Whatever Floats Your Bait

[TubeDude]

[cool][size 3][blue]s[font "Times New Roman"]k8heaven brought up the subject of using floats to keep your bait off the bottom when fishing for walleyes. That is also a good tactic for many other species, especially when there is a layer of muck or weeds on the bottom that makes it difficult for your quarry to see the bait if it is “stuck in the muck”.[/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]A lot of Utah anglers have been using floating baits for years. Not only the floating “bottle baits”, but the deadly worm and mallow combo. Let’s see, which goes on the hook first…worm or marshmallow? I can never remember that.[/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]I thought maybe a few folks might like to get some ideas on how to make their own floats, without having to argue budgets with the finance department (spouse). Most of us have a few different sources of floating materials around the house that we can use to either make our own floating jig heads or simply little floats to slip on our line between sinker and hook.[/font]

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[font "Times New Roman"]I have been making both floating jig heads and line floats for many years. In the attached pic, you can see that I make them from hard Styrofoam as well as softer rubber foam. Just be sure you use “closed cell” foam, or it will soak up water and not do the job. You can also use cork, balsa or other light materials.[/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]Floating jig heads are available through many tackle sources. I make my own. These heads are great for fishing crawlers, minnows or cut bait…either anchored on the bottom or dragged behind a bottom bouncer rig. Experienced walleye chasers will attest that the fish will sometimes hit a bait on floating jig heads when they won’t touch the natural bait by itself.[/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]In the examples in my pic, you will note some larger sizes and some fancy colors and glitter jobs. Besides using floating jig heads for natural bait, I also use them for fishing plastics for bass. I rig them on a Carolina rig, with a sliding sinker. After casting out, I let the floating rig rise a few feet and then reel it back down to the sinker. The rising and falling plastic sometimes knocks them dead. You will note that I also tie in some mono week guards on some. Helps when you need to reel back through stickups or snags. Doesn’t hamper hook setting if you do it right.[/font]


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[font "Times New Roman"]To make simple line floats, you can cut plugs from your foam material any old way you want. Use Grampa’s whittlin’ knife, a razor blade, a pair of scissors or all of the above. I like to begin by using a sharpened tube to punch out a plug and then trim to shape. Any kind of metal or plastic tube will work. In the pic I have salvaged a piece of broken fishing rod, of just the diameter I want for my floats, and filed one end sharper to help cut through the foam cleanly. I do not hammer it, but simply push and twist until it comes out the other side. I then push out the plug with a little piece of dowel (or pencil) and finish trimming to the shape I want.[/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]You can put the foam float on your line a couple of ways. You can thread your leader through a needle (before tying on the hook) and then pull the line through the foam. It will stay in place, but can be easily slipped up or down for adjustments. The second way is to make a slit in the foam with a razor blade and then just slip it on the line when you want a floating bait.[/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]You can leave the foam white. White is an attractor color for many species. In fact, it is not unusual for trout or other species to take a whack at a piece of white foam. They DO eat marshmallows. Heck, if you are fishing for trout, rig the white float with a hook. If you want colors, either use colored foam or color them yourself with permanent markers, plastic lure dye or vinyl paint. Use waterproof colors. Duh. Take an assortment of colors. Some days one color will work better than others at helping to attract strikes on the bait.[/font]

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[pleasantmisery]

Hey, that's a pretty cool idea. I think I may have to give that a try.
Thanks for the info.
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[FlyingFish]

[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]I saw Bill Dance give buoyancy to a tube jig by inserting a foam ear plug, the type used for hearing protection, into the cavity. Your homemade plugs would do the same for the tube. [/size][/font]
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[BASSINFUL]

You can also inject a nightcrawler with air with a shot needle. Works real good!
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[CROSSINEYES]

NOW THAT IS SLICK.. GREAT IDEA. JUST INSPIRED ME WITH A KILLER. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT.
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[hlmn]

Wow great info TD, thanks. Hey come to think of it there are tons of those little foam earplugs all over the place at work I bet they would make good floating jig heads.[]
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