Floating Your Way To Trout Fishing Success
The Waterport dam hydro-plant nestled below Lake Alice sang with a muffled hum as it left it's tell-tale mark upon the jet-black water surface in the form of white foamy bubbles gliding silently by as we waited patiently for legal fishing time of one half hour before sunrise. We'd soon be wetting lines just 200 yards downstream from the Oak Orchard River Tailrace in the town of Albion in beautiful rural Orleans County in the heart of North America's finest region for fall trophy brown trout.
I was using our pre-fishing wait to reiterate a pertinent point critical to driftfishing success. I was speaking of perfect speed to my two fishermen for the day and expounding upon why it was so important to achieve perfect speed. Trout, I was saying, are creatures of instinct. Their well being, hence, their survival in the natural, watery world, all depend on their instinctive ability to make the right moves. To the point, these fish that were rolling and splashing before us were the survivors of two to four years on Lake Ontario. In order to fool them into biting within the confines of the fast flowing narrows of the upper Oak Orchard River, we'd need to present our offerings at near perfect driftspeed. As long as the sun hung below the horizon, the trout would bite well even with a subpar presentation. But, as soon as the light of the new day filtered into the water, we'd have to be at the top of our game in order to continue to catch trout.
I pointed out the white foam bubbles drifting by and explained how our egg sacks and flies needed to travel along at an equally precise speed in order to be deemed a suitable enough target that a trout would even consider attaching themselves to it.
Whether we talk flyfishing or spinfishing, the greatest challenge to any Great Lakes tributary angler is getting their driftspeed right. Too fast a drift runs the risk of continually snagging bottom, spooking trout, or worse yet, increasing the likelihood of inadvertently foulhooking trout who are often tightly packed into the pools and runs of many Great Lakes tributary streams. Too slow a drift, and we'd be either settling out on the bottom, or else fishing high above the trouts eye level.
Either way, the most efficient method available for attaining perfect driftspeed would come down to just one word: FLOATS.
Simply stated, floats, or bobbers as they are referred to by less cultured driftfishing affiecienados, are the most technically and mechanically efficient method of bringing one's drift into the realm of "Perfect Speed".
A float, properly fished, presents one's bait precisely at the speed of the current. No other method of fishing bait or flies even comes close to attaining the perfect drift. Certainly, some stretches of water lend themselves to float fishing better than other's.
Those slower moving, deeper, flat and glassy sections of flowing water are considered classic float fishing water. However, nearly any selection of water type or characteristics can be successfully covered with proper manipulation of your basic float fishing rig.
The heart and soul of the float fishing approach to trout fishing is the float itself. Generally speaking, the faster moving the current or the rougher the water, the larger the float one should select. Floats come in many shapes, sizes, colors, and styles. Some of the more popular floats brands include Thill, Blackbird, Top Notch, Carlisle, and many others. For most steelhead and brown trout fishing applications, rigging an inline float setup seems to work most successfully.
To rig your float this way, you'll need three or four plastic or nylon sleeves in order to affix your float to your fishing line. These sleeves are threaded onto your mainline, then slid four feet or so up your line to where you plan to attach your float. At the upper end of your float body, a short shaft protrudes from the top of the body. Slip the end of the float shaft into the uppermost sleeve and then snug it tightly against the top of the float body. Next, slip the 2nd sleeve onto the end of the lower shaft and slide it upward until it is positioned snugly against the lower edge of the float body. The final sleeve should be positioned on the extreme lower end of the float shaft. Wetting your line beforehand will make properly positioning them on the float an easier task. Some floats have longer upper or lower shafts necessitating the use of a fourth sleeve. These sleeves are manufactured by the Blackbird Float company and are available at tackleshops where float fishing components are sold.
Next step is to tie your hook to the end of your fishing line. While there is an endless selection of hook styles and sizes, super sharp hooks like those manufactured by Mustad, Gamakatsu, Daiichi, Tiemco, or Owner, while very expensive, pay big dividends in terms of more fish hooked, and more fish landed. Stick with hook sizes in the #6 to #8 size range as light wire hooks seem to drive and set better and firmer with a minimum of effort. Typical Float Rig. Largest shot on top and then decrease the size as you go down.
