Using a float rod lets you present a bait suspended at a chosen depth in the water. The float sits on the surface, acting as your bite indicator and when a fish takes your bait, the float will submerge indicating a bite. In this article, I will go through setting up a float rod and tying a simple but effective float rig to present a bait.
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Putting the rod together
A float fishing rod typically comes in 2 to 3 pieces. For shorter rods, usually 12 feet or less, they are generally two pieces, while rods longer than 13 feet often consist of three pieces, making them less than 6 feet when packed for easy transport. To assemble the rod, connect the sections by sliding the tip section over the spigot of the butt section. When joining the sections, make sure the guides (eyes) are aligned to ensure optimal line flow through them.
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Attaching the Reel
The butt section of the rod features a reel seat located on the handle. This is where the reel is secured, typically using a down-locking pipe seat (DPS). Place the foot of the reel (the flat plate of the reel body) into the seat, then tighten the down-locking mechanism by rotating the collar counterclockwise to secure the reel.
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Threading the Line
To thread the line, open the bail arm of the reel to release the main line. Begin threading it through each guide of the rod all the way to the tip. Be careful not to skip any eyes or allow the line to wrap around the rod's blank during this process, as this can restrict line movement and potentially cause it to break during use.
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Tying the Rig
After the line has been threaded through the guides, you can proceed to tie your rig. In this example we will set up a float that attaches at the bottom end. Thread on to the mainline a float adaptor (this will allow you to quickly change float without breaking down the rig) and lock in place with the correct split shot.
Floats normally have a weight guide to cock the float, some floats come ‘loaded’ which means they already have most of the weight loaded on the bottom of the float. A ‘unloaded’ float carries no weight and all this is added using split shot. See our split shot conversion chart select the correct split shot combination for the float you wish to use.
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Once the float is locked in place, tie on a hooklength swivel on the end of the mainline this is where the hooklength will attach (by using this swivel you can quickly change hooklength and it also will suppress line twist in the hooklength when retrieving).
Here you can add your dropper shot that will fine tune the presentation of the float and bait. Consider that the weight of the hooklength swivel will act as a dropper shot and place a shot 2” (5cm) above the hooklength swivel. You can add and takeaway dropper shot to fine tune the amount of float tip showing above the surface. Then connect a 15cm hooklength to suit the bait you wish to use, and the rig is complete. Next you will have to find the correct depth you wish to fish by plumbing the depth.
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