Riffling Bombers

It's fly only on the rivers here in Newfoundland and it's for many a good reason. If a live four legged bait was available for purchase and legal for use it would surely be raining terrestrials on our local rivers.

In my posting Fishing Bombers http://www.worldfishingnetwork.com/users/fishindan/blog/fishing-bombers-59755.aspx I show how dead drifting a big bomber to represent a drowned terrestrial such as a small mouse or shrew is a very effective technique. But what about the moments before the poor little mouse met his fate?

Before that last breath it would swim and struggle cross current to head for safety. I have seen this many times while salmon fishing. Some times they make it and some times they don't but they always do seem to travel cross current.

There are two ways to get this action out of your bomber. The first of the two is the traditional method simply put a couple half hitches round the head of the bomber leaving it at 90 degrees to the leader.

The other is my way and for the purposes of the blog the one I will be teaching. It's because of Berkley trilene and the Trilene knot that my method is possible. First tie your bomber to the leader with a Trilene knot making sure the line is wet. Then cinch it down hard.

The Trilene knot is so effective I can just slide it to what ever part of the eye I need eliminating the chance of losing a nice salmon to a busted riffle hitch.

What side of the bomber you set the knot on depends on the the river and your position on it. You want the current on the head of the bomber. So if the river is flowing from you right side hold your bomber with the head facing your self and tighten the trilene knot on the bombers left side as shown below.

To fish the finished riffled bomber keep tension on you line at all times slowly cutting cross current popping and twitching only if you feel the fish are aggressive enough. At the end of the cut cross current you may employ a dead drift before you cast or at any time to simulate the actual death of the mouse, shrew or whatever your local critters might be.

Just remember that after you do the dead drift I feel cutting hard across current doesn't appear to be natural.

I hope to have been helpful with this and my other fly related posts. Thanks for reading and till next time tight lines...FishinDan