Float fishing, perhaps, does not lose its position even today, being incredibly popular both among amateur fishermen and among athletes, bringing pleasure not only from the catch, but also from interesting fishing strategies. Fishing with a float rig can be carried out both in standing reservoirs and in the current. As a rule, fishing in calm waters does not cause any particular difficulties even for novice fishermen in assembling and completing the installation, but when hunting for a trophy on river currents, you need to have the skills to form equipment and understand the nuances of assembling a fishing rod for fishing on currents, using for this purpose peculiar signaling devices that differ in design from an ordinary float.
Fishing stores offer a wide selection of float options for fishing in currents. And if you know the secrets of the features of their forms, you can easily cover most fishing conditions on a strong stream by feeding rigs into various horizons of the water column and quite clearly visually track fish bites. At the same time, the attractiveness of the baits is not lost at all, and the wiring is scrupulously controlled.
The further article presented to the angler will tell the reader about a specific alarm, its forms and their capabilities, which the angler can use in real fishing conditions on the river or under wind loads that demolish equipment through a raised wave, simulating a realistic current.
Features when fishing with a float in the current
Before moving directly to the forms and varieties of floats for fishing on currents, it is worth considering some negative conditions that influenced the design features of the alarm. The fisherman must be aware of the difficulties that will arise when fishing on the stream and what should be paid primary attention to when planning such fishing strategies. But it’s worth planning such fishing trips, because it is on the currents that you can often get catches that are significant in quantity, and trophy specimens are often the lot of those fishermen who can curb the river flow by forming the right equipment.
The very first and main convention of this kind of fishing is the constant movement of the alarm . A float in a current is not static, it is constantly in dynamics, being displaced by water along its current, and the faster the stream, the correspondingly higher the speed of movement of the accessory. The second difficulty is that the alarm is tilted. Water pressure presses down on the equipment and, unlike fishing in still water, where the products that signal a bite are always located strictly at right angles to the plane of the surface of the reservoir, on the river they are inclined.
One way or another, both presented factors of emerging fishing difficulties combine into the illusory effect of a bite, the so-called false signal, which must be distinguished from real contacts of the fish with the bait given to it. After all, the same behavior of the accessory in still water indicates a bite and the subsequent moment of determining the hook. When fishing on a stream, everything is much more complicated - the choice of the exact time of hooking the fish will be completely different signals.
Floats for fishing in currents
In float equipment, regardless of whether the tackle is being prepared for fishing in the current or in still water, it is the float that is the key and main element of installation. It plays a dual role: balancing, balancing the rig and visually showing the angler the contact of the fish with the bait. In currents, the shape of the accessory is important, contributing to the stability and resistance of the product to water pressure.
Important! The best resistance to water flow is provided by flat, flattened on both sides types of alarms that have two mounting points.
The side of the float with a larger body area or its extended surface acts as a control element. The thin metal rod included in the structure of the product serves as a kind of center of gravity or stabilizer. In addition, you can often find pear- or egg-shaped alarms on sale. Each type has its own purpose for certain fishing conditions.
For example, pear-shaped floats are used for fishing in deep sections of the river, but egg-shaped floats for the current are suitable in cases where, when biting, the fish tries to quickly move the bait to the side or a long cast is required. Flat types are ideal when you have to fish from the bottom, holding the bait at a certain point in the current like an anchor.
Sports floats
When collecting gear for the current, fishermen prefer to find an option for using a signaling device that is close to a universal type. This type is most likely a sports version of the accessory. Sports bite alarms are quite sensitive products of various weights and dimensions. The body shape resembles an egg, sometimes extended to the bottom of the equipment element, where the center of gravity is often located.
Due to this design feature, sports types are quite stable and can withstand strong water flow. The body of the accessory in the upper part is equipped with an antenna at the base of which a mounting ring is mounted. In the lower part of the body there is a keel, which is covered with a rubber or polyethylene cambric. A float is mounted on a fishing line of this kind by passing the thread into the upper ring and through the cambric, pressing tightly against the keel. By pulling along the thread, the depth of feeding of the nozzle is adjusted.
