Float fishing survey

[First Bite]

Years ago when I started fishing for Steelhead and Salmon I used the conventional drift fishing techniques a majority of the time. Over the years I've since switched over to float fishing and have found my success ratio has increased dramatically. I still like to drift fish for Steelhead on occasion but I find myself looking forward to picking up my float rod. The first floats I used for Steelhead were the round corks with the orange pegs jammed into the top. I've tried several other floats including sliding and fixed floats and some of them worked okay while others worked marginal at best. For me I've found corks to work best for Steelhead. When I fish jigs, I like to have the most natural presentation possible. Corks allow me to mend my line without affecting the jig and also when I reach the end of my drift, I like to swing the jig through the tailout. Some Thill floats immediately submerge under water when you retrieve them. Corks have enough weight to cast long distances and for really low water conditions they don't spook the fish like some of the bright red floats do. Especially when you're retrieving the float.
When it comes to Salmon fishing I like a sliding Thill float. I'll use the large 6" balsa float with a 1 or 2-oz cannon ball lead weight. This way I can fish depths of 12 feet or deeper.
So to all you float fisherman out there, what is your choice of float and why?
Mark

www.firstcastjigs.com

[SteelieSteve]

When I started bobber & jig fishing I bought a couple of the yellow plastic floats. They cast nice with a casting reel but the action wasn't quite right, this was maybe 10 years ago. Now I use cork floats with jigs they don't cast quite as far but the presentation and action is better. Still use syrofoam floats for Salmon fishing, I like the added floatation when your using heavier weights. I'm far from a expert as I haven't had a bobber down when steelhead fishing yet. But then I'm kind of slow to put the drift rod away and go to bobbers as a last resort.

[smilesforu]

I prefer a float that sticks up higher from the water than the round cork ball. Balsa style floats with stems and the Canadian Style float for heavier fishing. Stems help tell the story of your gear below. I also use a castabubble in clear water conditions. Allows you to use the weight of water for easier casting. Would like a casta bubble with a stem!!

[Snagly]

I'm only a season and a bit into the float game so these are remarks aimed at other beginners. I use fixed floats > sliders (unless the water is real deep) as it's easier to swing them across the tailout without the float riding up the line.

I guess that's why I haven't given the Thills a fair trial: most of what I own are sliders, and the majority of the rest have those small rubber bands to run the line through and I'm often misplacing one of these. A pain. (I'd be interested to read how the new Thill "Steelheader" floats are fishing. Opened the season to rave reviews; since then nothing.)

The system that's working for me is to buy the small, skinny fixed foam "dink" floats in bulk. Take a dental rubber band and slide it on the float. Run the line through the holes in the float, but don't wrap the around the float. Instead, run the line under the rubber band. (I sometimes use two rubber bands if there's frequent slippage.) This secures the float without damaging your line, and has the advantage of not cutting the float in two if a big fella latches on.

I weight the float till only the paint and 1/2" is visible. I thumb the reel to point the float back towards me as I feed line and send it down the bubble line. This is not the most sensitive system -- balsa floats w/ stems must be the winners. Nor is it the best for a stealth situation, for that natural cork or a plastic water-filled casting bubble have to be the winners. But for ordinary flows in ordinary (even big)steelhead rivers, these small, skinny dinks work well and it doesn't matter much cost-wise if you lose a handful in a day, either.

However, Mark's sending me a cork float along with some of his handcrafted jigs so I'll be testing that out, too, this year: like the idea of extra casting weight.

[Fuzzybutt & Angel]

I have been float fishing for Steelhead and Salmon for quite a few years and have tried every concievable bobber method there is, and for this steelhead fisherman, there is only one float system that does all the things that are required for effectively presenting the jig.

I tried cork floats, with only marginal success, they do cast well, but land with a loud plop on the water, and I have seen fish bolt, after a cork has splashed down. they also are very poor for reading what your jig is doing. which is vital for this style of fishing, also light biting fish go undetected, because of the displacement,and weight of the cork.

the very best float system I have found is a pear shaped, turned balsa float, with a stem running through it, originaly designed to be a slider, I peg it with a toothpick, and slip a piece of surgical tubing, onto the lower stem, and insert a piece of pencil lead to balance the float, and add weight to cast, they are very sensitive, rigged in this manner, and even the slightest hesitation can be detected, the upper stem tells where and what the jig is doing.
they come with natural balsa coloring on the bottom half. and are inexpensive. less than 2 bucks for two. I use the 7/8th inch for low water, and summer runs, and the 1 inch dia. for heavier water, and winter fish.

there is a new float on the scene, and is under field testing at this time, and it combines all of the above attributes and looks like a winner, more on this style later.

