personally I don't like them as they tend to have the metal spring to trap the line and the angle is too acute for my liking. Think its a snap waiting to happen. I've drilled out the inner bit and used the float or most of the time I use pike floats.

Hook-line-swivel-bead-drilled bullet weight(s)-silicone float stops x2-bead-pike float-bead-float stopsx2

easy peasy. The float stops above the weight keep it all down over the swivel and I find it casts better and tangles less.

 

personally I don't like them as they tend to have the metal spring to trap the line and the angle is too acute for my liking. Think its a snap waiting to happen. I've drilled out the inner bit and used the float or most of the time I use pike floats.

Hook-line-swivel-bead-drilled bullet weight(s)-silicone float stops x2-bead-pike float-bead-float stopsx2

easy peasy. The float stops above the weight keep it all down over the swivel and I find it casts better and tangles less.

That sounds reasonably easy, even for a fully licensed village idiot like me...thanks P20, I'll give that a go.

 

Fishing for what Richard? Like Piker says, there are much better alternatives than an "old style" bubble float.

 

Hi Marc..

Well, anything that swims really, just fancy a try at bubbling over on the Island.

 

Hi mate.

The set-up Piker mentioned is ideal for garfish, mackerel, pollock & bass with bait (I use that set-up with a small livebait for bass in harbours).

For mullet you are better off with a freshwater style waggler float.. bottom end connection, fixed at the depth you want with most of the lead shot needed to **** it around the float. One small shot about 6-12" above the hook. 5lb mono, size 10-14 hook and a pinch of breadflake.

If you wanted to use something like an unweighted redgill for bass, Pikers set up, with the weight, would work for deeper water. If it's shallow then a bombarda float is ideal.. it's effectively an inline bubble float. You can actually buy inline bubble floats, they're made by Fox. Of course, you could also use the weighted jif lemon bottle or even a candle if you wanted to make something.

Good luck.

 

Hi Marc,

That sounds pretty good to me...I floatfished for years like we all did, chased all sorts of fish with a float set up, caught many a flounder on float tackle too. I often used a float when eel fishing, there's something about watching a float dotting about on the water, but in all the years I've fished, I've never used a bubble float, so I just fancied giving it a try over on the Island. Might even give it a try on one or two local spots...I get fed up sometimes watching a rod tip.

Thanks mate...appreciate the advice.

 

Hi Richard, Set up for a Bubble float you have several options, normally they have two eyes on the side of the float, so you can simply thread your main line though one eye and out the other side and trap it with a stop knot to adjust the depth, attach a small swivel and hook snood don't forget to fill the float with some water via the plugs and again you can adjust the weight of the float. You can use just the one eye like a sliding float, again main line through one eye, with a small bead either side and stop knots, swivel hook etc, or you can use it fixed either swivel clips attach to the eyes or split rings and swivel attach main line one side and hook snood other side.

 

That's grand...thanks so much, Colin. I've bought myself a few bubble floats, so I'm pretty well ready to go. I think I may have to forget lure fishing, my shoulders and arms don't like the repeated casting that's necessary, so float fishing may well be the answer. If this is old age...I want my money back!

Anyway...P20, Marc and Colin...thanks for the help guys, much appreciated as always.

 

You're always welcome Richard. Shame about the lure fishing but as you say, maybe float fishing is the answer. When a pike slider float shoots under as a bass grabs the livebait, it's pretty exciting.

If you really wanted to lure fish, perhaps lrf for smaller species might suit you.. no real casting involved. Bass, and especially wrasse, are good targets for lrf.

 

You're always welcome Richard. Shame about the lure fishing but as you say, maybe float fishing is the answer. When a pike slider float shoots under as a bass grabs the livebait, it's pretty exciting.

If you really wanted to lure fish, perhaps lrf for smaller species might suit you.. no real casting involved. Bass, and especially wrasse, are good targets for lrf.

Morning Marc,

I can still take a few lures with me, I guess...have a few casts until my shoulders tell me "enough now ", then swap over to fishing the float.

Have a good day, mate...

 

Lures are a tiring way to fish mate, no doubt.

Here's a thought.. if you're fishing shallow water you could have a float rig made up with the float fixed at the top, and when you want to change over from lures, just unclip the lure and clip on the float rig. You won't be able to alter the depth but it would make for an instant changeover.. not even a knot to tie!

Going one step further, you could have a few rigs made up (without the float) with a clip on the top.. clip the float on to your lure clip, then clip your rig onto the float eye. You'd need a bottom end only float but it should work.

Just thinking aloud bud, but might be a way to make the swap over easy.

 

Lures are a tiring way to fish mate, no doubt.

