Float Fishing

[Ped]

Guys

Not having Course fished for many years and not having float fished in the sea could anyone advise on the best set up for a float rig from a Yak?.

It obviously needs to be flexible enough to be set at a couple of feet up to maybe, I don't know 30/40 feet!. Where do the weights and stop knots go? how is the one above the float set up so that it can go thru the rod rings without getting stuck?, and if you want to fish at 30 feet how do you set the stop knot. Would you use a plummet?

 

What are your setups?

 

All info gratefully accepted

 

Cheers

Ped

[s2vto]

Darnsarf is the top man when it comes to float fishing

[gilbo]

This is my set up and follow the below:

 

Slide up the reel linethe follwing:

 

bead

Float (must be the type which is sliding)

bead

Drilld bullet weight to suit float

bead

 

Then tie on a smal swivel

 

From here tie on a 3 ft trace of lighter line say 3 or 4 lb lighter than main line.

 

Slide up attractor bead or sequin if desired.

 

Tie on a hook to suit.

 

This is the basic set up.

 

Above everything on the main line you need to form a small stop knot using a 3" piece of power gum. pull this tight and trim the ends. This will pass through the rod rings easily and is better than rubber bands and cheaper than other rig stops.

 

Decide the depth and slide the stop knot up and down the line. You can easily set it to 30 or 40 ft. Let out line to find the depth and adjust the stop knot as you do. you can fish it right down to the bottom.

 

Hope this helps.

 

[gilbo]

[Ped]

Many thanks Gilbo

Presumably you add more weight below the swivel to get the bait down

to where it's needed or do you rely on it to drift more naturally down without it ?, which won't work if there's a bit of current !

 

Ped

[Ped]

Well duh...!

 

I'm standing in the shower thinking about what I have just written and it dawns on me!...

the weight drops with the swivel so the issue of the additional weight may be irrelevant depending

on the length of the trace below the swivel...isn't gravity marvellous

 

Mind you I still ask the question, if the trace is a few feet long do you add more weight?

 

Ped

[gilbo]

Dont worry about it - the three foot trace allows the bait some natural movement. I sometimes use a couple of lumi beads above the hook and a bait stop and even a silver sequin or two.

 

I always carry a few split shot that allow a bit of weight and means you can sink the float to a very balanced and exact degree. Try a piece of elastic band a couple of feet above the weight. This stops some tangling and when cast bounces the float back up the line. It amazing how effective this can be!

 

This will get you into mackerel, pollock, wrasse and bass. If you are able to target garfish then a self weighted float and a much shorter length will do as they feed high in the water.

 

Edited April 1, 2007 by gilbo

[darnsarf]

HI Ped

 

Can't really go wrong with the sliding rig that Gilbo described so well. The only thing to that I change are the beads below the float. I tend to use rubber beads (Carp) to help protect the swivel knot and line. I also now use longer hook lengths up to 4ft-6ft useing flouro. This gives a really natural presentation. For certain fish and conditions I will actually use a heavier hook length than main line. Rocks, Conger, Tope, Huss etc. If it breaks you always recover the float anyway. Mainline is usually 8-15lb but at the moment I am trialing 25lb braid with mixed results. Rods are 6-12lb or a 18g spinning rod for the centrepin. That is fun.

 

Deepest I have succesfully fished in is 60ft, worse conditions is about a 3-4ft swell. Sea float fishing is widely regarded as a summer method but I have proved to myself that it can be used all year to catch just about all species. I have been using more and more Pike tactics such as float ledgering to get those bottom species and intend to try pop up baits this year. The good thing is that float fishing conditions and kayak fishing conditions are the same.

 

Highlight to date was watching a conger steel a sandeel bait at night. The light stick just dived under water and slowly headed off into the night. Unfortunately with just a 12lb hook length once it realised it was hooked it just bit me off. This was closely followed by a suspected Tope take at Towyn last year. Great fun and definately underated method I don't think anybody realy knows the limitations of sea float fishing. Depth is probably one but I know that I could go deeper with a slack tide and braid. Give it a go, definately at night and you wont regret it.

[Ped]

Thanks Guys, that clarifies.

 

Ped