Important! If you bend the upper fastening ring, you can achieve different angles of inclination of the product in the water, adjusting to the speed and strength of the river current.
In practice, sports versions of the accessory are successfully used for fishing in strong currents, as well as in still water, which characterizes the product with a certain universalism, and therefore popularity among many floaters.
Fishing on the current with flat floats
The flat type is a special float for currents with a rather narrow specialization. It’s worth mentioning right away that this kind of accessory will require the fisherman to have certain skills in owning and managing the assembled equipment, which may not be immediately feasible for a beginner. The working body of the product has a flat shape, rather similar to a disk.
But this is not a dogma, and in practice there are shapes similar to a drop or a triangle with rounded corners. The keel is considered a noticeable difference or the so-called highlight of flat types.
Important! The keel of floats for fishing in currents is not located on the central axis, but at a certain angle to it.
It is this design difference that allows the alarm to be constantly on the surface in a vertical position and provide high-quality signs of real bites, regardless of the speed of the jet. Since in the installation the flat working body is always located with an edge cutting through the water moving towards the product, the alarms perfectly resist the resulting resistance, easily withstanding any flow pressure, without losing the stability and stability of the equipment, which undoubtedly makes fishing more comfortable.
Cralusso bolo float
Thanks to the invention of the Hungarian sports fisherman Karoly Kralik, the world fishing industry has an excellent option for successful fishing in fast currents with a signaling device called cralusso bolo . The new product helped the Hungarian fishing team become world champions in float fishing in the 2003 season.
After the competition, the cralusso bolo variation quickly spread among fishing enthusiasts, gaining overwhelming success, which is not surprising, because fishing really becomes comfortable and quite productive. In addition, fishing can be carried out on currents of any strength, since the weight of the float, depending on its size, can vary from 0.5 to 40 grams. The cralusso bolo product is also widely known by float fishing enthusiasts as a torpedo. The signaling device is equipped with a functional petal, which is mounted in the upper part of the working body of the invention. The purpose of the petal is to increase the stability of installation on existing wiring and equipment supports.
The main wiring techniques consist of stopping the bait in the area of the bait table, as well as slow step-by-step wiring along tightly controlled trajectories in the currents. The design of the product involves attachment to a fishing line without contact with the main working body of the alarm. Thus, the floats have a high degree of control and can be installed at any chosen point.
Water-filling floats
Recently, more and more often you can find fishermen equipping float gear for fishing in the current with a water-filled version of the product. This invention cannot be classified as a modern development. This product has been known for quite a long time, but anglers have recently begun to introduce them to the specific needs of equipment for fast waters.
The advantages of the water-filled variation are the ability to accurately select the weight using only one product. Useful and effective for fishing conditions, the load is obtained by simply adding water, which is not a hassle when fishing, and is not at all expensive for the fisherman’s budget. In addition, a water-filling alarm can be safely classified as a type of universal float suitable for fishing both flowing and standing waters. There are three standard sizes of water-filling alarms available in fishing stores.
The working body of the float is made of transparent plastic for easy determination of the water level, and therefore the payload. The filling device is an antenna that is hermetically connected to the body. The alarm is attached to the fishing line using a blind or sliding method. As a rule, there is a fastening eye on the keel of the product, and a rubber nipple or soft polyethylene cambric is installed on the antenna with a blind type of fastening. The weight of the water-filling element for float mounting can range from 5 to 50 grams.
Casting a donkey
When dynamically pulling out the bottom, the sinker - spoon works like a real spinner spoon, and it’s simply a sin not to use it to break through the bottom topography, find promising differences on it and urgently adjust the casting range. Or even change the place of fishing if the subtle fishing intuition requires it.
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All the bottoms are laid in the target, the surface current draws long “whiskers” from the stretched fishing line, and a simple fisherman’s dinner in the evening twilight becomes only a forced short break in bottom fishing. The ringing of a bell or a suspicious change in the position of the fishing line is immediately regarded as a bite. Then run to the tackle, pick up a little slack, hook! And here it is, that joyful fishing feeling when at the other end of the fishing line something large moves in wide circles, giving us an unforgettable experience!
