A lot of modern fishing presentations are so complicated, mastering them can be like trying to tie your shoe laces with one hand. Fishing with slip floats is one of the few presentations that is easy to learn and productive on a wide variety of species. With just slight modifications to tackle and bait, slip floats can be used to catch everything from bluegills to steelhead. What other fishing technique can make that claim?
Floats are also a fishing strategy that can be productive at any time of year and in a wide variety of water depths. Beyond these important virtues, it's the sight of a float plunging under the surface that anglers young and old readily identify with. It's hard to improve on this grass roots approach to detecting strikes.
THE ULTIMATE LIVE BAIT PRESENTATION
Slip floats are considered by many to be the ultimate live bait presentation. Worms, minnows and leeches are just the beginning when it comes to live bait options. Floats can also be used to fish crayfish, live grubs, crickets, frogs, spawn sacs and just about anything else that squirms or wiggles on a hook.
UNDERSTANDING SLIP FLOATS
Traditional clip on style floats work well for fishing shallow water, but trying to cast with more than about three feet of line dangling below the float is difficult and dangerous. Slip floats are the obvious choice.
Slip floats slide up and down on the line and the depth is adjusted with a small device (usually called a bobber stop) that's threaded onto the line. The stop is small enough to reel right through the guides and onto the reel spool. Meanwhile the float slips down the line to the terminal end. With the float positioned at the terminal end, casting is easy no matter what depth the stop is set to fish.
When the float is casted and hits the water, the bait starts to sink pulling line through the float. Eventually the stop reaches the float, causing it to stand up and effectively setting the fishing depth. A little weight at the terminal end is required to pull the line through the float and make the system work efficiently.
BOBBER STOPS
Three popular types of bobber stops are used for fishing floats. One type is a length of dacron line wrapped around a small tube. The line is threaded through the tube and the braided line slipped off the tube and tightened onto the fishing line to form a small knot. The tag ends are trimmed and this knot can then be slid up and down the line as necessary to adjust the depth.
The second stop type is a small piece of plastic with holes punched in it. The line is threaded through the holes so the plastic stop can be slid up and down the line and stay in position. This style of stop is a little larger and sometimes catches in rod guides and on the reel spool.
The third style of bobber stop is a small piece of rubber that the fishing line is threaded through. Different size rubber stops are required for different line diameters. Rubber stops work well except that after being slid up and down the line a few times they start to loose their grip. Of the three popular stop types, the knot style is the most fool proof and functional.
FLOAT TYPES
Slip floats are made from hard plastic, foam and balsa wood. All are functional, but some perform a little better than others. Foam floats are the least expensive, but they are also the most easily damaged. Because foam is light they also do not cast as far as hard plastic or balsa wood floats.
Hard plastic floats cast well and unless they are abused hold up pretty well to frequent use. Because the plastic is hard, they are brittle and can be broken easily if stepped on or casted against a rock or other hard object.
Balsa wood floats are the most expensive, but also the most durable and functional. They are naturally buoyant, durable and heavy enough to cast very well even in windy conditions. While balsa floats are more expensive than plastic or foam, the cost is not prohibitive.
Some slip floats are equipped with a weight on the stem to make them easier to cast. Most serious float fishermen prefer unweighted floats. An unweighted float has the advantage of being able to detect subtle strikes. Say for example a fish picks up the bait and swims upwards in the water column. A weighted float won't move, but an unweighted float will tip in the water indicating the strike.
TERMINAL GEAR OPTIONS
The ways to rig a slip float are almost as numerous as the species of fish that can be caught with them. When fishing for walleye, bass, crappie or perch that feed on small minnows using an ordinary leadhead jig at the terminal end works well. The jig provides enough weight to stand up the float and also when the minnow is hooked through the lips the bait is in a natural horizontal position. A 1/32, 1/16 or 1/8 ounce jig is ideal for this chore.
Certain baits like leeches or nightcrawlers that have a subtle swimming action require a different approach. Leeches and crawlers enjoy the most action when a small and lightweight wire hook is used. A No. 6 Kahle style hook works great for targeting walleye, bass or trout. For smaller panfish a No. 8 Aberdeen or Kahle hook works good.
When fishing with these ultra light hooks a small split shot must be added to the line to keep the float positioned upright in the water. The secret is to use just enough weight to keep the float vertical.
For toothy fish like pike or musky a slightly different slip float rig is called for. The float itself must be larger to support the larger minnows typically used. At the terminal end a No. 4 or 6 treble hook tied to a short length of 15 pound test fluorocarbon line serves several purposes. The fluorocarbon line is tough enough to prevent most bite offs, yet clear in the water and difficult for the fish to spot.
The treble hook is placed just under the skin of the dorsal fin so the minnow is suspended naturally in the water. A small split shot is added just above the bait to keep the minnow at the desired depth and the float upright.
Steelhead and salmon fishing with floats takes yet another road. Instead of tying the hook directly to the main line, a small barrel swivel is added between the main line and the leader. A 12 inch leader of fluorocarbon line is tied to the swivel and then to a No. 4 or 2 beak style hook. When tying the leader to the swivel, leave a little tag of line to attach the split shot. This trick prevents the shot from weakening the main line. This trout and salmon rig works well with live crawlers, spawn sacs, cut skein or yarn flies.
ROD/LINE CONSIDERATIONS
Slip float fishing must be conducted from an anchored boat or shore position. For this reason casting distance is of critical importance. Spinning tackle is the overwhelming choice of serious float fishermen.
A six and a half foot medium/light action spinning outfit is about the minimum length for panfishing. A seven foot rod is a good compromise for panfish and walleye. Longer 8 to 10 foot rods are even more efficient for casting greater distances or when targeting bigger fish like pike or steelhead.
For panfish and trout select monofilament lines ranging from 4 to 6 pound test. Walleye and steelhead fishing calls for 6 or 8 pound test monofilament. When targeting bass, pike or salmon 10 to 12 pound test line is ideal.
SUMMING IT UP
Float fishing ranks as one of the most efficient ways to present live bait and when rigged properly just about everything with fins can be targeted. Float fishing has a universal appeal to anglers young and old. You're never too old to enjoy the sight of a float dancing on the surface.
A lot of modern fishing presentations are so complicated, mastering them can be like trying to tie your shoe laces with one hand. Fishing with slip floats is one of the few presentations that is easy to learn and productive on a wide variety of species. With just slight modifications to tackle and bait, slip floats can be used to catch everything from bluegills to steelhead. What other fishing technique can make that claim?
Hard plastic floats cast well and unless they are abused hold up pretty well to frequent use. Because the plastic is hard, they are brittle and can be broken easily if stepped on or casted against a rock or other hard object.
