When to use floats with lindy rigs?

[idratherbefishing]

i have used lindy rigs for some time and always wondered if and when is the right time to use a float with the rig. i usually have the best luck with just a bead and bait. is there a time of the year or condition when a float would enhance the rig?

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"Fishing is a condition of the mind in which one cannot possibly have a bad time."
idratherbefishing

[Finlander]

Just expirement and try a floating rig or floating jig head.
Time of yaer does'nt make any difference!
A black floating jig head with jumbo leech works good on Mille Lacs drifting along 10-15' of water and using 1/4 ounce walking sinkers and letting out alot of line to get the hook a little distance from the boat.
The sinker drags on the bottom and sometime gets a little crud on it, but I use a 7' snell and the floating jig head will be a foot above the bottom enticing the walleyes to bite, and the hook always stays clean!
Good Luck!

[This message has been edited by Finlander (edited 05-12-2004).]

[Thomas]

only if you start marking fish up in the water.

[LocalGuide]

Or if there is a little sand grass or moss on the bottom. Thats when it may be time to break out a floater.

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And keep those hooks sharp!

[TMan]

The time to use a flaoting jig head or float is really subjective. The posts above are good triggers toward using one, althoug, I would not specifically say you need to wait until they are way up (great than 2 -3 feet?) in the water column. The hight a floater actually floats is dependent upon: weight of the bait (Minnow Vs crawler Vs. Leech), speed of the boat, and length of the snell it is on, and the manufacturers specific lure. Obviously if fish are closer to the bottom, use a shorter snell (I've used as short as 18 inches). Higher up = longer, faster drift or troll = longer. Slower = shorter. You really have to experimnet with which combination of these will put the lure in the fishes strike zone. But make no mistake, floaters rock.
Mike
www.phelpstackle.com

[lindy rig]

I almost always use the floaters. Probably a confidence thing..

[ccarlson]

I like floaters on canadian shield lakes to help stay out of rocks. The extra bulk and color also seem to help in the tanic stained waters.

I prefer the soft bodied floaters but they are all poor hook quality. Especially the northland tackle gumdrop floater. If hook strength is of great concern go with a regular octopus hook, a bead, and then an inline slip float.

As an added mix, you can peg the in line slip float with the tip of a tooth pick at various distances from the hook which can be good at times.

ccarlson

[TMan]

Ccarlson,
We use VMC hooks in our floaters, i.e., the original Phelps floater. Some "Other" companies have chosen not to use higher quality hooks in their knock-offs, don't mistake those for the original Phelps line.

[guts]

ccarlson,
When you talk shield lakes and tannic acid, it sounds like the Kabetogama chain.

I prefer owner hook snell combinations, the knot area of the snelled hook is kind of encased in a bead of chartruse, its a nice light hook, red, with 8# test mono, then if a floster is needed, somthing like a lindy float can be used. If its crawlers, I suggest inflating them. Guts

[ccarlson]

TMan,
I looked at your HSOforum. Is that vmc hook on the phelps floater a soft wire aberdeen style hook?

I prefer a lightwire, more brittle metel with less flex. That is why I have gone to the new lighwire octopus hooks for my regular snells and then add in line floats as needed. The thing I always admired about companies like Gopher tackle is that they use quality hooks. They don't, however, make a soft bodied floater. Maybe Phelps will convert me back if you have the right hook. I know Northland doesn't.

ccarlson

[Chad711]

Do you fellas drift or actually use this setup trolling?

[TMan]

CC, I stand corrected, we have switched all of our floater hooks to Mustad due to the ability to get the bend and style we wanted for the new Wobbler design. We stayed with VMC for our jigs and musky lures and Owner hooks for our Bass lures (For the same reasons). I can assure you we would not use Mustad if they were inadequate. I hope you will give us a try again. We have been providing quality, USA made (MN for that matter), tackle for 35 years and won't risk that for saving a couple cents on a hook. Good luck.
TMan