Sea Fishing With Floats

Hi ALL,

I was wondering, what is the advantage to Float Fishing in the sea ?
I have seen many people localy doing it.

Is this way of fishing producing more bites ?
and is it any eaiser for kids to start with ?


Steve

its an easy way for kids to fish as the bites are eaiser for them to spot and it a more exciting way of fishing (holds their attention longer) and if you use a sliding float set up you can find the fish quicker. I use a float when fishing over very rough ground or at rock marks to save losing tackle and you can use lighter gear and have more fun. Hope this helps

I know that in fenit that it can produce more mackeral than feathers or spinning as you can put movement into the bait to induce a bite.

it also allows you to search different depths of water if you are using a sliding float.

Should be good for kids and it uses very little bait. Just a small sliver of mackeral or half a sandeel.

I have often wondered about this as it seems that spinning and feathers after a couple of hours really knackers your arms or back, and besides that all there is to do is bottom fish and catch those very very rare "dogfish" :( again.

Surely fish dont all live on the bottom and there must be some simple set up that takes your bait more than a few feet below the surface or a few feet off the bottom.

I can understand that fish want to keep away from the surface because of Gulls etc, but there must be a lot of fish which are happy feeding 10-20 feet below the surface.

As for movement what about live baiting prawns and of course worms with a bait cocktail to give movement and scent.

Does anybody know anything about this stuff?????????

Floating a whole peeler crab (complete with legs, etc.) a few feet off the bottom is a good way to pick up big bass.

i fish the sliding float setup as often as i can. it is the best technic when fishing over rough ground. if i'm fishing somewhere new and want to know the depth i simply setup my float rig but leave off the hook. i use elastic band for my float stop so its easy to change depth. i couple of casts out and u'll know what depth to fish. obviously if u have set the elastic band overdepth then the float will sit flat on the surface, just adjust the elastic till the float sits up. i like to fish my bait between 1-2 foot off the bottom.

i fish slider a lot and find it a great way to catch, helps if you know exactly what depth you are fishing in, so i usually plumb the depth before i get started. mack strip, worm, crab, prawn, snadeel,sprats etc can all be used on the float.

have had shore conger to 21lbs, wrasse to over 5lbs, pollock to nearly ten pounds, plus bass, sea trout,coalies, loads of mini species (on smaller floats) and even flounder and doggies on float.

versatile method

Hi all ,
Thanks for all the info guys, But one last question on the subject - Whats the best floats to use on the sea ?

I hve just bought a few huge stick floats (9") or is it best to use a bobber float ?

Steve

There is a handy page here;
http://www.torbayfishing.com/rigs/float-fishing.htm

This site has a complete beginners guide that I found very handy when I got back into fishing.
I copied and pasted it into Word and printed it out so that I had an easy reference available.
http://www.torbayfishing.com/help-guide ... ing-p1.htm

You can always add to it things like rig making guides and knots or any other bits of info you gather along the way.

I hope this helps,
Derek

i wouldnt use a huge float, nor would i use the bobber or buble type.

my favourite type would be the in line sort, about 3 - 4 inches long and capable of taking a 1 or 2 oz drilled bullet. about an inch to 1.5 inches diameter

i agree with adam, in line float that holds a 1oz ball weight.

I use a small sliding pike float with a roughly 3/4 oz weight.

I use PowerGum for the stop knot to set the depth. This allows you to reel the stop knot inside the rod rings, allowing you to set the bait deeper in the water. A bead stops the PowerGum from going through the float.

I use braid for my main line (30lb) and a 10lb or 15lb mono snood. If the hook snags, you can still retrieve your float.

I'm going to experiment with a stinger for bass this year, [url=http://www.sea-angling-ireland.org/bulletin%20board/viewtopic.php?t=7566&start=20]as Adam S suggested[/url].