Proper Float Technique

[kingjames_2nd]

DP3200 said the following in a different thread:

Usually if you just cast down stream at a 45 degree angle and let it sweep across, it's the best way to work the water. I notice a lot of guys that are just starting out cast upstream and let it drift toward them. Don't do that.

 

I have read the same or similar advice before on other threads. I taught myself float fishing without any real help and have always cast up stream and let it drift down stream before reeling it in. I assumed this was the most efficient way to keep the bait in the water for the most amount of time.

 

My goal was always to get the bait into the water and then let it drift at the same rate as the water so it would look natural, and I assumed that if it was crossing at a 45 degree angle it would be moving faster than the rate of water and therefore look fake. Additionally it would not be drifting in the same direction or manner as the water making it look extra fake. For finicky rainbows or salmons i thought this was a big no-no?

 

What advantages does throwing it out and letting it drift across at a 45 degree angle have over throwing it upstream then letting it float down stream ? Or is this simply a courteousy technique for other fisherman at the same spot so you can all work the same water?

 

thanks,

 

James

[blakewalk]

I think he was getting at: if you cast upstream, you end up with alot of slack line unless you keep trimming it up and letting it out as it drifts. This makes setting the hook a real quick and tricky prospect; Ive lost a couple bows this way. I'm talking about flies here, not much into floats myself.

 

However, the 45* sweep keeps the line relatively taught, but does betray the natural presentation. I have found I maintain the most control by rolling it out at an angle, but timing the drift so that the fly crosses my target zone in a natural speed and direction. This means that the fly sweeps into position, then drifts past the target, whether it be a pool or riffle or quel qu'un chose, in such a way that I always have control over the line to some degree.

 

I would recommend experimenting with some drifting to see what feels right. Bows will definitely be wary of an supernatural olympic-swimmer fly and are most likely to take a normally drifting and helpless critter.

[kemper]

I think he was talking about flyfishin in that thread, which is a different animal than float fishing.

 

If you are float fishing, and fishing with a float reel you can actually get away with some amazing drifts by standing right at the head of a run and working the WHOLE drift (assuming you are alone) whereas a fisherman with a spinning reel has less ability to feed the line out and maintain a drift.

 

This is a tough question to answer until we know if you are using a float reel, a spinning reel or flyfishing

[MJL]

Usually if you just cast down stream at a 45 degree angle and let it sweep across, it's the best way to work the water. I notice a lot of guys that are just starting out cast upstream and let it drift toward them. Don't do that.

 

I would guess he was talking about fly fishing and 'swinging' for steelhead. 1/4 cast downstream on a fixed length of line and swing the fly across. Manipulate the depth you fish the fly by either leading the line with the rod (which will make the fly go deeper) or by holding back on the drift (which will cause the fly to rise in the water column). Finish up with the fly directly downstream from you and strip the fly a bit - often times steelhead will chase the fly right into shore on the dangle. Try casting out at progressively farther distances and then take a step downstream and repeat. This is my preferred method of fly fishing for steel because you can evoke a very aggressive response from fish. Not overly effective in super cold conditions where nymphing or dead drifting is probably a better technique to use - when it comes to these conditions I normally float fish.

 

For dead-drifting or nymphing, you could also cast downstream but most people cast upstream and drift the fly as naturally as they can back downstream. Although you might think of slack as something bad in river fishing, it can be beneficial in fly fishing to create a drag free drift in moving water. Currents will move fly line creating bows in the line (between you and the fly) which will cause the fly to race downstream faster than the speed of the current. By introducing slack into the line (via mending) you can prolong the length of the drift whereby your fly travels downstream without any drag or unnatural movements.

 

As far as float fishing goes, I always cast either directly across from me or slightly downstream - I use a centrepin which is easier for me to drift like this. If I'm going to get snagged up, it's going to be downstream of me and I stand a better chance of getting my rig back than if it were upstream of me. Sometimes going upstream to retrieve a snag is not possible.

[Paulus]

I agree that he's probably talking about fly fishing.

