Float Fishing Fun

  Float Fishing Fun!

I got up at sunrise, then quickly headed out into the misty morning air to pick up some more bait. From the instant I awoke, I was fixated on the big catfish I fought the night before...only to make its great escape boatside as I tried to ease him in for a quick photo. 

Armed with only my bait catching rod (a light spinning combo) and some nightcrawlers, I jumped in the boat and headed for the dam. I was fishing the bait just off the bottom below a slip float tight to some overhanging branches near the dam of the small pond. The pond was stocked with channel cats many years ago and some had grown to be quite formiddable! There is an abundance of cover littered about the the pond including assorted limbs and scattered tree branches. The area near the dam not only has plenty of cover, it also drops rapidly from two feet into several feet of water. I was placing my bait close to shore in about 3-4 feet of water. 

After some probing around, I get a pick-up. Just like the night before, the float just starts drifting, moving steadily away like a tiny car cruising down the road. I wait a few seconds, then set the hook...into a BIG catfish. Fishing with light tackle in a boat with no anchor, I had few options other than to loosen the drag a bit and just hold on. While fishing the fish I used the trolling motor to move towards open water in the hope of moving the fish that direction. I finally get the big cat up close and get a nice look. He's even bigger than the fish from the night before.

As my rod strains to control the surging fish, he makes a U-turn and heads straight for some tree branches in the water.  The fish is taking drag now and at that moment I'm sure I'll lose the fight. Again. I can do nothing except hold on and keep trying to turn the fish around. He reaches the branches, I keep applying steady and firm pressure. Somehow, I manage to steer the fish away and the fight continues in open water now. I play the fish another minute or so to ensure I can get a grip on him and haul the fish into the boat. 

When I first read about the use of floats for catfish, I remember them being touted as a great under-utilized innovation. Best thing since sliced bread.  While there's some truth to this perspective, many times fishing with floats won't be the best way to catch numbers of catfish. Anchoring baits on the bottom is more efficient in a number of situations, such as fishing big live baits in and around wood cover. But, there are some occasions where float fishing can work very well. Floats afford catfish anglers the ability to drift a bait with current. During pre-spawn periods this can be a highly effective way to present baits when targeting active channel cats. Floats also allow anglers to suspend live or dead baits just above bottom clutter, where anchoring a bait would lead to snags. In the end, catfish anglers that rely solely upon anchoring baits on the bottom are missing out on these alternative means of presenting their baits to a hungry catfish. 

When fishing a section of river lined with shoreline cover (such as rip rap or wood cover) or fishing just below riffles on a small stream, targeting active catfish you can cover an area faster using a float to drift your bait. This is especially true in early summer when catfish are seeking our cavities to spawn. If you're targeting spawning catfish (similar to other species), it's important to release those larger fish to go about their business of rearing future generations of anglers with the thrill of a strong catfish at the end of their line.

Another time float fishing works nicely is when targeting fish relating to cover in lakes or ponds. In this instance, cover could be wood cover or submergent vegetation. Mid to late summer, submergent vegetation in lakes and ponds such as weeds and "watergrass" can make it difficult (or nearly impossible) to fish anchored baits without getting tangled up. Using a small slip float to suspend baits just off the bottom, you can effectively drop your offering in these same areas with relative ease. 

On breezy days where your boat is drifting around dragging anchored baits, you can use the float as a bite indicator. In this scenario, you can set your float depth so the bait just reaches the bottom. Above the float, leave just enough slack in the line so your drifting boat doesn't pull the float around. By using the float as a bite indicator, you can eliminate the problem of your boat dragging baits out of position or into snags.  

Mostly, I've used baits with some type of scent trail for instances where I was drifting baits below floats. Cut-up minnows, suckers, and chubs all work well. I've also had success using cheese and dip baits below floats, especially on hot summer days when the water temperature is warm. A number of area anglers swear by raw hamburger - the cheapest, greasiest meat you can buy. Thicken with an egg and some flour and fish just off the bottom using a treble hook. Even though you're drifting the baits right past the nose of active catfish, it never hurts to have a scent trail in the water. Especially when you're fishing in current.

You can also fish live baits below a stationary float in around cover. In fact, I think this presentation works especially well when there's bottom clutter and/or submergent vegetation. Some anglers will even fish live baits in and around wood snags as well. One caveat with this approach: small baits seem to work a little better around wood cover, since larger baits tend to get hung up more often. It also helps to have enough weight to limit the ability of your bait to drag the float around (and into the cover).

 
As far as gear goes, it's pretty simple. You'll need some large split-shot sinkers, hooks, slip floats, and bobber stops. The bobber stop goes on the line first, followed by a small bead, and the float. If you're fishing a live bait, you'll want to put a sliding sinker held above the hook with a split shot or swivel. For drifting, a few pieces of split shot below the float should be just enough to keep the bait bumping along the bottom. Drifting works best at slow to moderate current flows when catfish are in an active mood. As a general rule, I try to choose the smallest float that's buoyant enough to float the bait and any sinkers. As the size of the float gets larger, it becomes harder for the fish to pull under and is more susceptible to drag from any wind or current. Also, the bigger the float the more sinker weight will be required to keep your float at the proper level in the water.

With large floats, you can also hang slinky weights [tie some heavy fishing line onto a sinker slider. Put on several egg sinkers, maybe 4-5 of the 3/8 to 1/2 oz size, and whack the last one with a hammer to pinch the line. cut off the remaining line] below the float. These slinky weights act like a pencil weight and are more difficult to hang-up or snag when there's bottom clutter. 

You can also use slinky weights for fishing anchored baits without a float, I learned how to make these from Jeff Williams of Team Catfish. You can even use submerged floats to keep your main-line just above the bottom in and around heavy cover in deep water.

When drifting baits, I'll set my float depth so the bait just bumps along the bottom. When there's more variance in terms of depth, set the float just deep enough to keep the bait on the bottom during the deepest spot your fishing. If you're using a float to fish a stationary bait, you can fish the bait just above the bottom or barely on the bottom. Sometimes it's a little easier to detect bites when the bait is just off the bottom, when the fish are inactive or light biting. When you get an aggressive pick-up, it doesn't really make a lot of difference. You'll know it when they have the bait.

For bite detection, watch for the float to either "pop" below the water, or slowly wander off. Once the float is down a few seconds, reel down and set the hook. If the float is a good distance away, you'll want to set the hook with authority with a powerful sweep of the rod. Fishing in still waters, the float will often just drift off in some direction. Again, wait 2-3 seconds to make sure the fish has the bait and then set the hook. And hold on!!!

One of my favorite qualities of float fishing has got to be the "fun factor"! Watching a float drift away after it's been sitting motionless for a while conjures up all kinds of images about what's going on at the other end of the line. At times, the float seems to have a mind of its own similar to those barrels being toyed around with by the shark in Jaws. Float fishing is so visual, I guess that's what makes it somewhat unique presentation for catfishing. The way the float dances, drifts, veers off, or plunges below the water...all these actions provide visual clues as to what's happening down below.