Some tips and tricks

[Float_down]

I'm not going to pretend I know everything about float fishing, nor do I think I'm anything special, but I've been been on a few rivers in my few years of drifting, I've learned some things and caught onto some tricks that may make a day that much more successful.
This past weekend I was standing next to a couple younger guys drifting the same pool I was, I managed to land 2 and hook up on a few more. The one guy asked me what I was using, how thick my lead was etc. I told him that what I was doing was casting beyond where I thought the fish were so by the time my bait drifted down in the faster current it would be right in the strike zone.
This younger guy still had yet to hook a fish and had told me he has yet to catch a steelhead. After noticing a few chinny's sitting on a redd in some faster current, I gave him a couple of single eggs, helped him adjust for depth and stagger his shot properly, and told him to go and drift past the salmon, I watched his float drop on the second drift and he was into a nice little shaker steely.
Its beyond me why some of these guys drift roe bags for bows the size of golf balls, I know it can work for sure, but I've seen guys be more successful on single eggs, yarn balls and beads, especially this time of year when those fish are gorging themselves on spawn.
If fishing heavily pressures water, try different things, keep switching especially if you know fish are there and no one is hooking up. If you're strictly a roe fisherman use strange colors, I've always got some blue and purple spawn bags in my inventory. On Monday I hit 2 fish on blue and not too much else was going on. Also in heavily pressures pools, if no one is fishing the tail out, get it right away. Fish will get pushed backwards after seeing there buddies disappear and seeing a hundred baits drift by there face will deter them as well.

Anyone else care to share some tips? I'm sure I could go on forever, hopefully this helps some newer floatfisherman, or guys that are having trouble.

 

[Dozer]

Great information there. I too have made many observations over the years of being a river rat. Presenting the odd bait is crucial. I see way to many guys on the river throwin' roe and pink worms... sure, very effective but there are other options. I am a firm believer in giving plastics and flies a bit of movement within the drift, a simple pull every 8 - 10 feet of drift to give the presentation ( everything else except roe, beads, any egg imitation ) some different movement. It can be the difference between a couple of fish or landing 10 fish...

 

[christotheashto]

great tips! and a great idea for a thread, no doubt about it.
i always maintained the position that with float fishing, line on the water was to be avoided. maybe it's just where i fish, but i see guys float fishing where their line is floating on the surface a mere 10 feet from their rod tip. we're talking drifts of a hundred + feet, and their line is literally ON the water for almost the entire distance. at that point, you've got to think, that with the current just freely carrying the float, the presentation is actually TRAILING the float, not drifting ahead of it. i always make sure i place myself upstream of where i think fish are holding, so, as FD mentioned, my presentation has time to get down into the strike zone. i always cast further than my target. this allows me to reel a little when my float lands to really tighten up the line. it also lets me put a good "starting trot" on my float, in other words, hold it in place for a moment to allow the bait to get well ahead of the float, then control my drift throughout to maintain this position.

another tip i can suggest is playing with hooks. i've had days fishing beads where i get no hits for hours on a low-vis stealth black hook, then switch to a red gamakatsu in the same size and fish on. hook size as well. i always use 12s, but if you regularly use 8s or 10s try dropping a size or two if you're not having any luck hooking up.

 

[igm]

Question: While tying roe, it is advisable to put some small styrofoam balls with the roe to give the bait bouyancy?

 

[RiverNinja]

Question: While tying roe, it is advisable to put some small styrofoam balls with the roe to give the bait bouyancy?

No.. Unless you are bottom fishing.

Ninja Edit: You want your bait getting down into the fish's strike zone..

 

[igm]

Yes, I was planning on using the roe with styrofoam for Bottom fishing:

When would one use the above application?

 

[Rain-Bow]

Those are all solid tips. Especially the one about keeping the bait in the strike zone.

 

[buck]

great tips guys, what FD and christo said is pretty much what I do. I start by casting slightly upstream and when the float is straight in front of me i'll hold it back a bit so my bait is being presented ahead of the float, if I'm using a roe bag and i'm targeting a pool that I know is holding fish but they're not hitting then I'll change the colour of the bag, pierce one egg in the bag and this time I'll cast either straight in front or slightly down stream, straighten the presentation right away and drift into the pool, works almost every time, sometimes I'll have to switch to a fly or a yarnie ar a single egg etc.

 

[Spinninreel]

Good Tips. I notice many people have a problem with running too shallow through a pool. a good idea is to get a one ounce egg sinker and put a metal clip that you can get from canadian tire ( the kind you use for making small electrical connection) and put the non clamping end into the hole on the egg sinker and the other end clamp to your hook. You can then use this as an plumb to see how deep the pool is and run at the proper depth.

 

[Float_down]

As spinningreel said, depth is very important, but I usually start way higher then the bottom of a run/pool, fish will rise for a bait in certain conditions more often then they will drop for one. Ultimately you want to be about 2 feet or slightly less off bottom, so if your shot is staggered properly, in an 5 foot pool you should be running about 5 feet, with the arc in your line (especially when holding your drift back) you should be clearing the bottom nicely depending on curent speed and under tow.
And chris is right aswell, however, i will leave my line in the water, as long as it's not hindering my drift. I really like to believe that theoretical, the more natural your bait is flowing with the curent the more likely the fish is to make a mistake. I love fast currents, It gives the fish less time to make a decision and smash your bait if presented aproriatley.

 

[redneckchromer]

A tip for using nymphs under a float, Ill use a longer piece of leader between my last shot and my fly so my bait sits slightly higher off the bottom than if I were using roe or pink worms. Remember small flies catch big steelhead! some of my biggest fish have been on nymphs

 

[fishermandan420]

I have caught a few holding at the end of the drift and letting the float/bait swing across the tailout .Not every drift but if the hole cools off

 

[Losier1205]

I love fishing the tail out and fast water. Also drifting as close to the bank as I can has worked well in the past as well

 

[Knuguy]

Yes, I was planning on using the roe with styrofoam for Bottom fishing:

When would one use the above application?

I strong current and deep water. Otherwise a split shot or 2 is sufficient. Most guys, but not all, put styro in with the roe when bottom- bouncing with that type of set-up.

FD---thx for starting this thread. Lots of good info on here. (Where the heck is the applause smiley when I need it??)