 

But that said, in reference to spin or centrepin fishing, I wouldn't say "never" cast upstream, but I would say that you can add it to your repertoire. Next time you're out, try casting up river the way you normally do, then on the next drift cast down river at a 45 degree angle more or less. Depending on the way the current is moving, your float may follow a different path in the stretch that your fishing. Although there are always exceptions, I generally find that upstream casts tend to drift in closer to me, while downstream casts are easier to keep adjacent to the opposite bank. To me, it seems reasonable to fish as many downstream lines as you can find in any given pool, seam, riffle, whatever. If you do it methodically, you'll get an occasional surprise: "holy frig! I would never have guessed that there was a fish there!"

 

Also, in general, water at the bottom of the river is moving more slowly than water at the surface. If you are just letting your rig dead drift in current, your float is probably ahead of your bait most of the time, so it pays to hold onto it a little (or "trot" your float), in order to let your bait catch up to and precede your float in the water column. This is why a lot of people use centrepins, since they allow you to control the float much more smoothly than with a spinning reel, presenting the bait or fly at a more even and thus more natural speed. This is especially effective in medium current... in slow water it doesn't really make all that much of a difference.

 

Another advantage of holding up on your float for a second or two is that it sometimes helps your bait get down faster. You can easily observe this in clear water conditions. I do this all the time when the spot I want my bait to get into is fairly small.

 

I hope this helps!

 

p.-

[danbo]

Trotting your float will cause you to miss many hits!

By the time the fish has mouthed your bait, your float has missed the action on a slack line.

Now you know why you find so many torn roe-bags that you never knew where crushed by a trout!

[BillM]

Trotting your float will cause you to miss many hits!

By the time the fish has mouthed your bait, your float has missed the action on a slack line.

Now you know why you find so many torn roe-bags that you never knew where crushed by a trout!

 

 

I thought trotting your float was the exact opposite of this. Keeping a bit of tension on the line and getting rid of the slack inbetween the rod and the float.

[MJL]

Trotting your float will cause you to miss many hits!

By the time the fish has mouthed your bait, your float has missed the action on a slack line.

Now you know why you find so many torn roe-bags that you never knew where crushed by a trout!

 

Can’t say I agree with that. Trotting or putting a slight brake on the reel will slow the float down. As Paulus mentioned, surface currents are faster than bottom currents. You can manipulate shotting patterns to overcome this but you could also trot the reel. Heavy trotting at the end of the drift will cause the bait to rise up in the water column (many fish find it irresistible and hit the bait on the rise). If anything, trotting also helps to REMOVE slack from the mainline where in many instances, the momentum of the reel turning is actually faster than the current pulling line off the reel – Hence slack is created.

 

Setting the hook to fast in any situation can cause a missed fish and a torn roe bag.

[danbo]

Wrong. If the fly is ahead of the float downstream, the fish can chew on it & you won't even know it's there..

[BillM]

Wrong. If the fly is ahead of the float downstream, the fish can chew on it & you won't even know it's there..

 

You could say the same thing with a improperly weighted float.

 

From what I've been told and read, the bait is supposed to be downstream from the float, not 5ft or horizontal, but definitely not below or behind it.

[danbo]

Edited January 12, 2009 by danbo

[danbo]

Both pix above illustrate what I'm saying. The float won't actually get pulled under until it has PAST the fish.

BUT..the fish has had time to chew & spit the bag already.

 

Also..slowing the float speed manually is called "Checking".

Edited January 12, 2009 by danbo

[danbo]

This is like a Physics test..lol.

Obviously, if the float is already downstream of your hook, the bite will be instantly apparent.

So, that means we should use the minimum amount of weight to sink the bait down to the fish.

The float should basically drag the bait along behind it.

Edited January 12, 2009 by danbo

[solopaddler]

This is like a Physics test..lol.

Obviously, if the float is already downstream of your hook, the bite will be instantly apparent.

So, that means we should use the minimum amount of weight to sink the bait down to the fish.

The float should basically drag the bait along behind it.

 

 

Danbo, sorry bud, but you're wrong on so many levels I felt compelled to reply.

 

You never want your float ahead of your bait dragging it along behind it. This will cause your bait to drift faster than the currents speed.

