it looks like a blast. will i get that feeling with a spin reel attached? i dont know yet will have to give it a try. sensitivity on a float set up well it may not be needed if it is a dedicated setup. the length and bend are there thats for sure

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

I'd use the smallest reel I could, and affix it as far back on the grip as practical.
A limp and limber line probably helps.

[Slip Sinker]

put one of my Lews 100s and taped it on th handle even with the small first guide it casted fine. i love catching gill of this fly rod.they always put a big beautiful bend in the rod havnt been able to fly fish sin ce last year because of arm and shoulder pain. so cant wait to start catching them on this rig. itll be fun. thanks for the tip

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Hunt around for some 1/2" Velcro.
The strips could be used in lieu of tape, and the longer cinch wrap type could also do the job.

[Tony Livingston]

Or you could hunt up some reel wraps..http://www.coldsnapcover.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_i...

I have seen guys use O-rings also.

[Slip Sinker]

what a great idea

[Slip Sinker]

after doing a little testing and benchmarking in the backyard i came across a problem with this rig and slip bobbers... the bobberstop every 10 casts or so would lodge in the guides of the flyrod....

so now personally i wouldn't recommend as a slip float setup. fixed floats yes and i think it would be a ton of fun.

[Tony Livingston]

As a diehard slip floater, I can attest that some rod guides simply aren't slip knot friendly. And once the knot snags a couple times, it becomes frayed and bunches up.....further compounding the problem.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

A REALLY old fashioned way to tie bobber stop knots is with monofilament. It won't fray. It's the first one I knew and I keep a small length in my box just for that. It can be a bit bulky for the really micro gear, as it doesn't compress like the braided Dacron.
Others I've heard of but not tried:
- Silk... an even older thread for stopper knots.
- Dental floss... Cheap and plentiful

This year was the first time I gave the little rubber "football" stoppers a try. I like them - a lot.
I've noticed they come in tiny and really tiny sizes, though.
If you find the latter, stock up. They can be re- used, too, but it's a fiddly bit of work to do it!