Fishing conditions can be very different, but I will focus on the most typical ones. First of all, let me clarify that by fishing conditions I mean the combination of all factors: the presence and speed of currents, depth, surface and bottom currents, wind, water waves, distance, bottom topography at the fishing point and fish activity.
Equipping your fishing rod correctly means half winning the battle. Fish can be caught with random equipment. But not much at all. And also random. If you want to fish consistently with professional quality, pay attention first of all to your equipment. Further - based on materials from A. Yanshevsky, a famous sports fisherman and the author of numerous publications on fishing topics.
Fishing Habit
The fact is that many fishing enthusiasts often fish in the same body of water, and, as they say, grind their gear to it. The fisherman constantly uses the same floats with hooks and uses the same fishing techniques.
Once on an unfamiliar body of water, a fisherman is not looking for accumulations of fish, but for places where he can use his gear and established fishing techniques. As a result, on a new body of water, the fisherman increases his collection of places convenient for fishing, without improving his skills and without mastering new gear and methods.
A new place has its own equipment
For example, athletes are required to fish in the sector that was drawn by lot, so they are to some extent spared from such a vicious circle. Although at present this is not entirely true. Often competitions are held in convenient similar places that have a lot in common, and athletes, as well as amateurs, are limited to a not too wide range of equipment, which they bring to perfection.
For many anglers, achieving the harmony of fishing in a familiar place with good tackle is a pleasure. But still, at some point you want something new and unexplored.
Often, trying to fish in completely unfamiliar conditions is driven by information from other fishermen, the desire to expand your capabilities and trophies. And then the moment comes when you come to a new place and the proven equipment and floats become ineffective.
Choosing fishing rod equipment
For novice fishermen, it is even more difficult to navigate a new place. They have no established habits. But these habits can do a disservice even for experienced ones. What can help most in an unfamiliar situation is information from local fishermen, i.e. already have experience of fishing in this body of water.
But it’s even better to be guided by your own thoughts and take into account generalized information about this or that equipment in certain conditions. Such generalizations are possible and every fisherman has them, but they are rarely talked about.
Recently, the range of floats has expanded significantly, but the problem of choosing a float and equipment remains.
The difficulty of choosing lies in the fact that the operation of the equipment depends not only on the design as such, but also on what fishing technique the angler uses.
Often the angler's style determines the design of the equipment, and not the fishing conditions. Therefore, with the same equipment, changing only the distribution of the load in it, you can fish both in currents with shallow depths and in deep standing water.
The most stable floats are also the most versatile, since they allow a wide variety of manipulations with the equipment. But very often, especially during cautious and inactive biting, a special (for specific conditions) design and technique for using it can be decisive. I want to share my own experience in this area.
Options for fishing conditions
Fishing conditions can be very different, but I will focus on the most typical ones. First of all, let me clarify that by fishing conditions I mean the combination of all factors: the presence and speed of currents, depth, surface and bottom currents, wind, water waves, distance, bottom topography at the fishing point and fish activity.
Strong currents combined with great depth create great difficulties for anglers. An example is the channel named after. Moscow, but this is such a particular and repeatedly discussed case that it makes no sense to return to it.
Consider the following example. A river with a smooth, medium or even fast current, with a depth of 4-5 m, at a distance of 10-12 m from the shore. When using a fly rod, the design of the equipment is as simple as possible, since the load is distributed at two points. The underhang is not far from the hook, the main sinker is not far from the underhang. When the rig floats freely, the weight distribution of the sinkers is such that it is possible to notice a possible bite “on the rise”.
The antenna should be matched to the weight of the bait, and the shape of the float is not so important. That is, for bloodworms and maggots, floats with a thin antenna are used, and for worms and heavy grains of corn or wheat, it makes sense to take floats with a thicker antenna.
