Float fishing and depth

[Mike89]

Hey guys! I'm again hoping to get a few opinions based on the experience of other fishos here on the effect of rig depth on getting a hook-up when fishing with floats.

A float setup using a heavy stem float between two stoppers and running to a swivel and at least 1m of trace plus a small split shot has been my go-to rig for fishing off my local wharf for quite a while now. It's been a very successful rig for trevally, yakkas, bream and even the odd salmon. Mostly though I've been targeting trevally.

I'm interested in how the depth I'm fishing affects my bites and hook-up rate. I've noticed that when the water is clearer, or there is a big swell, the fish tend to feed lower and I might need to go at least 2m on the trace to start getting bites consistently.

A couple of questions here. Firstly, what are the views here on when (ie. what conditions) the fish do feed deeper? Also, at times it seems that fish are more finicky when I fish a bit higher. Say for example, if I'm fishing with a 1.2m trace and can get bites but have trouble hooking the fish. Then I change to a trace of 2.5 metres and suddenly I'm starting to hook up. Could it be that the fish are less likely to run with the bait and swallow at a higher depth, and that when the bait is presented a bit lower they feel less exposed and a bit more bold to take the whole bait?

I've also noticed that floating for trevally seems to sift out the smaller fish so that if I do hook up, I'm not pulling in undersize or tiny fish. This is based on sessions where I was fishing next to people targeting trevally off the bottom. On both occasions the people fishing off the bottom were bringing in a lot of fish in the 10-20cm range, where as the smallest fish I pulled was just shy of 30cm. My theory is that the little guys feel less threatened closer to the bottom, and that the bigger fish, being able to swim faster and having less to worry about are a bit more brazen about taking baits higher in the water column. Could this be part of the reason or was I just lucky? I'm not quite sure if this is right.

Would love to hear any other comments on what influences feeding depth and behaviour. The bloody fish can be a bit of a mystery sometimes!

Thanks a lot guys!

[SgtBundy]

In my limited observation trying to target Trevally (not floats, just unweighted or lightly weighted straight through) - I noticed I had results when I put my baits down around the depth that I could no longer see the bait and this varied with the water clarity and light of the day. Once it was down around the depth it disappeared from view up top I got bites - sitting higher in the water it wouldn't be touched or would tend to be hit by yakkas that I could just see.

I figure the same would go for floats - target to get it down to around the same depth under the float - deep enough its not visible from on top.

Others with more experience can probably advice better though.

[quochuy]

I think there are a few factors that will make fish prefer certain depth on certain days: atmospheric pressure, light conditions, water clarity, water temperature, tide, water surface (wind), presence of bait fish etc..

Fish at the bottom feel safer so would be biting more. There is less visibility down there so they know it's harder for a predator to see them and they also see your fishing line and hook less well.

Also instead of changing leader length and waste time undoing and redoing knots I would stick to a 1m to 2m leader depending on the depth of the area and use an adjustable float stopper above the float. So the rig from top (rod tip) to bottom (hook) would be: float stopper, float, float stopper, swivel, leader with split shot and then hook.

Note the stopper below the float this allows you to set minimum length between the float and swivel to help casting and prevent tangles.

Depending on the current you might want to add a sinker above the swivel or use more/bigger splitshot above the hook.

The split shot above the hook should be halfway on the leader or 1/3 (closer to swivel). It allows straightening the leader a bit and also helps with tangle by keeping the hook away from swivel and float when casting.

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[Mike89]

In my limited observation trying to target Trevally (not floats, just unweighted or lightly weighted straight through) - I noticed I had results when I put my baits down around the depth that I could no longer see the bait and this varied with the water clarity and light of the day. Once it was down around the depth it disappeared from view up top I got bites - sitting higher in the water it wouldn't be touched or would tend to be hit by yakkas that I could just see.

I figure the same would go for floats - target to get it down to around the same depth under the float - deep enough its not visible from on top.

Others with more experience can probably advice better though.

Thanks! I guess this makes sense, fish feel exposed when the water is clear and there is light penetrating their depth. I'll have this rule in mind in the future!

@ quochuy: Cheers for helping with the rigging. I've had this set up unhanged for a while so it's probably about time to review and improve now that we've got a bit of rain to keep my inside for the next few days. I also tend to get that tangle a bit so I'll try placing the split shot closer to the swivel.

What length should I set between the float and the swivel?

Also, my float stoppers tend to move around a bit in the course of a session and get bumped up higher along the rig. Should I just use two?

Cheers.

Edited September 25, 2015 by Mike89