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Float fishing

Method · Last reviewed 2026-08-10

Suspending a bait at a controlled depth beneath a buoyant indicator — the most visual, most controllable and most widely applicable method in angling.

Float fishing solves two problems at once, which is why it has survived every technological change since the fifteenth century. It holds a bait at a chosen depth rather than letting it lie on the bottom, and it gives a visual signal of a take that is far more sensitive than anything felt through a line. Everything else about the method is refinement.

The refinements matter, though. A float carries a specified amount of weight, and how that weight is distributed down the line decides how the bait falls, how naturally it behaves, and how quickly a take registers. Bunched near the float, the bait drops fast and reaches the bottom quickly; spread down the line, it falls slowly and looks far more like something that fell in by itself. That single decision — shotting pattern — is most of the technique.

What it is

Fishing with a buoyant float attached to the line, carrying weight below it, so that a bait is presented at a set depth and a take is signalled by the float moving. Forms range from a simple pole float on a still pond to a long-trotted stick float running down a river with the current.

What it is for

To present a bait at a chosen depth, to see the take rather than feel it, and — in running water — to cover a length of swim with a bait behaving as though it were drifting freely. It is the method of choice wherever fish are feeding off the bottom, wherever bites are delicate, and wherever a natural drift matters more than distance.

Setting it up

  • Choose the float for the conditions first: more buoyancy for wind, flow and distance, less for calm water and shy bites.
  • Set the float to carry its stated weight so only the tip shows — an under-shotted float is an insensitive float.
  • Decide the shotting pattern by how you want the bait to fall: bulked for a fast drop through small fish, strung out for a slow natural fall.
  • Set the depth deliberately, and check it — plumb the swim rather than guessing.
  • Keep the line between rod tip and float under control; slack line means a take registers late or not at all.

What it catches

37 more

What you fish it with

1 more

How it works

The float supports the terminal weight and is balanced so that only its tip shows above the surface — which is what makes it sensitive, because a fish taking the bait only has to lift or draw a very small residual buoyancy. Weight below the float sinks the line and controls the rate at which the bait falls. In flowing water the float also carries the bait downstream at the current's pace, which presents it moving naturally rather than anchored against the flow.

Conditions

Float fishing is at its best in moderate depths, in manageable wind, and where fish are feeding in the upper part of the water or moving through it. A strong crosswind is the principal enemy: it drags the float and pulls the bait unnaturally, which is what sinking the line between rod and float is intended to counter. In flowing water, a steady, even current suits it far better than turbulent or slack water.

Common mistakes

  • Setting the depth by guesswork rather than plumbing the swim, and fishing a bait a metre off the bottom without knowing it.
  • Using a float too large for the conditions, so that a fish feels resistance before the float moves.
  • Leaving too much slack line on the surface between the rod and the float, which is then dragged by wind and by flow.
  • Bunching all the weight in one place regardless of how the fish are feeding.
  • Striking at every movement, rather than learning which movements are fish and which are the bait settling.

Advantages

  • The take is visible, which makes it far easier to learn to hit than a felt bite.
  • Depth is controlled precisely, so fish feeding at any level can be reached.
  • In flowing water it presents a bait moving naturally with the current.
  • The tackle is simple and inexpensive.

Limitations

  • Wind and surface drift move the float and the bait with it.
  • Distance is limited compared with a leger or a feeder.
  • In deep water, setting and fishing a very deep float becomes awkward.
  • It demands continuous attention — a float fished inattentively catches very little.

Terms you will meet

Shotting
The arrangement of small weights down the line beneath the float, which controls how the bait falls and how sensitive the float is.
Trotting
Allowing a float to travel downstream with the current, controlling its speed from the reel so the bait covers a length of water naturally.
Plumbing the depth
Finding the actual depth of a swim by attaching a heavy weight to the hook and adjusting the float until it sits correctly.

Where people fish it

527 places FishingHQ holds name this among the ways they are fished, across 93 coasts and systems. Being named here describes what sources report, not that the method is permitted — check the local rules before you fish.

85 further coasts and systems are not listed here. Browse every place FishingHQ holds.

