The popularity for float fishing has been growing at a rapid rate. As a result there has been a surge in the market when it comes to manufacturers and the wide array of products available, including floats. There are countless different brands and with that countless different models, shapes and sizes. So what is the best one and how many different kinds do you actually need? I try to keep things as simple as possible when steelhead fishing, and selecting my floats is no exception. This article will cover all you need to know about selecting the best steelhead float for you without having a duffel bag full of options.Â
When it comes to selecting the style or shape of your float there are a few factors that come into play, general depth of the river and speed of the current are the most important ,but primarily with a few exceptions, it is generally preference. One exception would be that acorn floats, usually made in smaller sizers, of 8gs or less are meant for slower, shallower rivers and that is truly what they are meant for. However, there are float models that suit any condition of water, as long as you are matching the size of the float to the river you are fishing (we will dive into float size later in this article.) My go to float is the Aero Af-10 in sizes ranging from 8gs to 20gs depending on where I am fishing and what the conditions are. The moral of the story is find a float that is versatile and works well for you, and have it available in a few different sizes you need, without having a big selection of different models and types and wrapping up a small fortune into floats.Â
When it comes to selecting float size we are looking at several factors, river speed and average depth of the river are the main two. However, I also consider how long the runs are and how fast I need to get my bait down. For example, one of my main river I fish is pretty deep, primarily holes and runs are 8’-10’ deep with some being 13’ and deeper. I could use an 11g float out there on normal conditions, that being said there are a lot of quick buckets and abrupt depth changes as well as small sneaky spots to fish that are very short. This means I want my bait down in a hurry so most of the time I run a 15g float. 11gs in really low flows and a 20g when it has faster flows. I give this as an example for the thought process on selecting the right float for you. On the contrary to above, I fish some very small water that is shallow, most 4-6ft and considered slow or moderate. I generally run 8g floats in that river but 8gs is the max but I could likely get away with smaller.Â
You don’t want to have too heavy of a rig that you are constantly going down with any contact on bottom, you also don’t want to be fishing too light so that you could be dragging all your weight and never going down due the current carrying all your weight even when dragging bottom. Find the happy medium for your river and make adjustments as the conditions change,
Hopefully, this simplifies your float selection and saves you both time and some money, while also making you more effective on the water.Â
Recommended Articles:
Winter Steelhead Tips and Tricks (https://www.getbentguideservicemi.com/post/how-to-catch-winter-steelhead-winter-steelhead-fishing-tips)
Selecting the Best Float Rod: (https://www.getbentguideservicemi.com/post/what-is-the-best-rod-for-float-fishing-steelhead)
John Wielinga
Get Bent Guide ServiceÂ
269-277-9293
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