Always use a quality knot such as Palomar, Improved Clinch, or good snell to attach your hook to your fishing line and be sure to wet your line before you cinch your knot tight to keep the friction from heating up you line and weakening your knot strength.
Weighting your float rig is the next most important consideration. Without a doubt, the use of round, "English Shot" is critical for obtaining the proper driftfishing effect. This shot type is the non-removable variety and come without the "ears" or "wings" found on conventional removable splitshot. These wings or tabs cause line twist or spin while casting, retrieving, and during the drift and this line twisting problem ultimately causes unwanted complications in your float fishing rig down the road. The use of round, English style shot, however, does not result in these line twist problems and should be your first and only choice. When weighting your line between your float and your hook, the so-called "Rosary Bead" method should be employed. This is a method of utilizing various sized shot varying in a graduated lineup from larger to smaller from the float down the line to the hook.
The shot sizes used will depend mostly upon the size of your float, depth of the water being fished, the speed of the current, and the diameter of the fishing line you are using. For most applications, four to eight pound test is about right. In extremely low, clear conditions, while fishing over heavily pressured trout, the use of flouro-carbon line is advised. The more shot you use to weight your float, the farther you will be able to cast distance wise and the greater the accuracy of your casts. That being said, use no more shot than your float's buoyancy is capable of supporting without sinking it. For best results, use only enough shot to keep your float standing upright and to keep your egg sack or fly down near the bottom. Shot should be spaced four to six inches apart and in groups of two (with finer sizes) which seems to prevent tangles during casting.
When fishing a given pool or run of unknown depth, make a test cast with your distance between float and bait closely approximating the average estimated depth of the pool. On you initial cast and drift, watch your float closely for indications of your bait bumping or catching on the bottom. If it is constantly catching, shorten your lead until it is only occasionally ticking off the bottom until it reaches the tailout of the pool. For the best drift, cast upstream to the 2 o'clock position, sweep some extra line off your reel spool, quickly close your bail, and most importantly, start your drift with an extra high rodtip position. While on the subject of rods, use the longest rod you are capable of casting, at least a 9 footer, and more preferably, a rod from 10 1/2 feet to up to 14 feet in length to facilitate keeping the most line off the water for the longest drift.
After your cast, with your rodtip as high as possible, reel tight to your float to maintain tension to keep your line off the water. However, ensure that your float is able to travel unimpeded downstream at the speed of the current. Maintaining that tension to the float ensures that you will be able to set the hook effectively when a take or strike occurs. It is absolutely essential NOT to overdo this tension as the float must be totally unemcumbered in it's travel downstream in order to most closely approximate the currents natural speed. As your float passes the 11 o'clock position, be prepared to lower your rodtip to give your float extra line so as to maintain and continue it's passage downstream. Continue to lower your rodtip until you have no more line available to give your float. At this time, usually at about a 45 degree angle downstream, your drift is at an end and you may retrieve your float rig for another cast. When you reach the shallow water at the tailout of the pool, you may extend your drift by "stalling" your float. Accomplished by holding back or limiting line to the float, this technique causes your shot and bait to be lifted slightly in the water column so as to decrease the depth to which it reaches down into the pool. In this way, you can effectively fish your float into two to three feet of tailout water while still fishing a four foot lead between your float and your bait. This effectively extends your drift into what can be the most productive section of a pool.
When a strike or take occurs, your float may plunge completely beneath the surface one time, while the next time it will barely hesitate or twitch while traveling downstream. Strike instantly when the bite is a subtle one, while reeling down tight and then striking hard when your float really buries beneath the water's surface. Your egg sacks should be tied in the dime to nickel size range with pink, chartreuse, and blue being the best mesh colors.
For the most technically efficient means of utilizing floats for trout fishing, your best long range plan may be to consider purchasing a centerpin float reel. These reels, combined with an ultra-long 14 to 16 foot float rod setup, while expensive, will provide you with the ultimate tools in terms of float fishing efficiency, but that is a whole other story for a future article.
Consider giving float fishing a try this winter or spring for browns, rainbows or steelhead and you'll soon be well on your way to catching some of the trophy trout you've always dreamed of.
Good Fishing! Capt. Bob Jordan
