Fishing float

This article is about angling floats. For fishing net floats, see fishing net.

This article is about angling floats. For glass net or dropline floats, see glass float.

Different types of fishing floats

A float, also called a bobber, is a device used in angling that serves two main purposes: it can suspend the bait at a predetermined depth, and it can serve as a bite indicator. They are often used in conjunction with a fishing sinker. Fishing with a float is called float fishing.

Floats come in different sizes and shapes. They are usually brightly coloured so they are easy to see.

• The waggler is a thin tube of plastic with a line threaded through an eye at the bottom. It is commonly used as a running line float on still waters.
• The avon has a somewhat large and oval-shaped hollow area near the tip. Extra shot is added to the line so only the tip shows, allowing the line to be cast further. Avons are used in slow-flowing water.
• Long, thin floats are very sensitive and are used for coarse fishing

Directional floats

There are also floats that allow directional control on rivers. If the current in the river is not too fast, it is possible with these floats to steer left or right down stream. In this way, areas can be reached which could not be reached in any other way. This eliminates the need for multiple casts. Directional floats can also be made to work in still water, such as lakes. If there is no current, the float is reeled in at about one quarter of the normal speed, using a travel of 4 inches for each 1 inch of reel. This reduces the number of times needed to cast by a factor of four. They can be used to steer under docks or trees.

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  Stages of manufacturing a fishing float

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  The slider and other floats, from A Book on Angling by Francis Francis, 1876

See also

• Ledgering

References

• Lane, Billy (1976) Float fishing: tackle and techniques for still and running water, Cassell, Cornell University.
• Marshall-Hardy E (2006) Angling Ways - A Complete Guide to Coarse Fishing Page 144–150, Read books (originally published 1934). ISBN 9781406797497.
• Martin JW (2010) Float Fishing and Spinning in the Nottingham Style Read Books (originally published in 1882). ISBN 9781444642360.
• Salter TF (1815) The angler's guide: being a complete practical treatise on angling Page 50–165, Haines and Turner, Harvard University.
• Schultz, Ken (2009) Ken Schultz's Essentials of Fishing Page 334–335, John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 9780470444313.
• von Brandt A (2005) Fish catching methods of the world Page 141, Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 9780852382806.
• White, James (1840) Sporting scenes, and country characters Page 299–304, Martingale, Oxford University.