Crazy idea- bobber fishing for rockfish

The thought hit me that I've never heard of anyone fishing shallow reefs and banks for rockfish using bobbers and bait. Yes I do know that live bait is banned in some places on our coasts.

I know balloons are used in some places on the ocean, but I've never read of, or heard of, anyone using a large waggler or pole type float to do the same thing.

Anyone ever try it?

I have done this with good success fishing from jetties. I rigged it basically the same as bobber fishing for salmon. No reason it wouldn't work.

Put a herring on a mooching rig under a bobber and catch a ling cod. I've done it.

I've done it as well for rockfish with a hair jig, worked well enough but I got bored rather quickly. I do love the sight of a bobber down though.

Thanks guys. Suspected its doable, and been done before.

Put a herring on a mooching rig under a bobber and catch a ling cod. I've done it.

That was another idea ....what's the deepest you've set your depth?

Put a herring on a mooching rig under a bobber and catch a ling cod. I've done it.

That was another idea ....what's the deepest you've set your depth?

I have set the bobber stop at 15' but I had a good idea how deep it was. I have also hung up and lost gear doing that. I have fished off the jetty at Port Orford and elsewhere around north Curry County with rocky shoreline.

Put a herring on a mooching rig under a bobber and catch a ling cod. I've done it.

That was another idea ....what's the deepest you've set your depth?

A rig like that worked for me on Halibut at 75'.

Put a herring on a mooching rig under a bobber and catch a ling cod. I've done it.

That was another idea ....what's the deepest you've set your depth?

A rig like that worked for me on Halibut at 75'.

As a matter of fact, when we went halibut fishing at Homer a couple of years ago, the captain deployed one rig on a float way in back of the boat. The "bobber" was a crab buoy, though, and the water was about 80' deep.

A popular way to catch lingcod from jetties is to rig a live kelp greenling under a large styrofoam slip bobber, and drift it along the jetty rocks. I did it a few times and it works. If you don't have a live greenling, dead bait like herring or a whole squid can also work. I think the deepest I ever set the bobber stop was ten feet, given the best fishing was tight against the jetty rocks. Downsize the bait to something such as an anchovy, and you'll catch rockfish with the same rig.

Haven't done it in years though, as fishing vertically from a kayak is plenty productive  .

When fishing with a bobber, how can the line below the bobber be more than a few feet longer than your rod? If you catch a fish, Would you need to remove the bobber while playing in the fish so you can get the fish up to your kayak?

When fishing with a bobber, how can the line below the bobber be more than a few feet longer than your rod? If you catch a fish, Would you need to remove the bobber while playing in the fish so you can get the fish up to your kayak?

I think we are talking slip bobbers with a bobber stop.

I think we are talking slip bobbers with a bobber stop.

 

Pete,
Try it for Lakers, it works.

Put a herring on a mooching rig under a bobber and catch a ling cod. I've done it.

That was another idea ....what's the deepest you've set your depth?

A rig like that worked for me on Halibut at 75'.

As a matter of fact, when we went halibut fishing at Homer a couple of years ago, the captain deployed one rig on a float way in back of the boat. The "bobber" was a crab buoy, though, and the water was about 80' deep.

That's actually funny in a,way.

When fishing with a bobber, how can the line below the bobber be more than a few feet longer than your rod? If you catch a fish, Would you need to remove the bobber while playing in the fish so you can get the fish up to your kayak?

I think we are talking slip bobbers with a bobber stop.

That's my general thoughts on rigging it too. Slip would be best.

Pete, bobber stop and bead goes above the float . Unless you're using a small, low profile bait caster, or a level wind with a small diameter line guide,  the rubber ones seem to work best, and you can wind them onto the spool. And, sorry, didn't mean to over explain it.

Damn, now I gotta go back and re rig two rods.

And, guys, thanks for the advice and support.