The shotting pattern is the method, and here is why

A float is rated to carry a certain amount of weight. Where that weight sits between the float and the hook is the single largest decision in float fishing, and it decides something a beginner rarely realises is a decision at all: HOW THE BAIT FALLS.

BULKED SHOT — most of the weight together, well down the line — drops the bait fast and straight. That is what you want when small fish are intercepting everything on the way down, when the fish you want are on the bottom, or when a current would otherwise sweep a slowly-falling bait out of the swim before it arrives.

STRUNG-OUT SHOT — small weights spread down the line, decreasing towards the hook — makes the bait sink slowly and irregularly, which is how a loose offering actually behaves when it lands in water. This is the presentation for fish taking on the drop, for clear water, and for anything that has learned to be suspicious.

THE DROPPER SHOT is the one nearest the hook and it does a job of its own: it settles the bait, it registers the take at the bottom of the fall, and moving it up or down the line changes how far the bait can swing away from the line above it.

SO A FLOAT RIG IS NOT A FIXED ARRANGEMENT. It is re-shotted through a session as the fish change what they are doing, and an angler who has not moved a shot in three hours is fishing the same presentation to fish that have stopped wanting it.

AND AN UNDER-SHOTTED FLOAT IS AN INSENSITIVE FLOAT. If more of the float is showing than it was designed to show, the fish has more buoyancy to overcome before anything moves, and it will frequently decide not to. Loading the float until only the intended amount of tip is visible is not neatness; it is the whole of the float's sensitivity.

Trotting: fishing a bait that is going somewhere

In still water a float holds a bait in one place. In flowing water it can do something no other method does: carry the bait downstream at the pace of the current, so that the fish sees food arriving the way food arrives.

THE ENEMY IS THE LINE, NOT THE FLOAT. Line lying on the surface between the rod and the float is dragged by the surface current, which runs faster than the water lower down. Left alone, that bow pulls the float and the bait travels faster than the flow — moving unnaturally, and outrunning the bait it is supposed to imitate.

CONTROLLING THE LINE IS THEREFORE THE SKILL. Feeding line off the reel so the float runs freely, mending the line upstream so the bow does not build, and holding the rod high enough to keep line off the water are the three things a trotting angler is doing continuously. It is an active method, which is why it feels harder than it looks.

HOLDING BACK IS THE MOVE WORTH KNOWING. Slowing the float deliberately against the current makes the bait — which is downstream and below — swing UP in the water and travel slower than the flow. Fish that have followed a bait without taking it will frequently take it the moment it lifts and slows, and that is a decision by the angler rather than an accident.

READ THE SWIM AS A LENGTH, NOT A SPOT. A trotted float fishes many metres of river per cast, and the productive part is usually a defined stretch — the crease beside faster water, the tail of a pool, the seam off a bend. Watching where takes come and then concentrating the run on that section is how a swim gets worked out.

AND FEED TO THE PACE OF THE WATER. Loose feed introduced upstream travels as it sinks, so it must be put in far enough above the fish to arrive where they are — which means the feeding position and the fishing position are not the same place, and the faster and deeper the water, the further apart they are.

What the float is telling you, and when not to strike

A float moves for many reasons and only some of them are fish. Learning which is which is most of what separates an angler who catches from one who strikes.

THE CLEAN DISAPPEARANCE needs no interpretation. A float that slides under and keeps going is a fish that has taken the bait and moved down or away.

THE LIFT is a fish that has picked up the bait and, in doing so, lifted the dropper shot off the bottom — so the float loses the weight holding it down and rises. It is a real bite, it is often the only bite a bottom-feeding fish gives, and to somebody watching for the float to go under it looks like nothing at all.

THE DIP THAT RETURNS is usually the bait settling, a small fish, or the shot touching down. On a float set slightly overdepth in flow it may simply be the bottom.

THE SLOW SIDEWAYS DRIFT ACROSS THE CURRENT is generally a fish moving off with the bait, and it is a take. A float travelling in a direction the water is not going is doing something the water did not do.

THE FLOAT THAT WILL NOT SETTLE means the shotting or the depth is wrong, or the bait is being taken repeatedly on the drop by fish you have not registered as bites.