 

Slowing down or "trotting" your float will not cause missed strikes. In fact the opposite is true LOL!

 

Having said that I rarely trot my float. Dead drift for me 90% of the time.

[MJL]

This is like a Physics test..lol.

Obviously, if the float is already downstream of your hook, the bite will be instantly apparent.

So, that means we should use the minimum amount of weight to sink the bait down to the fish.

The float should basically drag the bait along behind it.

 

This illustrates exactly the reason for trotting. The fact that your float is a head of the bait indicates that there is a difference between the speed of the surface currents and the bottom currents.

 

If you have the float proceeding the bait, because of the variance between surface currents you are inevitably drifting the bait faster than the speed of the bottom current (where steelhead usually rest and feed) - Hence you are drifting your bait unnaturally downstream. In situations where there is a great difference between the speed of the surface currents and the bottom current, your bait may actually lift out of the ‘zone’ when it’s being ‘taken along for the ride’.

 

In shallower runs and riffles, you may also spook fish with the float + shots + swivels + line. I’d rather the fish sees the bait before any of the terminal tackle.

[danbo]

It works for me..

[solopaddler]

It works for me..

 

A true testament to how easy these fish really are to catch, especially with a float or as I like to call it THE GREAT EQUALIZER.

[River Rat]

Danbo, if it works for you then nuff said but, I would pretty much guarantee that you will hook more fish if you know how to place shot to match flow and trot your presentation under the proper conditions.....you should never drag a presentation....the fish will see or feel the line, swivel, shot etc. before it has a chance to see or smell the bait.

 

I run dead drift in many situations like frog water or moderate flow, but in a good riffle trotting is the best way to present the bait. Bar none, the most violent arm breaking stikes I have ever had while float fishing happenened when I was trotting fast water. .......come to think of it, the fish in my profile pic came at the end of a long deep fast flow in gin clear water, I was running a 16gram slipper in a 10ft fast run. Heavy shot to get it down and close to the tail out I start to trot hard....float is almost stopped as the bait is now coming up with the river bottom to the end of the drift.....I'm out over 120ft for sure now, .......wait for it....BLAMO, out she came like a bolt of lightening. Felt like it pulled my arm out of the socket......Hard lean back (yes, upper pressure in this case) to keep her from cresting the run to the rapids below.

 

Little hint, in the situations where trotting is most effective...you can afford to up-size your hook / leader and you will miss less fish for sure.

See you out there bro.

 

River Rat

[jonnybass]

Danbo, if it works for you then nuff said but, I would pretty much guarantee that you will hook more fish if you know how to place shot to match flow and trot your presentation under the proper conditions.....you should never drag a presentation....the fish will see or feel the line, swivel, shot etc. before it has a chance to see or smell the bait.

 

I run dead drift in many situations like frog water or moderate flow, but in a good riffle trotting is the best way to present the bait. Bar none, the most violent arm breaking stikes I have ever had while float fishing happenened when I was trotting fast water. .......come to think of it, the fish in my profile pic came at the end of a long deep fast flow in gin clear water, I was running a 16gram slipper in a 10ft fast run. Heavy shot to get it down and close to the tail out I start to trot hard....float is almost stopped as the bait is now coming up with the river bottom to the end of the drift.....I'm out over 120ft for sure now, .......wait for it....BLAMO, out she came like a bolt of lightening. Felt like it pulled my arm out of the socket......Hard lean back (yes, upper pressure in this case) to keep her from cresting the run to the rapids below.

 

Little hint, in the situations where trotting is most effective...you can afford to up-size your hook / leader and you will miss less fish for sure.

See you out there bro.

 

River Rat

 

So you joined the board just to correct someone who said that it works for him? lol

 

welcome to OFC!

[River Rat]

Actually, I joined cause I ran into a really nice guy on the river a couple weeks ago named Bill who told be about this site....I recognise a a bunch of the guys on here too including Danbo. No offence to Danbo intended obvoiusly.....like solo paddler, I just had to respond.

 

Cheers

 

Rive Rat

[jonnybass]

Ah OK. Gotcha now. Didn't know you and danbo were buddies.