Why float fish?

[tommo666]

I started fishing at a young age and had no one to teach me. Also gave up at a young age. Have now taken up fishing again. A question still remains with me, why fish with a float?

Fish with a float, plumb the depth, aim to get bait on the botom. A ledger does this automatically. Feed your swim, catapult or bung big balls of ground bait in, feeders do this and do it around your hook bait.

Float trots down river, hits a snag, float under false bite.

I'm sure I'm missing out here, I can see the advantage of floating a bait mid swim or even on surface, but then I could freeline the bait.

As for bite indication, I well trust my quiver tip to give me plenty of indication.

Does anyone else just ledger in preference to float fishing? Probably because I had no one to teach me the art of float fishing at a young age, it just seems like a dark art to me

[Norfolkdan]

Nothing like seeing the float slide away...

[Guest rabbit]

Tommo

I know where you are coming from re getting the bait down th where the fish are feeding,and a ledger does that well. But for sheer angling pleasure, a trotted stick float, on river takes some beating, Or Tench fishing early morning with a float is fintastic mate!!

I quiver tip 99% of the time on rivers, and I feel guilty for neglecting the float, I will put that right this weekend, thanks for reminder. By the way give it a go you'll love it.

[Chris Plumb]

Ooooh no!! As Sheringham said "A float is pleasing in appearance - and in it's disappearnace"! I would much rather work a river with trotting gear - you're constantly exploring new lines - working the float here and there - holding back to rise the bait up in the water, changing depts etc. Difference between 'hunting' and 'trapping'!

 

You quickly learn to spot what's bite and what's bottom. And you couldn't (very easily) freeline a bait beneath the surface at 40m and have very good bite detection.

 

For me float fishing is just way more fun!

 

 

C.

[John Weddup]

sometimes the fish won't take a static bait in a river they want it moving at same speed as the water they are in. And thats not necassarily the speed on surface.

 

john

[Andy Macfarlane]

Fish sit in run....water travel through run....food fall into run....fish eat food in run....put float in run....bait move in run....fish see bait move in run....fish eat bait....float go away....chap silly fish on head.

 

From *The Art Of Fyshing Wythout One's Permyt* by Andy Macfarlane

[DonRamos]

I almost think the other way to you tommo.

 

I would much rather float fish than leger, and only leger if circumstances dictate that it is the only method to use.

 

Float fishing is fantastic. You can catch fish on the drop, alter your shotting pattern to try to eek out some bigger specimens, use the lift method (deadly for tench, and extremely exciting) and rather than stareing at a rod tip, you are looking out towards the water seeing what is going on and enjoying the views of your swim.

 

Legering obviously has its place, and to be honest most of my bigger fish have been caught legering, but I would still fish the float any day of the week.

 

Just wathching that orange tip twitch and then dip under the water is one of the best sites a man can ever hope for.

[gary lee]

Enjoyment in one word.

I find myself more and more fishing with a waggler or when possible (lack of flow) the stick.

Also the float on running line (rod and reel) is a very adaptable method.

[Guest tigger]

In a lot of places you can't ledger because of the bottom being too rocky or full of weed.All you would do is loose a lot of tackle.With a float you can choose your depth.

Tigger.

[Peter Waller]

Ledgering is for lazy anglers !

 

Float fishing is to angling as a tealeaf is to a cup of tea. Deep eh?