I just watched an episode of Midwest Outdoors TV where they were spider rigging a 1/4 oz Capps & Coleman using slip floats. What is the advantage of using the slip float vs. straight vertical trolling? Is the technique the same?
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I just watched an episode of Midwest Outdoors TV where they were spider rigging a 1/4 oz Capps & Coleman using slip floats. What is the advantage of using the slip float vs. straight vertical trolling? Is the technique the same?
There are times that you just can't see the bite tight lining and this is where the float can make all the difference. I have been fishing on Reelfoot and not catching a thing and somebody over from us using floats was just wearing them out. There are a lot of guides that use them. I use them from time to time, I don't know if this answered your question or not.
Sometimes the corks give the baits a completely different action. Wave action imparts a much different action than the line coming off of the rod tips. Corks can move ever so slightly with wave action, where as my pontoon takes a pretty good wave to move or bounce the rod tips.
I usually try a mix of cork rigs, and straight un-corked, until one seems to work better. Some days it doesn't matter, with both styles staying in for the day. Small corks, properly balanced, provide far less resistance for the fish to feel when taking the bait, than a rod tip. If they are hitting hard it becomes irrelevant. I think I just like watching a cork go under.
I also think that using a cork helps to set the hook on a light bite. Fish takes the bait, without feeling the resistance of the cork, moves the bait off a few feet, and then gets to the place where the slack is all out, and the rod takes care of the hookset.
Most using minnows use corks here spiderrigging, but not slip corks.
I use them from time to time but not if the fish are deeper than 12 feet or there is heavy wind/wave action because they can become a pain to manage in those conditions.
I love to use corks spider-rigging shallow water. If I have a twelve or fourteen foot rod fishing 3ft deep its hard to land a 2pound fish. So I can put slip corks on let out 4 or 5 ft of line and still have a good chance of landed a big fish. I can also fish 3fow a 1ft deep with corks. There you can cover a shallow flat that you know has spawing fish on it. EB
I normally fish 10 poles spider riggin... 2 with slipcorks, 8 without...
But I rig my spider riggin slipcork a little different than normal....
I use a bobber stop above "AND BELOW" the slipcork....
This keeps the slipcork from sliding down the line toward the bait from the drag in the water....
And it allows me to slide the "lower" bobber stop out of the way when I want to cast that slipcork rig to a far away target...
Rickie
For it to work right you need to peg the float. Where this shines the most is when the bite is so light most have no ideal the fish is there. But you will see that slip float lay over its a good one for the most part. Then others will just move it sideways a touch. In hot weather or Cold water floats will out fish others so bad its unreal. I have been on ReelFoot when others around us were not catching a fish, While we were having a fire drill. As in 7 to 10 fish at a time while others could not catch that many in a day.
Pete
The key reason for using slip floats is bait stabilization. I personally believe that if you watch your poles AND your line you'll see light bites on a calm day.
I do use slipfloats sometimes on windy days to counteract the bouncing from the waves. When the bow is bouncing, your poles are bouncing, and your minners look like they're on a see saw. If you match your float size to the amount of weight used (3in float over 1/2 oz for example), the float will "cut" the waves rather than ride the crest. Let out a little extra line to take your bouncing rods out of the equation, and you're set. Shiloh Red gave a great example of a time this can be deadly. In cold water fish can be lethargic and only willing to bite something that ain't too hard to catch.
All that being said, I usually tightline. Gotta love that twitch! :)