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Float Fishing

Float fishing is one of the most practiced methods of fishing. It can be done on a river, on a lake or at sea and the basics are the same for all places, of course the tackle will vary.

You can get almost into a trance watching your float waiting for the tell tale sign, be it a faint dip of the float in the water or the float disappearing as a hungry pike takes bait, hook and everything else in sight.

To get set up you need to purchase some equipment, as with most things you do now a days this can be expensive. All you have to remember when you go into the tackle shop is you only need the basics to get started. If you enjoy it then you can develop your tackle box into one to take on all fish and all conditions.

For now all you need are the basics, have a look at this selection of float fishing tackle to see the gear you need to get started. When it comes to the floats there is a lot to choose from - avons, balsas, sticks, wagglers, drift, sliding, etc.. So where do you start, this can depend on the fish you are wanting to catch, where you are going to fish, the time of day and year and other factors.

You are better off starting small, don't try to catch the biggest fish in the river on the first day (if you do try and manage to do it, well done and can you send me your secret and some off your luck). If this is you starting off then there are some knots you will need to know so when you do catch the biggest fish in the river he doesn't get away. Have a look at these fishing knots to see the type of knots you will need and how to tie them.

Presentation is Everything

Ok now you have the gear and know how to tie it all together, there is still how you present the bait to the fish to consider. You can try how I started and tie on the float, weights and hook, put the bait on the hook, cast it out and wait. You better get used to the picture on the right, because you are going to see a lot of it.

When float fishing, as with most other methods of fishing, there are special set ups known as 'rigs' to help you present the bait right and not get tangled up. These fishing rigs make use of the tackle's features to enable you to cast right, present the bait right, know when there is a bite and be able to strike right to hook the fish. For more information on these rigs have a look here.

Don't forget the fishing rig can only do part of the work for you, you will have to learn the proper ways to cast so the rig can do its part.