Fuzzy


Silent Approach Jigs

[First Bite]

In the last five years I can count on one hand the number of Steelhead I've lost due to an undetected bite while using cork floats. That gives me about a 98% hook up ratio. I've watched many Steelhead take a jig and even the lightest biters will cause the cork to go under water. You have to balance the size of the cork to the jig you're fishing. RT, BigStew and others have switched over to corks when fishing for Steelhead and not a one of them has lost a fish due to an undetected bite. A 1 1/4" cork will disapear when a fish closes its mouth on the jig. I've watched it happen over and over again.
Mark

www.firstcastjigs.com

[Tanner]

How do you know that you have not lost any fish to an undetected bite? If the bite is undetectable then you would have no way of knowing. I have fished with corks and I think they suck. I have been using the new Thill steelhead bobbers and they are just what I have been looking for. Very sensitive due to their shape and they cast very well and land with very little surface disturbance.

Has anyone ever used the long thin (about 7" long, and 3/4" diameter) flotes that are popular in Canada? I've been told that they lay flat on the water until you get the slightest bite, then they tip up indicate the bite.
This sounds good at the bait shop, but dose it work?
Just wondering. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[scooby]

How would you actually be able to know and count your undetected bites? I am sure there are some that you " know " about via visual confirmation, but you cannot see all the fish that take your offering.

The round cork floats do work fine in some situations, but you cannot track your jig/or other offering with it as it does not tilt and therefore you cannot tell if your offering is going too fast too slow or just right. In my experience without the tracking you are not sure where your gear is during the drift.

You can adjust sized of dinks, or other cigar shaped floats ( they come in natural wood, cork and clear) to balance it with the offering you are using underneath and with these you can properly track you offering thereby fishing more effectively.

I track the action of my jig by watching the orange stopper on the top of the cork float. Everyone has their preferences and I'm sure they all work. If you don't know what depth the fish will likely be then it really doesn't matter does it? I think a cork float with some flourescent coloring on top would be a good inovation.
Stew

[First Bite]

I would call an undetected bite where the float twitches a couple of times and then nothing. I've had a few of these happen where I thought they were a trout and didn't set the hook. Then later I'd get a bobber down in the exact same spot and set the hook into a Steelhead. The way I took care of the problem was to use a smaller float. Like I said in a previous post, I've watched steelhead close their mouth on a jig and the float goes under water. You can't get any lighter takes then that. Any small float matched to the size of the jig and/or bait will go under with the slightest take.
Mark

[smilesforu]

For you round cork lovers....If you want to have a indicator stick use a round one like a corndog stick. Use that instead of the small short orange pin as the wedge. There are lots of different solutions to the float presentation. Most of it should be geared around what you are trying to do with the gear below. RT was up here on the Peninsula trying to use his style of float system and was struggling because of the size and speed of water we fish. He even resorted to using two floats to keep his bobber up. Balsa floats with the stick work great with jig or a light bait below. If you run drift gear below your float the Canadian style dink floats excel... Different floats for different situations. Did I mention I caught a springer today [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]....on drift gear and lost another. Interested in learning more about the new float improvement Fuzzy mentioned.
Anything will work if it floats in the right situation...we use to use red/white floats before the cork ones came out (20 yrs ago). Cork is nothing new... Cork use to be available in a teardrop also. Haven't seen any lately. My time will be spent casting balsa teardrops and canadian dink style until the gin clear summer time...
Tight Lines

[Osprey]

For pure stealth nothing beats a turbo master,we had an situation last summer where the float would just lay down [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]
now to make a turbo master just lay down thats a soft bite.
After several passes like this we decided to set the hook on this phenomenon....the results 4 fish in the next 5 casts [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

The tear drop Balsa's work well for most of my other needs,for fishing bait I'll sometimes use a Dink style also.

That little red stopper in a cork float works semi sorta OK if it's close to ya,but when it's 30 -40 yards down stream I can't see crap let alone some little stopper that far....hey maybe a little flag on top [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] ....Os

[Sand Shrimp]

When jig fishing for steelhead I've used the plastic floats with the stem in the middle that you can put water inside for extra weight.I know many people think these floats stink but when fishing larger rivers like the Sandy and the Clack you can add water to them to increase casting distance and also if the water flow is a little heavier the added weight slows down the drift of the float wich seems to help.I always use a fixed float when jig fishing and always paint the bottom of the bobber black for stealth.I have purchased some cork floats to try out but I normally only jig fish for summer stealhead and spring chinook so I haven't given them a good try yet.Try painting the top 1/4 of the bobber for better visibility if nedded.For salmon I use a slider and just yesterday I tried the West Coast Floats for the first time and I was very impressed with them. Before I've always used styrofoam floats and I bought a Thill float to try one time and after using it for 5 minutes 15lb line had put a notch in the tubing and my line started catching in it. [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] .Bobber Down !