Float fishing a suspended dead bait

If you're a newcomer to Pike & Predator fishing and need advice, you can ask in here
Post Reply
Black Orchid
Stickleback
Stickleback
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Sep 01 2017 16:22

Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by Black Orchid »

Hi guys. What's your thoughts on a float fished deadbait suspended mid water column with a single treble hooked in the dorsal area so that the bait sits horizontally... would this be ok to do ?

Thanks
delboy
Barbel
Barbel
Posts: 4271
Joined: Tue Jan 15 2013 06:00
Location: lea valley or used to be

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by delboy »

Funny ,I did just that today on a sunk float patanoster,only I was using a single and the whole herring was on a hair and it was fished so it looked normal in the water,didn't look to good and was not sure if it would take the cast,but it did and I had one on it,happy days,whats more I had two mores casts out of the same bait,how good is that
Nothing wrong with me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Its everyone else.
Black Orchid
Stickleback
Stickleback
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Sep 01 2017 16:22

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by Black Orchid »

Sounds good. It will be my tactic tomorrow. I'm hoping for a slight wind so it drifts my bait about to cover some more water . I'm fishing a venue that I have never fished before so fingers crossed it works... I will share any success on here
delboy
Barbel
Barbel
Posts: 4271
Joined: Tue Jan 15 2013 06:00
Location: lea valley or used to be

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by delboy »

Good luck boy
Nothing wrong with me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Its everyone else.
Steve Burke
Jack Pike
Jack Pike
Posts: 259
Joined: Wed Apr 29 2015 17:48

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by Steve Burke »

There's no need to have the bait horizontal. You'll find the pike couldn't care less. Neither will they mind if it's a half bait rather than a whole one.

Indeed, I almost always have at l least 1 rod if not 2 set up like this, although more often on a sunken float paternoster.
User avatar
Mike J
Ferox Trout
Ferox Trout
Posts: 11094
Joined: Wed Nov 09 2016 09:26
Location: Wessex

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by Mike J »

After I watched shoals of fish hang head down in midwater as the drifted with the current I mounted my baits the same way.
That was jn the '70's and I never use anything else, wont say what Ive caught using it but many have watched and used it with equal success.


Lots of info in past posts about this subject.

:thumbs:
'No Man Ever Fishes The Same River Twice, .... For It Is Not The Same River, .... And He Is Not The Same Man' Heraclitus of Ephesus
delboy
Barbel
Barbel
Posts: 4271
Joined: Tue Jan 15 2013 06:00
Location: lea valley or used to be

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by delboy »

Tell you what happened,bait fished hair though the tail so it hung vertical,5 hours,nothing,put the hair though baits body so it sat horizontal in the water and half hour later had a jack on it,Agree that most of the time it don't make a blind bit of difference ,but it pays to experiment surely :thumbs:
Nothing wrong with me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Its everyone else.
User avatar
Duncan Holmes
Barbel
Barbel
Posts: 4946
Joined: Mon Feb 20 2012 06:00
Location: In the heart of Norfolk
Contact:

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by Duncan Holmes »

What Steve and Mike said :thumbs:

I ponced around for years trying to get the bait to sit how I thought it was natural.

Then I started diving in gravel pits and realised I was very mistaken with what is natural and what isn't.
"The opinions expressed in any of my posts are my own and do not reflect the view of the any organisation that I may be associated with."
Chinned out
Jack Pike
Jack Pike
Posts: 310
Joined: Tue Oct 24 2017 18:06
Location: Southport

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by Chinned out »

I'm with delboy whereby if I'm suspending then I will have at least 2 options on the rods. If one outdoes the other then naturally I'm going to swap....
delboy
Barbel
Barbel
Posts: 4271
Joined: Tue Jan 15 2013 06:00
Location: lea valley or used to be

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by delboy »

I've seen shoals of roach hanging head slightly down(maybe 45 degrees),Looked like they were sleeping,Imo the pike do mind how a bait is fished,just not all of the time,sometimes they will have anything and everything and other times they will take a mackeral instead of a herring or a smelt or vice versa,sometimes half baits are better than whole baits or coarse baits are better than sea baits,sometimes they want it hard on the bottom,sometimes popped up a bit,so its not hard to imagine that sometimes they might,just might prefer a bait horizontal instead of vertical,
Nothing wrong with me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Its everyone else.
User avatar
Mercman
Barbel
Barbel
Posts: 2679
Joined: Sat Sep 10 2016 13:25
Location: Essex PAC 102

