Float Fishing

Hope this is usefull to beginers?

What is float fishing ?

Float fishing is where you use a floating indicator to help catch fish. This indicator is called a float. Floats have a bright tip that allows you to see it easily. The float is attached to your fishing line. It acts as a visual indicator between your rod and hook bait. When a fish picks up your hook and swims away, the float is pulled beneath the water. When you see the float disappear, you know that you have a fish.

You can use floats to fish the whole depth of the water. i.e.; From the surface right down to the bottom. This lets you put your hook bait right where the fish are. Professional Match fishermen like Bob Nudd are able to keep catching fish, even when the fish have moved up or down in the water.

Floats come in different shapes and sizes. Choosing the right float depends on the type of fishing you want to do. You can use floats on many different types of venues. i.e. From deep or shallow lakes, to fast or slow rivers.

What are floats ?

The three main types of floats are:

The waggler:

• The insert waggler
  The bodied waggler
  The sliding waggler
  The stepped waggler
  The crystal waggler
  The self depth adjusting waggler

The stick float:

• The quill float
  The standard stick float

The pole float:

• Pear shaped - body up pole float
  Pear shaped - body down pole float
  Cane stem floats
  Wire stem floats
  Carbon fiber stem floats
  Continental varieties ( top quality )
  Lake / still water pole floats
  River / fast water pole floats
  The dibber

These three types of floats are used for different techniques and venues.

The waggler
The waggler is a float that is attached to the line at the bottom of the float. Depending on the situation, a waggler can be locked in one spot, or left free to slide up and down the line. The waggler floats can be used for almost all forms of fishing. The different varieties can be used from fast to slow, to deep, to shallow venues. It is by far the most diverse float design.

The stick float
The stick float is designed for river fishing. They are attached length ways along the line, with the bottom facing the hook end. Two or three small silicone rubber bands are used to slide over both the line and float, and are placed at the top and bottom of the float. This holds the float in place, but allows you to easily adjust the float position along the line.

Stick floats are fished down stream of where you are river fishing. The stick floats have a slim design, that allows it to lay down in the current. This lets you maintain control over the float and more importantly, your hook bait.

The pole float
The pole float is used for float fishing with a pole. A float is attached to a piece of fishing line, that is attached to the end of the pole. Pole floats are very small and do not require much weight. This is because they are physically pushed out by the sheer length of the pole. As a result, you are able to make your rigs ultra sensitive. Pole floats range from many shapes and sizes, allowing you to fish most venue types.

How does a float work ?
A float is a buoyant mass. i.e.; this means that it floats in water.
To use a float for fishing, it needs to be weighed down. This is done by squeezing small pieces of lead shot onto the fishing line between the float and the hook.

When a fish picks up the hook bait, the float moves. It is this movement that indicates what is going on below.


The most common types of movement are mentioned below:

The rising float tip
The rising float tip happens when a fish has taken your hook bait and is either holding the line up, or that the fish is swimming towards you. When a fish does this, it usually means that the fish has lifted the bait but has not yet swallowed it. I have found that you shouldn't strike until the float has disappeared under the water.

The side to side wobble
The side to side wobble is when a fish is moving with the bait in its mouth OR that fish are bumping into the line.

The slide away
The slide away is when a fish has picked up the hook bait and is moving off in one direction. The float will steadily slide beneath the surface. I have found that you should strike only when the float has disappeared.

The diving float
The diving float is where the float tip simply dives beneath the surface of the water. This can be caused by the fish swimming off, or by the fish picking up the bait and the setting shot. When the shot has been lifted off the bottom, its weight is added to the total shot weight. If this extra weight is more than the total buoyancy of the float, then it will sink. This technique is an excellent way to see if a fish is playing up your bait.

Correctly setting the float up
Floats require a certain amount of weight to set the float in the water. This is called the 'total shotting capacity'. Various forms of lead split shot are used to weigh the float down. This shot is pinched onto your fishing line.

There are many different types of lead weights. 'Styles' are an alternative weight to lead shot. These are very small cylindrical lead weights, with a slot cut down it's length. They are used mainly for pole fishing, because they allow you to spread the weight evenly down the line. This lets the bait slowly fall through the water. One problem with them is that they tend to tangle the line.

I do not recommend using these for float fishing with a rod.


!!! Tip:

The rule of thumb when attaching shot, is that you should place 2/3 of the total shotting capacity immediately beneath the float. The rest of the shot can either be spread evenly down the line, or bulked together. It is important to remember that you should try to place the remaining shot nearer the hook than the float itself. If you don't, you might get tangled up when you try to cast.

Floats can be fished fixed in one place on your line, or as a sliding float. If the swim you are fishing is shallower than your rod then you should fish with a float that is fixed in one place. If the swim is deeper than your rod, use a sliding float.