Float fishing from a boat

[Andy135]

Float fishing from a boat. I'm curious to see if this technique might be a way to pick up a bonus fish or two.

Anyone float fish from their boat? At anchor or on the drift?

[GPSguru]

Just now, Andy135 said:

I'm curious to see if this technique might be a way to pick up a bonus fish or two.

Anyone float fish from their boat? At anchor or on the drift?

Yes, we do it for flounder in the estuary and for gars/wrasse/ spiky pot bait over rock marks and when in close to structure. I have also used a float for bream over the wrecks.

float fishing a live bait for big bass is quite an exciting and rewarding method.

All of this is done on the drift.

[Saintly Fish]

Presumably around slack water?

[Odyssey]

I do a bit of float fishing. 

Put a few rods out in the Celtic deeps when I’m fishing for whiting and dogfish. Amazing the sharks you can pick up.... 😉 

[DINOBOY]

I fish with live baits under a float on the drift over reefs with great success, it picks out the better fish for sure. A 12” launce on a 10/0 circle set 10-15ft The floats I use are round catfish line through type ‘easy to set up’ and doesn’t tangle, these will take 9oz of lead for strong tides. If your float goes down don’t jump lol just leave it till the line tightens down It will hook itself live launce and mackerel take some swallowing. 

[Andy135]

7 minutes ago, Odyssey said:

I do a bit of float fishing. 

Put a few rods out in the Celtic deeps when I’m fishing for whiting and dogfish. Amazing the sharks you can pick up.... 😉 

I might have known you would have had something to say about "float fishing"... 🤣

[Andy135]

5 minutes ago, DINOBOY said:

I fish with live baits under a float on the drift over reefs with great success, it picks out the better fish for sure. A 12” launce on a 10/0 circle set 10-15ft The floats I use are round catfish line through type ‘easy to set up’ and doesn’t tangle, these will take 9oz of lead for strong tides. If your float goes down don’t jump lol just leave it till the line tightens down It will hook itself live launce and mackerel take some swallowing. 

Guessing it's bass you pick up over the reefs down your way?

[Odyssey]

Live mackerel, bubble float up a creek/reef at dusk, killer for bass 🙂 

Float in the chum slick this year for me, see if any gars/mackerel about.

I got a mate who catches awesome bass in the haven on float fished mackerel... something to try when weatger bad...

[Ivan Tuna]

1 hour ago, Andy135 said:

Float fishing from a boat. I'm curious to see if this technique might be a way to pick up a bonus fish or two.

Anyone float fish from their boat? At anchor or on the drift?

I was thinking of doing that over the Shingles bank west end for Bass 

[Andy135]

1 minute ago, Ivan Tuna said:

I was thinking of doing that over the Shingles bank west end for Bass 

I've heard that's a good place to try float fishing for bass. Also thinking of trying over Boulder Bank and maybe the Overfalls.

[GPSguru]

1 hour ago, Saintly Fish said:

Presumably around slack water?

 

No, any state of the tide ....... the float only drifts a little faster than the boat, and then I stop freelining when it is about 30yards from the boat.

[DINOBOY]

21 minutes ago, Andy135 said:

Guessing it's bass you pick up over the reefs down your way?

I mainly fish for pollack this way best to the boat is 15lb the old man bagged that one but 90% of the fish taken this way are doubles. We mainly stay away from the bass marks as they are fished by the commercials using cans ‘sets of independent floats’ 

[DINOBOY]

6 minutes ago, GPSguru said:

 

No, any state of the tide ....... the float only drifts a little faster than the boat, and then I stop freelining when it is about 30yards from the boat.

I find tide is a must But figured out if you keep slowly trotting out line to the float you can keep the bait in the kill zone much longer when drifting pinnacles ect. Plenty of lead is needed to keep the line vertical under the float as I’ve found this fishes much better allowing the bait to swim freely. 

[GPSguru]

5 minutes ago, DINOBOY said:

I find tide is a must But figured out if you keep slowly trotting out line to the float you can keep the bait in the kill zone much longer when drifting pinnacles ect. Plenty of lead is needed to keep the line vertical under the float as I’ve found this fishes much better allowing the bait to swim freely. 

Yep, I have quite a lot of weight under the float when i stop freelining, and i also tend to use big baits.

Float fishing a Redgill works quite well ................. it tends to swim behind the float and at the same level as the lead.

 

[mike farrants]

im ready to give this a try - mainly for the odd bonus mackerel or gar while anchored in Weymouth bay or portland harbour, but if a bass comes along even better!

 

might try form the kayak too!