In the case when you hold the rig floating, the current will lift the bait. The speed and height of the rise depend on the strength of the current, the mass of the bait, the artificial reduction in the speed of swimming, the distribution of sinkers and the resistance of the leash, that is, on its length and the diameter of the fishing line. Sometimes fish like it when the bait rises abruptly and quite high, and sometimes it’s the other way around.
A long leash is often used not only to make the bait play more actively, but also to delay the transmission of the bite to the bait. Large fish throw the bait if they feel the slightest additional resistance, and to prevent this from happening, the length of the leash is increased to 1 m or even more.
As soon as the fisherman begins to manipulate the equipment, he is faced with the question of choosing a suitable float. The more actively you manipulate the equipment, the more important the shape is.
For example, with periodic twitching of the equipment, alternating with a long free swim, designs (see photo above) 1 and 2 are good. If the current is medium in strength and you have to periodically stop the swim for a short time, then it is better to choose floats 3 and 4.
If, after casting, you fix the rod in one position and do not accompany your equipment with the rod, then it will float in an arc towards the shore. In this case, it is better to take a stable structure 5. The thin upper part of the body of which will show a bite even without an antenna.
If there are no bites on the rise (which depends on the fishing technique, and not on the fact that the fish lifts the bait and bait), then equipment with a float 6 is good. All of the above applies to fishing in a not very strong current and at a fairly large depth, when using equipment weighing approximately 6 g.
As the depth decreases, the requirements for choosing a float become more stringent. The fact is that the smaller the descent, the lighter the equipment required, but the main thing is that the distance between the float and the load is reduced and the entire structure as a whole becomes less stable.
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That is, it reacts to more minor forces, be it the turbulence of water or the pulling of equipment by a fisherman. At shallow depths it is necessary to use the most stable structures.
Floats with a low center of gravity are easiest to control. It is convenient if the float takes a vertical position in the water even before the weight has dropped. The distribution of the sinkers only becomes more complex when their total mass is approximately 1.5 g or more. Complex weight distribution is used when the angler is actively manipulating the rig.
If you use free floating, then all floats work with almost any distribution of weights, as long as the float quickly takes its working position. It is worth noting that in a ragged, turbulent flow with eddies, floats with an extended upper body (7 and 8) perform better. Free swimming at shallow depths is effective if the water is not cloudy and the fish are active.
In summer, when there is a lot of natural food and it is distributed by water flows over all horizons, you have to play with bait. To achieve this, the lightest but controllable equipment with the most stable floats is designed.
Floats 9 and 10 are good for this purpose. The latter are especially effective in holding the equipment at the fishing point, provided that the bait on a long leash goes much higher than the bottom. Almost the entire antenna of the float comes out of the water, but the bites are very visible.
In the final choice of a float, the manner of playing with the equipment, which is individual for each angler, plays a big role.
Loading the float
The simplest loading scheme is a sub-weight and a main sinker (Fig. 1). This design works well in currents.
If the fish takes much higher than the bottom and the bites are cautious, it makes sense to move the main sinker and distribute the sinkers along the line (Fig. 2).
With the selection of equipment for fishing in still water, the situation is somewhat more complicated, but more on that next time.
- rodents;
- representatives of the animal world of small size;
- bird (waterfowl);
- fish that are large in size are a fairly successful type of bait;
Do-it-yourself flat float for fishing in currents
Hardworking fishermen quite often prepare flat floats, especially the bubble type, on their own from improvised and inexpensive materials. As a result, they get flat types that actually work in difficult river fishing conditions. The most suitable material for making homemade products would be extruded high-density polystyrene foam or a type of wood such as balsa, which, however, is much more difficult to find than is common in the construction industry and, in particular, used as foam insulation.
From the selected material, using a sharp knife or a hacksaw blade for cutting metal, a workpiece is cut out, the template of which is previously prepared on a piece of cardboard. The shape of the dough can be taken from a real factory product, but it is much easier to find it on the Internet and transfer it to a piece of paper. Having cut the workpiece, it is brought to the desired streamlined shape with fine sandpaper, after which it is equipped with a keel and an antenna made of a bamboo stick or wire 0.5-0.7 mm thick. The attachment point can be organized by adapting a bent ring made from an ordinary paper clip for this purpose.
