Bait Below a Float?

[98043]

How many folks out there fish roe or sand shrimp below the float ?

[Dragfreedrift]

That method is a total waste of time 

I would recommend that you never, ever try it....stick to other stuff!


NOT!!!


DFD

[steelheader]

My best day of steelhead fishing came when I was fishing small egg sacks below a float. I believe it to be a very effective technique under the right water conditions.

[chumdog]

Early in the winter, when the brats are milling about, we call our bead jigs, "Prawnholders."

Very effective technique, and I use all sorts of stink on those types of jigs.  Later, when the nates show up, I switch primarily to a naked pink worm!  Don't want Ike to suck down a prawnholder too deep and cause bleeding!!

[LL]

what the hell's a flot?

[WAID]

A Flot is like a float but for those of us to cheap or poor to buy a vowel.

[Andrew]

We all misspell from time to time... no matter, as long as we understand the sentences. 

I know theres the whole prawnholder thing, but have any of you ever tried fishing just a prawn on a bare ledhead? There's no question that the bead/yarn jig with the prawn is deadly, but I've wondered lately if it's all in the prawn and the ledhead's ability to keep it down in the zone. Especially on the darker, buggy-looking summer jigs, a chunk of prawn looks so out of place, it just seems a bit strange that it would be the jig/prawn combination that's really doing the trick... more like the prawn juice and the prawn juice alone. Of course, I don't see or think like a steelhead, so what do I know.

Would be interesting to do some experimenting and get some results, anyway, but I guess it's tough to change up once you've got something that works.

Eggs under a float are another proven killer on both salmon and steelhead. Just ask Brian. He'll do anything to get some eggs on that hook, even if it means picking eggs up off the bank that other anglers have left behind... true story. 

Crawdads/crawdad tails and squid will also catch fish. Or so I've heard. 

Andrew

[Fish]

I like to run bait under my float on occasion, I use a #1 or 1/0 hook and slide a glass bead down the leader for a little extra weight to get my Eggs, Sand Shrimp, Prawn, or Crawdad Tail down a little quicker in to the zone.

Andrew I think the Prawn is very much a key in the Bead Jigs but I have caught fish on a naked jig also

[rvrfshr]

Andrew,

             I know I just talked to you but... Two years ago the day before the Sauk went to barbless/no bait C&R, my buddy hooked a 18 lb. hen on a gob- o- eggs fished under the float on a #1/0 Octopus with an 1/8 oz. egg sinker sitting above it. Also I have another friend who used to do well on winter hatchery fish using a bare glow head with a couple of anise Jenseggs shoved on (sometimes shrimp meat in addition).

 I know this time of year whatever jig I'm tossing has "sand shim" or prawn "sweet meat" tucked in there somewhere !

                                                                                       Joe

[rvrfshr]

98043,

         ( Sorry I thought Andrew started this post.)

                                                                           Joe

[Fish]

Hey I like that Joe, 1/8 oz egg sinker, cheaper than Glass Beads and you can color them with Powder Coat, Hmmm?

There you go Bugnuts another whole Project for ya

[dardevle]

I actually saw those for sale up here.  Basically you can by a powder coated, round sinker to slide down the leader.  It's designed to do just what you guys are talking about.  You could get them in many colors and I forget what they were calling them. 

[nick]

Not exactly round, but I have used "bullet" weights. Bullet shaped lead, drilled through center. They slide down a leader. And, I sometimes powder paint them.

[First Bite]

I like to experiment a lot, probably a little too much but I'll try anything under a float.  Bait, pink worm, spinners.  It's all good.

[Ironhead]

Fishing bait below a float has EASILY been the #1 method of catching steelhead in BC for at least 50 years.Many books have been written on this subject and it is a deadly technique. One thing many top rods have come to realize is that fish will respond to bait well off bottom better than a bouncing bait, we call it "short floating" and is very similar to how many people fish their jigs. In Canada many fisherman have gone to using " spawn sacs" as opposed to "chunks" of roe, as your bait goes much farther, less hassles of changing baits and a much safer and better chance of a hooking fish in a non mortal spot.Other baits of choice to fish under a float are prawns, cooked shrimp,ghost shrimp(sand shrimp), dew worms, squid and I've even had good success with making up "prawn sacs".
This season we have started using bead style jig hooks with elastic bands tied at the head to attach our bait to, this has worked wonderfully. The weight of the bead gets the bait down quick and helps detect light bites by not allowing your bait to flutter in the current.I also tie some with small tufts of brightly colored Marabou, to give added attraction to the bait.
We also tried sliding the bead down our leader while using bait, but this resulted in a hacked up leader and cost me a fish or two.BCSteel came up with a solution for this by making a little loop that you attch the bead too ,and then slide the loop down the line, this worked very well.
Using the jig hooks to fish bait is the SHAT in my opinion, as you get the awesome hook landing ability of the jig, with the power of the bead,to get your bait down.
Many years ago I was reading STS and ZOG mentioned Canadian style dink floats and referred to them as the "Canadian crutch", my internet browsing has let me see that "crutches" have become very popular, and deservedly so. Just like "JIGS' have taken off up north, the internet has really broadened many peoples "repertoire".
If anyone is interested my website has a good story about "float fishing". www.bentrods.ca