Provo River "Bounce Rig" ??

[rgreenland]

I've heard several mentions of a new way to rig both fly's.....with the weight at the bottom, bouncing along.

Does anyone have any visual aid to show me what this looks like and maybe some instructions on how to set it up?

Does it work as well on other rivers?

Pros / Cons ??

Thanks
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[RockyRaab]

I don't have a visual aid, so I'll try a verbal description. The rig is similar to a "dropshot" setup, if you know what that is.

From the bottom up, the rig consists of your splitshot on the tag end of your tippet, and one or two flies above that, either tied directly to the tippet, or on short droppers (easier for pattern changes. It's common to tie an overhand knot in the very end of the tippet to help hold the shot on.

The idea is that if (meaning when) the shot snags in the bottom, you can save the rig by tugging the shot off. You save the flies. Other advantages are being able to control how far off bottom the flies ride by changing the spacing (between them and the shot as well as each other) and length of the short droppers. Also, the rig casts better with fewer tangles because the weight is at the end.
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[flygoddess]

New? Sweetie this has been around a long time. I first learned it from Larry Tullis. It is my preferred NYMPH style fishing specially when guiding. Seems more sensitive to detecting bites with newbies and loose less flies.
It does work on any river.
Now by just typing in "Provo River Bounce" on google there are tons of sites. And even a video.
http://youtu.be/dZ0hvZX2Uf0
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[rgreenland]

I guess I should have put it "new to me". []

I have been fly fishing for 20+ years. 95% of it has been self taught school of hard knocks and by a lot of reading, videos, this forum, etc. And since most my fishing buddies only fish a few times a year...the would rather fling bait.
I fish alone most the time....and when I don't I am the one teaching the other person with me.
I have never heard of this setup until recently and only saw it for the first time last week being used by a couple of guides I ran into on the Provo.
It made me curious.
Thanks for the response and the info about the videos. I'm anxious to give this a try!!
Thanks again!!
I still owe you a trip on the Weber. Unfortunately, the section where we have our property has been running low and with the heat....the entire place is absolutely covered in moss....really bad, thick, nasty smelling moss.
I wont hit it again until November.....
Thanks again - always appreciate your advise.
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[flygoddess]

November will probably be good for me. I have been out of the mix since July 5th.
I had an accident on my bike which has rendered me fishing less.


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[RockyRaab]

Oooch! You took up biking for your health, right?

Reminds me of my high school days (in the late Epicene) when I was asked why I didn't go out for any sports. I pointed out that every injured student in the school was on some kind of team.
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[fiveweight]

I usually tie an overhand knot at the end of the tippet to hold the sinker, then go up double the width of my hand and tie a larger, flashier bug directly to the tippet. come down the tippet the width of my hand, and tie on a 3 inch tag for my money nymph. Make sure you using a strike indicator.
This saves many flies, and also should improve your catch rate. especially on the provo.
I have no cons
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[cpierce]

Dang! When you do something, you certainly go all out.

Any idea when you can start using it? We should have a "coming out" party!
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[flygoddess]

Feels good, but Xrays next Tuesday will determine. I got a month of two day a week therapy.
I would think fishing would be one of the easiest functions to get back, but they worry about me slipping on rocks.
Rocky, I ride because I love it! Still do, just do things differently...LOL

I too attach the splitshot with a loop on the end. I then attach tags for nymphs, pupas. I have even been able to do three flies as it it just a flip the line upstream and let it drift down, flip again. No chance of tangling.
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[fiveweight]

Son of a B#%*+Creek Nymph.
Good luck on your rehab. Hopefully your getting some tying in.
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[RockyRaab]

I pre-tie a few of these to save time on the water.

Unroll some tippet material and tie a dropper loop about a foot from the end. Make it a large loop - 3" to 4" so when you cut one leg, it will be a 6" - 8" dropper. Repeat a foot above that. Cut a foot above that and you have a three-foot Bouncer rig ready to add splitshot and flies. Just tie to your leader.

On the water, I can make one quicker (and without cheater glasses) by using double or triple surgeon's knot dropper loops.

Almost forgot to add: You can also fish this rig quite well with a spinning rod, if your indicator isn't too far up the line. Or fish it without one in a tight-line technique. The fish don't mind.
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[grunttwice]

One small point about tying the rig, if you tie a blood knot instead of a surgeon's knot it will hold your tags out at a 90 degree angle, present the fly better, and reduce tangles.

If you don't know how to tie a blood knot, or don't want to, you can take the tag from a surgeons knot, and tie an overhand knot with it and the main line, and that will stick the tag out at the same 90 degree angle.

It's a tip I picked up from Dynamic Nymphing by George Daniel and it has worked well for me.
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[RockyRaab]

That's why I mentioned the dropper loop knot, which does the same thing.
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[submoa]

Ouch, hope you get better soon!
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[TubeDude]

[#0000ff]Definitely NOT new. I was using this (with spinning tackle) on the middle Provo during the early 60's. That was in the days when there were still big fish there.

I have since used it all over the western states, in both flowing and still waters...and in the surf of the ocean for a variety of species.

Here is a diagram I once made for fishing it with spinning tackle. But it can be adjusted for fly fishing and for your choice of fly patterns and distances between flies and weight.

[inline "DOUBLE DROPSHOT FLIES.jpg"]
EDIT: One thing that has not been mentioned is that you should always set the hook downstream. Fish take it facing upstream and if you pull upstream or across you have a greater chance of pulling the fly out of its mouth.
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[flygoddess]

Well, see there, if you fly fished using this technique and you had made a PDF on it, you could have been famous[] er.

I think everyone used this with spinning gear at one point. But, the connecting it to flies opened up a who new ball game other than tying the dropper off the bend of the lead fly they placing split shot in front of the lead fly.
Kinda like adding the water bubble to present flies with a spinning rod. Whatever it takes.
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[rgreenland]

Thanks Pat! That visual really helped!
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]That was a diagram from a writeup I put together on spinning flies. I fish them a lot with a jig...either in front of or behind the fly...as in the attached diagram. I have also fished flies with a split shot above the fly...either directly on the line or on a dropper. The latter method allows you to pull the sinker off if it snags in the rocks without sacrificing the fly.

There are lots of ways to present a fly under different conditions...with fly rod or spinning gear.
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[TubeDude]

"Well, see there, if you fly fished using this technique and you had made a PDF on it, you could have been famous[] er."

[#0000FF]I'm already infamous...for many well deserved reasons.

I first started using it with spinning gear. But I adapted it to fly fishing early on the Provo. When I was struggling to get the casting thing right with a fly rod I added about 50 feet of mono line to my fly reel and fished it by "strip casting". Works great wherever you are working runs and seams fairly close by.

But...there are some waters and some situations where...using spinning gear...I can fire my tandem bounce rig way upstream in tight cover and work holes and runs that are pretty much unfishable with fly tackle. I have a 9' 6 weight fly rod I have rebuilt into a "pocket picker" for such occasions.


Here's a pic of it in action...on the "old" Provo River...when my hair had not yet turned "blonde".

[inline "BROWN TROUT 2.jpg"]
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[RockyRaab]

You and I really are beings of parallel universes. I wrote a piece once called "Spin-Fly" in which I discussed numerous ways to fish flies and streamers with a spinning rod - including using a spin reel on a fly rod. I actually prefer a closed-face under-rod spin-cast reel for this, and have one permanently set up that way. A nine-foot fly rod can toss a jig and fly or bubble and fly a helluva way with 4# mono.

I don't recall which magazine carried that piece, but I do remember getting a passel of "why didn't I think of that" letters from readers.

That old chestnut about new things under the sun, eh?
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