Stick or stemmed floats, a different technique

by Carl Hyland on 21 Nov 2011 'Oi, your floats gone under' came the exclamation from my fishing mate, as my back was turned from placing the rod in its holder.

No way, thought I, as I had just cast my stemmed float out and surely the mud eye would not have been taken that quick. Needless to say, a beaut 2-kilo Brown trout flapping on the bank was testimony to what a successful method float fishing can be.

Too often anglers place bait on a single hook and fish the bottom of a lake, river or dam, expecting all fish to be bottom dwellers. Nothing could be further from the truth as most fish, whether they be pelagic species or freshwater dwellers, often swim and feed mid water and at certain times, as we all know, surface feed as well.

Using stemmed floats has a distinct advantage over other float methods and I’ll go into those shortly, but suffice to say, stemmed floats, especially wooden floats are fun to use, visually stimulating to watch (better than paint drying) and of course, waiting for that 'strike' or for the float to disappear is a magic moment, something even a seasoned angler will never get used too.

A stem float serves two purposes in angling one being that you have a purpose built 'strike indicator' floating in the water and two you can suspend whatever bait you choose at the right depth.

Wooden stemmed floats have only been around since the 1950’s and were developed by angler’s course fishing in the Ol’Dart.

A stemmed float lets you present a bait at the right depth, it can also run with the current and withstand float drift, often caused by wind, a common and annoying factor when bait fishing.

Which float to use:

Stemmed floats come in many shapes and lengths and of course, many different materials.

I find the best float material is wood or put quite simply, Huon Pine, which is exclusive to Tasmania. That is not to say that other timbers such as Cedar, Plantation Pine nor Beech would not suffice, I suggest you try to make your own and see what materials are easy to work with. There are also various float systems cleverly designed ready for you to use from various distributors, but I can assure you, there is nothing like manufacturing, using and catching fish on quality floats you can make yourself.

Choosing which sized stick float to use depends on the flow rate of the river or the depth of the dam you are fishing.

Obviously, the faster the flow, the heavier the stem floats, but for different depths here are a few ideas.

Firstly, the float needs to stand upright and as afore mentioned, needs to present the bait at the right depth.

This is done with the application of shot or 'split shot' as it is commonly known.

Split shot can be obtained in handy dispensing containers of varying sizes from local tackle stores or big chain stores.

The basic pattern for a stick float is the classic' shirt button' pattern. It is quite simply a row of shot placed equally on your main line below the float to your hook.

Try to use the least amount of shot that you can.

Materials:

Huon Pine, Beech, Plantation Pine, Old cedar are all worthwhile materials that are easy to carve into your own floats. Balsa wood is also o.k. but can be a bit light to cast.

Try to remember that your floats need to be light on top (weight) and slightly heavier on the bottom, this gives the float more of a chance to easily weight with shot and float in an upright position.

You will also need soft drawn galvanized wire to place in your float as line guides and possibly a stopper to tie the line to the float.

Colours:

Like lures, floats come in many different colors and sizes. What color you use will depend upon light conditions and the weather

Most effective floats come in black with possibly a fluero pink tip or yellow. Personally, I find a wooden float color effective (after all, most of the float is underwater) and the top 'visible' portion of the float to be either white or hot orange.

Most modern floats can be equipped with a light stick for use after dark, which is a chemical light, which glows when the mixture is mixed within a glass tube.

I personally use the Pokee brand, which is visible for up to 30 meters and is highly sensitive.

Baits Suitable For Float Fishing:

Anything that can be suspended by a wooden float can be used.

Mud eyes are great bait for use under stemmed floats and a small hook makes an attractive meal for a hungry trout. The freedom of movement gives the mud eye that attractive appeal trout find hard to resist.

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Wattle grubs, wood grubs and bardi grubs are also effective under a stem float, obviously a small grub is required and also remember to alter your placement of shot to allow for the weight of your grub. This will prevent your float from turning into a sinker!

Cockroaches and crickets.

These make great food for fish and when presented close to the water surface, are a deadly bait, so much so, that when used exclusively, will often account for more fish than any other method.

Rods:

There are many varied rods on the market suitable for casting stemmed floats. Traditionally, float rods tend to be longer than your average rod (12'), so shop around for a good one.

Silstar make some beaut Middy rods and are suitable for all trout Bass and bream applications.

I personally use a 12’ Heartland and a Jarvis Walker Black Queen Deluxe.

Remember the art of stick floating is basically a light tackle technique.

Most anglers make the mistake of trying to make their casting stroke too fast- like a snapping cast. This can be counter-productive when stemmed float fishing. All that is required is a nice easy round type of cast, which loads the rod gradually and lets the float fly clean and true to where you wish to place it.

Always use a sideways cast when casting your stemmed float, as an over arm or overhead cast can see float, bait and shot slide up the line towards the hook. As with any fishing method, practice is the key.

There are four general ways to use a stemmed float and here they are:

Hold back - Set the float over depth and cast about a rod length out and very carefully let out line until you have reached the area you wish to fish-this method is suitable for fast running water.

The fast flow of water will ensure your bait is always off the bottom.

Run through - Let the float ride the flow of the river. The bait should be just above the bottom of the river. It really does help if you know the depth of the river here.

Float dropping - This method always usually gets the fish immediately the float or bait hits the water.

This is the method to use when fish are 'tailing' or off the bottom. Make sure you set the float at mid water. Cast so that the shot and line falls away from the float (practice makes perfect). This will ensure that the bait gently falls towards the fish and quite often results in spectacular takes and hookups.

Drop and lift - This method allows the bait to rise and fall as it winds its way down stream.

Rig the float at the depth required, usually just short of the bottom. As the float moves away from you, trap the line with your finger as it comes off the reel, allow it to run free for a few meters and then trap the line again. This will allow the bait to 'plumb' the depths and often entices fish from streamside lurks.

Conclusion:

There is an enormous variety in stemmed floats and a sometimes-fierce local determination to resist outside influences on tackle and especially techniques. As a result of this, labor cheap overseas countries or small cottage industries guard their manufacturing methods very closely and secretly.

Despite that, any good tackle store or supplier will have plenty of suitable floats for sale and divulge the methods needed to use them.

There is no hard and fast rule to float fishing, give it a go, try the different shot patterns and you just may be pleasantly surprised.