Tips to Float Fish in Australia with Style!

What is float fishing?

The idea of float fishing is simple. Many land-based anglers know that the most successful manner of fishing off the rocks is to present the bait to the fish in the most natural way possible, by floating a lightly or unweighted bait in the wash along a burley trail. Float fishing is the most effective method for accomplishing this because the float makes it easier to indicate a bite whilst suspending the bait at your desired height in the water column.

In Australia, float fishing requires some skill and smaller gear than other fishing methods to target fish species like bream, blackfish (luderick), black drummer, small kingfish, salmon, garfish, tailor and so on.

Where should I use floats to fish in Australia?

• Float fishingestuaries, rivers, enclosed areas: Lighter gear is used when fishing in an estuary, river, or enclosed location that has less swell and is generally calmer than the ocean. Of course, the gear and setups will vary according to the conditions and the species of fish. In general, a rod with a length of 1.0-1.5 and a reel with a capacity of 1500-2500 will be used in these conditions to target smaller species such as bream, tailor, salmon, and trevally. The rig will typically consist of a lighter float with a buoyancy of 0 to 0.5. Lighter gear will pay dividends in these areas because fish may be shyer than in spots with a lot of waves and washes.

• Float fishingopen seas, ocean rocks:A large number of fisherman will fish in the open sea or in regions that are not enclosed, causing larger waves and more wash. In these fishing environments, gear will vary according on the individual's preferences, the fish targeted, and the methods used to fish. In general, bigger gear will be utilised to target larger fish species:

Medium – Heavy floats for drummer, salmon, small kingfish: Stronger and larger fish necessitate stronger fishing gear. In these cases a reel with a capacity of 2500 - 4000 and floats with a diameter of 0.8 - 1.2 will be suitable. Anglers will control the depth, baits, and hooks depending on the fish species and baits utilised. Drummer are typically caught on the bottom, near rocky platforms, using prawns, bread, and cabbage weed, whereas salmon and kingfish are caught near the water's surface with baits such as squid and pilchards.

Light – Medium Floats for bream, blackfish, trevally:Light to medium tackle can still be used when fishing in wide waters to catch fish like bream, blackfish, and trevally. The fishing gear can be similar to that used in estuary float fishing, however larger buoyancy floats may be required to fish in the ocean for float fishing for species like bream and blackfish.

What Bait should I use float fishing?

The best bait for float fishing is essential for capturing that target fish. In comparison to Australian surf/rock fishing, bait will be used in smaller proportions for float fishing. However, the bait type is identical to that used for rock fishing in Australia.

• Black drummer/Silver drummer: cabbage weed, bread, squid, cunjevoi, crabs
• Blackfish: cabbage weed, bread, squid
• Bream/Snapper: prawns, squid, pilchards, white bait, bread
• Kingfish: squid, pilchards
• Mullet: bread
• Salmon: squid, pilchards
• Slimy mackerel: pilchards, squid
• Tailor: pilchards, squid
• Trevally: prawns, squid, pilchards, white bait, bread