Fishing with the Bolognese: technique, equipment, bait

Fishing with the Bolognese rod is probably the most popular technique ever practiced by Italian fishermen. It was born in the post-war period in Emilia-Romagna as an evolution of fishing with a fixed rod and, over time, it has spread to other regions, both in fresh water and at sea.
It is a particularly profitable technique, which offers the bait with maximum precision and demonstrates its versatility in various environments such as ports, cliffs, estuaries, running waters such as rivers or canals. Furthermore, it is a technique accessible to everyone, both for beginners and experts. We could therefore say that the Bolognese is a timeless technique, for all ages and its secret is precisely in being multifaceted.
Today we will deal in detail with fishing with the Bolognese in the sea, explaining in detail the technical aspects, the necessary equipment and the recommended baits.

How to fish with the Bolognese: the Technique

Fishing with the Bolognese is a fishing technique that involves the use of a float, a lead shot or torpedo and one or two hooks at most.
This is a definition that simplifies things as much as possible, but obviously there is still more to explain. Fishing with the Bolognese rod is also a technique that can be applied in calm and slightly rough seas.
It is not suitable for rough or very rough sea conditions, with atmospheric phenomena such as wind or storms (in these cases, spinning or surf casting are better).
Its peculiarity is in presenting a bait supported by a terminal, usually between 50 and 150 centimetres, and by a lead collected in a few centimetres of lead (torpille or narrow shoulder) or in wider spaces, up to 150 centimetres of line. The float, specific for fishing with the Bolognese rod, can have capacities that vary from 1 gram up to even 4/6 grams for the most demanding conditions. Usually, however, to fish in the sea with the Bolognese rod, floats between 1 and 3 grams are used.
The actual technique consists of casting, keeping the float slightly held and waiting for the bite. The hold, therefore, is the most important aspect of the Bolognese, because it is thanks to this that the fish becomes curious and finds motivation to bite.

Where to fish with the Bolognese

You can fish with the Bolognese both in the port, taking advantage of the convenience of these spots, both from the cliff and from the beach. Even the mouths of rivers are an excellent spot for fishing with this technique.

Equipment for fishing with the Bolognese

To fish with the Bolognese you need, in fact, to equip yourself with a "Bolognese" rod, also called a "passato" rod.
The Bolognese rod is nothing more than a telescopic rod made in standard sizes ranging from 5 to 8 meters, passing through intermediate sizes such as 6 and 7 meters. The structure of these rods is very similar to that of fixed rods, with a higher carbon content on the blank because it is subject to greater stress during casting and retrieval.


Each section has a ring, while on the top and under the top there are usually 1 or 2 rings at most beyond the apical one. In addition to the rod, the reel has two fundamental functions: to maintain a reserve of line and to be a useful tool during the fight. Bolognese reels have a size that varies from 1000 (for ultralight Bolognese) to 2500/3000 (standard Bolognese) and 4000 (medium-heavy Bolognese).
You will need to load the reel with a good 0.14/0.16, possibly specific for Bolognese or for techniques with a high recovery frequency.


Finally, as regards the construction of the line, you will need to purchase:

• drop and inverted pear floats
• lead shot split
• torpille
• swivels without snap hooks
• one or two spools of 0.14/0.12/0.10 terminals
• hooks of variable size between number 12 and 18

Bolognese baits

Fishing with the Bolognese rod in the sea allows the fisherman to choose the most suitable bait for his prey:

• omnivorous fish such as mullets prefer flake bread, cheese batters, maggots, fillet of sarda;
• sea bass love maggots, Korean worms baited with dangling bait, live shrimp;
• gilt-head breams prefer maggots or pellets;
• bogas or salemas are fond of shelled shrimp or prawn batters;