All elements are attached to strong, moisture-resistant glue, after which it has hardened, all that remains is to paint the antenna in a catchy color and begin assembling the float gear in the current. A well-formed and polished homemade product will be no different in its capabilities from a factory product, giving the angler fishing opportunities from shorelines and from a boat in the current.
Loading a float when fishing in the current
Loading a float for the current will not be limited to the elementary placement of a single shot.
Important! An ordinary rig with a single shot in the currents will constantly get confused and cling to the first obstacle that comes along, seriously complicating already difficult fishing.
For installations he uses unique loading techniques, among which there are three main directions.
Supporting the installation at one point is carried out with spaced weights, the first of which lies on the bottom of the river, the second and third are located 3–5 cm higher and prevent the equipment from getting tangled, and the fourth (90% of the total mass) is located another 25–30 cm higher .
Postings with short-term stops - the first load in a volume of 10% is mounted for laying on the bottom, the second and third, identical in weight, are attached after 25–30 cm and 40–50 cm according to the assigned number from the previous one, the last main load in the weight of 80% is placed after the third sinkers at a distance of 15–20 cm.
A highly sensitive weight used to catch bream - one pellet is placed on the bottom, after 5 cm from it, the second main sinker is attached to a volume of 90%. This type of load does not involve wiring, being stationary fed to the feeding point determined for fishing, which the angler must take into account.
Fishing in weak currents with a float
Fishing in the current with a float at a low stream speed is preferable with a selection of alarms ranging in weight from 4 to 10 grams. The installations include short leashes not exceeding 10 cm in length, which must be laid on the bottom of the reservoir. The next nuance is the effective shipment, arranged by three small pellets of similar weight. The first pellet is installed on the fishing line at least 10 cm above the leash. The next two are alternated with installation at exactly the same step.
The role of the last two weights is to form the speed of lowering the bait to the bottom, which is selected based on the fishing strategy: the type of fish or the ratio of the size of the bait to the forces of the river current to deliver the bait to the promising water horizon. The heaviest pellet is located directly behind the installed leader, thus allowing the bait to sink smoothly but confidently, without spooking even the most wary fish at all. Using this equipment method, roach, rudd and ide are caught on moderate and slow-flowing rivers.
Gear selection
We will use a Bolognese fishing rod 5-7 meters long. This is the best option. With its help, you can throw the tackle to the desired point and effectively control the equipment. When fishing at long distances, it is better to use a match rod with a length of 3.6-3.9 meters, which is convenient for making accurate long-distance casts. But if there is no match, then a lapdog 7 meters long will do. In fast currents, the fishing method is used. During each wiring it is necessary to make holds at the right points. Therefore, if possible, it is better to use tackle with a blind type of float attachment. An inertia-free reel with a spool capacity of 2000 to 3000 is installed on a Bolognese fishing rod. Sometimes you have to let out several meters of fishing line to lengthen the wiring distance. In such cases, the reel bail is torn off for a certain time, and the line is released as the rig advances. A stiffer and sinking fishing line of 0.2 mm is wound onto the spool. The type of float and its carrying capacity depend on the power of the jet and the depth at the fishing spot. In strong currents, use heavy floats. When fishing for chub or ide on the riffles, it is sometimes useful to use heavier models with a carrying capacity of up to 10 grams or more. More often they use models with a drop body and a load capacity of 6-8 grams. The stronger the current, the more rounded the float body should be. If the fishing depth is above 5 meters, then we use a sliding one.