Here's a thought.. if you're fishing shallow water you could have a float rig made up with the float fixed at the top, and when you want to change over from lures, just unclip the lure and clip on the float rig. You won't be able to alter the depth but it would make for an instant changeover.. not even a knot to tie!

Going one step further, you could have a few rigs made up (without the float) with a clip on the top.. clip the float on to your lure clip, then clip your rig onto the float eye. You'd need a bottom end only float but it should work.

Just thinking aloud bud, but might be a way to make the swap over easy.

That's a good idea Marc...that would make life a lot easier. Clip on...clip off...clip on...mental note made.
Thanks again mate...as always, much appreciated.

 

This is the big thing now over here.

You can cast for miles with these,and you can buy floating or sinking.
I use them all the time,and never use bubble floats anymore.

 

Funny, I was looking at those last night. Thanks RA..

 

Funny, I was looking at those last night. Thanks RA..

They use them on the coast here a lot now,for catching sea trout.And they use them
on the lakes as well.You can use them with a fly on the end,or little spinners-worms
power bait etc etc.They cast a bloody long way.I cast out and reel in very very slowly,
and have caught many fish on them.Brilliant piece of kit in my opinion.And you can
vary the depth you want to fish very easy.And if the fish are on the bottom then the
sinking version is good.But i always use the floating 25-30 gram ones for my fishing.

 

I don't generally like Korda (carp) stuff much but these surface controllers are very good...

http://www.korda.co.uk/carpfishingn.../carpfishingnews/the-new-interceptor-floats-are-in-tackle-shops-from-next-week/

By having them semi-fixed (swivel pushed into the float), they make the rig partially self-hooking, which can make a big difference to hook-ups at long range. They cast miles as well.

When using a float like these with an unweighted lure/bait, always stop the cast just before it hits the water.. that will throw the hookbait/lure past the float and stop it tangling.

 

Thanks Marc...never used Korda stuff, I do see lots of adverts for it though, so someone must buy it.

My bubbles should be here today, so maybe I'll get a chance to have a cast or two over the weekend, and see how I get on with them.

Thank you gentlemen...much appreciated as always.

 

A large jiffy bag has just turned up....inside it was a cardboard box and two tackle catalogues. Inside the cardboard box was a long length of bubble wrap...and inside that were these:

Five bubble floats...now all I need is to find time over the weekend to go and have a cast or two with them.

 

Thanks Marc...never used Korda stuff, I do see lots of adverts for it though, so someone must buy it.

It's all carp gear Richard. Don't ever buy their swivels.. weak tat.

 

Hmm...I always find that anything with word "carp" in the description is an invitation to double the price.

 

Yup. If you own a boat, anything with the word "marine" on it trebles the price!


B.O.A.T... Bring Out Another Thousand.

 

Oh how true!

 

Here’s how I do it. Hope this helps.

 

By heck, that reminds me of carp fishing many, many years ago...thanks for the video, John, much appreciated.

 

You'd get a much better presentation on the waggler if you put the shots close to the float either side. It'll cast better and more accurately, and be more sensitive to show the bite. You only want a max of 1cm between the shots, with the float in between... the float should be trapped by the shot.

 

You're taking me back to the old days of freshwater waggle fishing now, Marc...

Yes mate, if there's one thing freshwater anglers know about it's float fishing. Sea anglers rarely have a need for finesse with a float so don't always appreciate the finer points. Why would they, it doesn't apply to almost all of their fishing. Mullet fishing is the exception to the rule though.

Good luck when you get out bud.

 

Thanks for all you've done, mate...I appreciate it all.

 

Anytime mate.

 

Hi Occy Angler.
Been reading these bubble float posts with interest.
I recently tried my arm with this method so I could get away with fishing very shallow trying to tempt Pollack out of the rocky kelp beds without snagging. Basically using an inline bubble float with very short hook length so almost freelining. Well that was the plan. As I eagerly set up at the waters edge I checked the prefilled bubble float......
It had completely leaked empty. Ar$e.
Devilishly hard to refill on a steep rock mark. However it was in vain as it rapidly emptied again. Wallowing uselessly on top. What a waste of 3 quid. However...
Never one to give up as a bad job, back at home I half filled it with clear mastic sealer. Injected through the lower filler bung!
It is now permanantly self weighted and leak free. I have yet to test this marvel of ingenuity. What could go wrong?
I have even dallied with a night time version idea, with a glowstick inside!
The mind boggles.
Well mine does...

 

I've not tried it myself, but I've read of using a plastic jiff lemon as a bubble float. The trick is to partially fill it with candle wax to get some casting weight, but still have bouncy and then glue a suitable swivel or similar into the neck to attach the line too..

 

I tried mine for five minutes...leaked like a bloody sieve. Gave up in the end and filed them under B1N.
.
.
.
(after stamping on them in temper.... )