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by Mercman »

delboy wrote: Thu Oct 11 2018 12:47 -
I've seen shoals of roach hanging head slightly down(maybe 45 degrees),Looked like they were sleeping,Imo the pike do mind how a bait is fished,just not all of the time,sometimes they will have anything and everything and other times they will take a mackeral instead of a herring or a smelt or vice versa,sometimes half baits are better than whole baits or coarse baits are better than sea baits,sometimes they want it hard on the bottom,sometimes popped up a bit,so its not hard to imagine that sometimes they might,just might prefer a bait horizontal instead of vertical,
I agree with you there son... :thumbs:
Last edited by Mercman on Fri Oct 12 2018 12:31, edited 1 time in total.
Ray Waker
User avatar
dave-newman
Chub
Chub
Posts: 1083
Joined: Wed May 29 2013 05:00
Location: East Side....

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by dave-newman »

produced me a 30 last season and this method is always in my armory where ever i go......
JonBirkley
Stickleback
Stickleback
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Oct 15 2018 00:40

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by JonBirkley »

I fished with the bait mounted horizontal and vertical on Thursday and had runs on both!
cookiesdaughtersdad
Zander
Zander
Posts: 9956
Joined: Tue Nov 06 2012 06:00
Location: Cambs

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by cookiesdaughtersdad »

Don't think it makes much of a difference as you are not trying to imitate a live healthy fish but a dead or injured one.
When fish are dead or dying they will often be found off bottom as they lose buoyancy control so its a natural presentation to fish a suspended deadbait.

Cheers Alan
"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity" Seneca, some Roman chap.
Barndog
Stickleback
Stickleback
Posts: 32
Joined: Thu Oct 25 2018 14:30

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by Barndog »

How far off the bottom would you usually go with a dead bait under a float? I know to adjust the depth until you find something, but how far off the bottom would you usually start? How far off the bottom would you expect pike to usually lie?
User avatar
Dennis M
Roach
Roach
Posts: 116
Joined: Wed Jul 06 2016 14:18
Location: Belgium

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by Dennis M »

Trial and error.
Start as high as the length of your uptrace and trace combined, then work your way down along the day.
Some days pike will come up form any depth to grab your bait, other days they really want it in their face.
User avatar
Duncan Holmes
Barbel
Barbel
Posts: 4946
Joined: Mon Feb 20 2012 06:00
Location: In the heart of Norfolk
Contact:

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by Duncan Holmes »

Barndog wrote: Mon Sep 02 2019 13:35 -
How far off the bottom would you usually go with a dead bait under a float? I know to adjust the depth until you find something, but how far off the bottom would you usually start? How far off the bottom would you expect pike to usually lie?
Bait at 2/3rds depth to start with and move up from there.
"The opinions expressed in any of my posts are my own and do not reflect the view of the any organisation that I may be associated with."
Barndog
Stickleback
Stickleback
Posts: 32
Joined: Thu Oct 25 2018 14:30

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by Barndog »

Thanks folks.
User avatar
frankcarty
Roach
Roach
Posts: 236
Joined: Thu Jan 31 2013 06:00
Location: West of Ireland

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by frankcarty »

I used to suspend deadbaits in as "natural" position as possible. with a treble in the root of the pectoral fin, and one in the dorsal. From my experience it really doesn't matter what position they are suspended under a float, if a pike wants it, they will take it. I now suspend them with the mouth facing the float, I find it extends the life of the dead bait, and allows for a lot more casts before the bait breaks up, as its more streamlined as its reeled in. I have noticed not difference in my catch rate since I've changed.
User avatar
Fentiger01
Disco Dave
Disco Dave
Posts: 9967
Joined: Tue Sep 06 2011 05:00
Location: Far side of the moon.

Re: Float fishing a suspended dead bait

Post by Fentiger01 »

Steve Burke wrote: Tue Oct 09 2018 23:21 -
more often on a sunken float paternoster.
One of my favourite all time rigs and one which I think is a bit of a blinder when Pike fishing. :thumbs:

Longish tail with a decent sized swivel and a sunken float on it, bait on trace 'tails up', tighten to reduce the distance to the river bed, or loosen to increase.

Normally produces really positive runs, a really simple but great rig!
Eagles may soar, but Weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!
Post Reply