TBC Floating Bait Balls have been the pinnacle of our success since the start of our company. The soft yet durable nature of the bait balls allows for repeated use and incredible hold to the hook. All while delivering potent, in-house made scents that attract fish and drive them to feeding frenzies.
Currently available in 5 colors and 3 scents, these bait balls are tailored to catching trout no matter where you choose to drop them in. One of the key components to their major success is scent and when it’s applied.
During the manufacturing process we add large amounts of scent during the cooking, ensuring that it’s locked into the bait. After coming out of the molds, baits are hot and have a beautiful sheen of scent coating. This is generally where most manufacturers stop, bag their bait, and head for the market; but we like to take things a step further.
Curing is a very important process in soft plastic manufacturing, and baits generally lose a bit of moisture and scent during. That’s why after the curing process we reintroduce our scent back to the baits, for either short storage or immediately for shipping. It’s incredible how much more scent baits absorb even after the curing process! So don’t be alarmed if you purchase multiple jars and notice one has more scent than the other, they received the same amount of scent. It’s likely that one jar lost more moisture content than the other during curing, therefore absorbing more scent within the jar.
Now that we’ve covered how they were made, let’s talk rigging. These amazingly versatile baits can be fished several ways, but were going to cover the most common methods, Bottom Fishing, Tipper for Trolling, Drift Fishing.
Bottom Fishing: A true PNW Classic for catching stocker trout. This rig is basic and simple enough for most beginner anglers to craft easily at their favorite fishing hole, with a little practice, of course. Terminal tackle depends on the rod you’re using and the size of fish you’re chasing, but for average size stocker trout, here’s my go-to:
- Main Line – 12lb Big Game Mono
- Weight – 3/8oz. or 1/4oz Egg Sinker (3/8 for a little more distance)
- Swivel – Barrel Swivel between sizes #8 and #6
- Leader Line – 6lb Fluro Clear
- Hook – Eagle Claw Lazer Hooks or Baitholder Hooks between sizes #10 and #6
When using this set up, the idea is to get to the fish holding at the bottom or holding off an underwater shelf. Your leader line is going to dictate how high your bait will suspend. Multiple factors are going to be at play when choosing the length of your leader, including lake bottom foliage, rock structures, and water temp. It’s best to use technology to your advantage, if available, but if not, I like to use a 2-3 ft leader as a starting point. If 2 pole fishing is allowed, try setting two different lengths of leader on each pole, monitor how far off the bottom your fish are, and adjust accordingly.
Tipper for Trolling: Another extremely popular way our Floating Bait Balls are fished is being used as a tipper on trolling rigs or casting lures. A rather simple method of using our bait, the intermediate challenge comes from the style of fishing itself, trolling. While there are endless ways and lures to troll, we are going to focus specifically on how to rig our bait to your trolling set up.
Keeping the natural presentation of the lure or rig you’re using is a high priority when adding bait to your set-up. Adding too much bait or at the incorrect areas could impact the motion and effectiveness of your lure. When using a single hook rig, be sure to place the bait ball up on the shaft of the hook, to help eliminate excess drag causing additional unwanted twisting. Ideally, using a tandem rig would be the better bet for trolling a tipper, in my opinion. Not only do you have the option of adding your favorite bait to either the lead or trailer hook, but you also have the option to thread worms. This extremely effective way of trolling is a known killer of many trout and kokanee alike. Taking a nightcrawler or large redworm, thread the body through the trailer hook and up the leader line to the first hook. Then secure the threaded worm to the first hook and give it a troll.
Drift Fishing: More common in areas like Eastern Washington, this method is still very effective for catching with Floating Bait Balls. Essentially the same style of rigging as you would use for Bottom Fishing, except change out that egg sinker for a drift bobber. Being that our Floating Bait Balls were designed with the bank fisher in mind, we measured for 2 individual bait balls to suspend a #6 hook and leader. Using the same size hook and a singular bait ball you will achieve near neutral buoyancy. A very small split shot placed on your leader can fine tune your buoyancy as well, if you desire a heavier presentation.
Now that you know the basics, get yourself a couple of jars and enjoy some fishing!