As a rule, in places with a strong current, the fish takes quite confidently. Therefore, even bulky and heavy floats transmit bites well. In such conditions, it is more important to keep the float in the desired water level, and that it passes the entire area slowly enough. There will be more bites, and they will be clearer and more confident. There is no point in using floats with thin antennas. At medium and long distances, it can be difficult to see a thin piece of plastic among streams of water. The thick antenna is clearly visible from afar, and you won't need to constantly squint and strain your eyes. The diameter of the antenna for such fishing should be from 4 to 6 mm. Leashes are also used a little thicker than when fishing in still water, from 0.14 to 0.18 mm. They should be made of rigid fishing line so that the current does not twist into a spiral or something similar. The length of the leash is selected according to the task. If the rig needs to be carried along the bottom, then we use a leash 15-20 cm long. If we carry out the wiring in the water column, at a short distance from the bottom, then we put a leash 10 cm long. Large bream, over 2 kg, are usually not shy and greedily bite on such not exactly delicate equipment. It is clear that it will be easier to fish it out on tackle with a thicker and stiffer leash. To bring such a specimen into a landing net using a leash with a cross-section of 0.10 -0.12, you must have nerves of steel and be a virtuoso of float fishing. In general, it is better to have several leashes of different diameters and sizes. If in feeder fishing it is often enough to use leashes with one line diameter and vary only with the length (and there may be several options), then when fishing with a float rod in the current, you sometimes have to spend more time choosing leashes of the required length and cross-section. For example, you realized that today you can catch small roach or silver bream up to 300 grams in size. In this case, it will be enough to use hard leashes of 0.12 mm, and you will see more bites. And if during the fishing process larger fish come up - bream and ide, then in this case we can safely change the leash to a thicker one. The main thing is not to miss this moment, so as not to drag the trophy on a thin leash.
Fishing in the current with a sliding float
The fishing technique using a sliding version of the alarm is inherent in Bolognese and match fishing rods. Using this type of float attachment, deep-water sections of rivers are fished at medium, long and short distances. The rods are equipped with an inertial or inertia-free reel with a winding of at least 100 meters of monofilament fishing line. The installation itself consists of a restrictive stopper, after which the type of accessory required for the fishing conditions is threaded onto the thread, which is determined by first measuring the speed of the current, which gives indications for the choice of mass and type of float.
The stroke is limited by a second stopper installed below the signaling device. After installing the stopper, they begin to form an effective shipment according to the three previously presented principles of forming equipment. The end of the main line is completed with a blind loop, into which the leash required for fishing, equipped with a hook and the bait itself, will be attached.
To quickly change leashes, fishermen often use carabiners instead of loops, which simplify the replacement of an element of equipment under the prevailing fishing conditions. In this case, it is worth taking into account the nuance of the mass of the carabiner or fastener, which affects the overall weight of the installation and also reduces the delicacy of the equipment, making the tackle rougher and less sensitive, and even causing a certain amount of wariness, especially in timid and cautious and, as a rule, larger fish.
Feeder equipment on the current
Many people believe that feeder equipment on the current is not of fundamental importance. Actually this is not true. For an insufficiently experienced fisherman, equipment can indeed create many problems . But in general, if you choose it correctly, it will be quite convenient.
The feeder should not be too heavy, otherwise the fish will not be able to move the weight. On the other hand, a feeder that is too light will not be able to stay on the bottom. But this contradicts the very essence of such a fishing method as a feeder. In addition to the feeder itself, the weight of the equipment is affected by the weight of all additional elements; this must be taken into account when choosing such equipment.
Equipment for fishing with a feeder is also a feeder reel. Fishing with this method often leads to re-casting of the equipment. Because of this, time is wasted on reeling, the fish calmly swims past, and therefore experts recommend using a reel with a high gear ratio. The value of this indicator should be equal to 6. This also requires the presence of a spool of the appropriate diameter. Thanks to this device, the line twists less, and ultimately this allows you to achieve the required casting distance.
Please note that the spool should not be deep, since feeder fishing requires a thin line. In addition, such equipment requires a stopper to secure the fishing line over long casting distances. If a fisherman is just mastering the feeder, this will be especially important for him.
Catching fish in the current requires not only casting range, but also casting accuracy. If you cast the feeder correctly, then gradually the small space at the bottom of the reservoir will be saturated with food, and the fish will swim here on their own.
Feeder rigs for currents are also hooks. They are equipped with a ring and a spatula. It is very important to keep them sharp. An important role is played by fastening the hook - certainly with a fisherman's knot.
