Being able to cover ground or hold a bait static using a float is an underused boat fishing method; however, there are plenty of times when turning to a float is a great way to fish, as Tim Macpherson explains
Almost all of us have started out our fishing adventures float fishing. It is, for me, still one of my favourite ways of passing some fishing time. Being able to see the bite on the surface always makes the heart stop. Most sea fish feed on or near the bottom, which makes float fishing impossible on a lot of marks, but there are some scenarios where it will work better than any other method. From the rocks, or the end of a pier, float fishing is a very accepted technique to employ.
From a small boat or kayak it is not so widely practised, why is that? The same advantages are available in all situations, with the ability to impart natural movement to the bait and to cover ground at the natural speed of the tide or wind, or if the situation demands, to trot a bait down to a certain structure and then hold it there.
Mullet fishing in estuaries, pier fishing for mackerel and gar, rock fishing for wrasse, live-baiting for bass and chumming for sharks are some of the most commonly employed float fishing scenarios where I turn to the float.
The gear is always pretty similar even if the size of the tackle might vary a little. For gars, wrasse and pollack on the rocks I prefer to use sliding float with a bead and stop knot set at the correct depth – whether that is half depth for mackerel or hard on the bottom for wrasse. I’ll often use a swivel or even a split shot above the hook length to prevent the float sliding weight sliding down to the hook eye.
For live baiting for bass, anchoring the boat and trotting the float back down the tide onto the mark is effective… using a stop knot to set the depth. The weight is really to get the fish down near the bottom rather than for cocking the float. Float fishing for mullet is a very different game requiring freshwater gear and very small hooks. I’ve even used float fishing techniques afloat for catching black bream over shallow wrecks and rock marks.
VERSATILE RIGS
One angler I know about who has perfected float fishing is kayaker Paul Fennell. He has employed float fishing tactics from his kayak for a long time and he has perfected the way he rigs the float to overcome the pitfalls that he has encountered over the years. The current methodology means he can change float, weight and terminal rig to suit any depth or target species as the circumstances demand. This versatile and flexible approach has stood him in good stead with many notable captures to his rods of all kinds of species, not just the ones you might associate with float fish
