Finding the Best Float in Your Tackle Box

You probably have floats, bobbers and indicators of various sizes, weights and colors in your tackle box. This guide will help you narrow down your choices and pick the most suitable float for your current fishing situation.

Weight and Size

Selecting a float with the appropriate weight is extremely important. The weight should allow the terminal tackle to be suspended in the water at a predetermined depth, while also keeping the float itself at the surface until it is pulled under by a fish. If the weight is off by even the smallest of margins, overweight terminal tackle or a rogue wave could prematurely jerk your float. Many anglers use floats that are too big in order to get the weight necessary to suspend their terminal tackle. To bypass this, you can add metal rings to any float, thus increasing the weight without increasing the size. Fish are far more likely to approach a lure setup that looks natural and non-threatening. Using a float that is too large can create an unusual resistance for the fish, causing them to spit the hook.

Shape and Material

When choosing between floats of varying shapes, it is important to keep in mind what the local fish are used to seeing. Casting out a large, perfectly rounded float may seem unnatural in streams where floating debris is limited to sticks, small logs, leaves and other pieces of natural waste. There are several different shapes of floats available at FishUSA including oval, round, pencil and stick. These floats can be made from different types of materials such as plastic, balsa and foam. The oval and round foam floats are great for twitching your lure when looking for aggressive fish. Pencil and stick floats are typically very easy for anglers to see in the water and tend to hold a low profile compared to other, more obtrusive floats.

Color

While white is the most popular color for the bottom of the float, it is not the only option. The important note for any angler to keep in mind is that the bottom of the float needs to blend in with the surroundings or look familiar and nonthreatening to a fish. Black, red and wood-patterned bottoms are used for dirty, muddy water to seem less alarming to fish. The top half of a float can be painted any color, since it stays above the water’s surface until a fish is hooked. Many anglers prefer bright colors so the float can be tracked across the surface easily. The top color should also stand out enough that the angler has no questions as to whether or not the float was pulled entirely under the water.