Fishing with floats is a blast!

Float fishing is one of the most entertaining ways to catch fish. There is nothing better than watching a float move around and then go under….you know you’re into a fish. 

The feeling is great.

The reason float fishing is so popular in Asia, Europe and other parts of the world is because it’s so effective….and so much fun!

No more expensive gear

Dedicated float anglers spend quite a bit of money on gear and the best outfits can set you back hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars. This kind of quality gear really does the job. It lets you know the minute a fish touches your bait. The only thing that gets hard is attracting the fish to your bait….you need berley for this.

The usual way to get berley into your target zone when you float fish is to throw it… but this can be challenging if the fish are further out than you can throw.

The other challenge is setting your float at the right depth with the right weight to hold it in place but not sink it.  Even seasoned float anglers can take quite a bit of time to get all this right…..

But wait….

….The good news is there is a fishing hack that makes the whole process pretty simple.

The easiest float to use

A company in the UK, and probably other tackle companies, have built a float that sets itself up at the right water depth. You don’t have to do anything. Not only that but it can also be used with a berley cage and berley.

You get the best of both worlds- a great bite indicator and berley placed right next to your bait.

Standard float rigs

The great thing about properly set up floats is that they offer no resistance to the fish. The fish pick up the bait,  swallow, then move off without knowing they have a hook in their mouth.

The floats I have used are called Polaris floats. They have a special rounded tube at their base that you thread your line though. The float moves freely up and down your line until you apply tension by winding in a bit….then it’s locked in place.

Standard float rods are usually quite long. The shortest one I own is 3.6metres long and I have another that is 5 metres long. They’re long so you can have plenty of distance between the hook and the float.

The float is fixed in place and doesn’t move on the line.

So why do float rods need to be so long?

If you fish water that is 3 metres deep you need 3 meters distance between the float and the hook…because you fish on the bottom.

So the deeper the water the longer the rod that’s needed….

…unless you use a Polaris float. This changes the whole situation.

Self locking float

The Polaris float can be fished with a short rod because the float moves up and down the line until tension is applied. You just thread the float on the line, attach your berley cage, put on a line stop and then your hook ….now you’re ready to go.

How it works

All you do is cast in to your target area. Wait for the Berley cage to hit the bottom the let the line go slack. This allows the float to move up the line to the surface.

Once the float is lying on the surface of the water you tighten the line. This will sit the float upright and slowly start to sink it. When it gets to the point where just the tip is showing above the surface of the water you stop winding….and you’re set.

The berley will attract the fish and the moment they pick up your bait the float will move.

Even the tiniest bite or nudge will sink or raise your float …it’s the best indicator of all…
…and there’s nothing like the excitement or anticipation as you watch your float move and prepare to strike into a fish…
….now that’s fishin’!

Simple process

So the process is real easy….put berley in your berley cage, cast out to a target area and let the float sink. Keep the line slack and let the float rise up and lie on the surface. Reel in slowly so the float starts to sink and stop when the top of the float is easy to see.

Simple!

Every 10 minutes or so reel in, fill your berley cage and cast out again…
…and when those fish start to bite  – you’ll be the first to know!