STRIKING AT EVERYTHING IS THE BEGINNER'S FAULT AND IT IS SELF-REINFORCING, because every unnecessary strike pulls the bait out of the swim, disturbs the fish and resets the drift. Watching a float for a full session without striking at the settles teaches more than any amount of instruction, and the movements begin to separate themselves.

AND THE ANSWER TO "HOW DEEP" IS ALWAYS PLUMB IT. Guessing the depth is the most common reason a float rig catches nothing, because a bait a metre off the bottom and a bait on the bottom are different methods and the float looks identical either way.

Float fishing at sea, and the problems the sea adds

Float fishing in salt water is the same principle as in fresh water — a suspended bait at a controlled depth, with a visual bite indicator — operating against three conditions fresh water does not impose.

THE TIDE MOVES EVERYTHING. A float in a tidal stream is not stationary; it travels, and the bait beneath it swings up in the water as the drag increases. That is frequently the whole point: a float trotted along a pier wall or out from a rock covers ground and presents a moving bait to fish holding in current. It also means depth is not what it was set to once the float is moving, and a bait set to fish at four metres in slack water may be at two by the end of a drift.

THE SWELL LIFTS AND DROPS IT. In anything other than flat conditions the float and the bait rise and fall with the surface, which imparts movement — useful for mackerel and garfish, unhelpful when a static presentation is wanted. Fishing a slider or setting the bait deeper reduces it.

AND THE BUOYANCY REQUIREMENT IS HIGHER. Sea floats carry more weight than freshwater ones because the bait is bigger, the tide is stronger and the distance is greater. That means a coarser presentation, and it is why sea float fishing is not a delicate technique except in sheltered harbours.

WHAT IT IS ACTUALLY FOR. Presenting a bait above snagging ground — the reason it works over kelp and rough bottom where a leger cannot go. Covering water with the tide. Fishing at a depth where a species is known to hold, which for mackerel, garfish, pollack and wrasse is frequently not the bottom. And fishing visibly, which makes it the best way to teach somebody sea angling.

THE SLIDING FLOAT SOLVES THE DEPTH PROBLEM. Where the water is deeper than the rod is long, a fixed float cannot be cast, and a sliding arrangement stopped at the chosen depth is the standard answer.

WHAT NOT TO EXPECT. Fine bite indication. A sea float in moving water is a coarse instrument, and a fish that takes without pulling the float under will not be detected. That is a limitation of the method rather than a fault in the setup.

What experienced anglers do — why, and the sources (2)

Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.

  • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Shore and boat practice in north-west European sea angling for the ground, method or species described, presented across multiple independent contributors.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
  • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated technique for this method, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as tested fact.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

What this is called elsewhere

FishingHQ’s headword is the term used in Britain & Ireland, Western Europe, Northern Europe.

Bobber fishing — North America
The same technique. 'Bobber' is the standard North American word for what Britain calls a float, and the tackle is generally simpler than the British float range.
Cork fishing — East & Southern Africa, South Asia
Widely used where the traditional float was a piece of cork, and still current as a general term.

Where to go next

Related techniques

Skills behind it

Compared with

Sources and evidence

Why the 63 connections on this page are here, and the sources

What it catches

What experienced anglers do — 44 connections

Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.

  • Atlantic mackerel

    An established way this species is taken recreationally in north-west European waters.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Shore and boat practice in north-west European sea angling for the species and method described, presented across multiple independent contributors.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practice connecting this species to this method, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as tested fact.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Ayu

    A practitioner claim about how Plecoglossus altivelis is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for ayu.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for ayu and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Ballan wrasse

    An established way this species is taken recreationally in north-west European waters.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Shore and boat practice in north-west European sea angling for the species and method described, presented across multiple independent contributors.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practice connecting this species to this method, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as tested fact.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Bermuda sea chub

    The Madeiran creel survey records surface fishing as one of the two dominant methods in the archipelago, practised by anglers who overwhelmingly use bread, and this is one of the two grazing species that bait is aimed at. A weed-eater with a small mouth feeding in white water is fished for by presenting bait as drifting food near the surface rather than by anchoring it on the bottom.

    • Importance of recreational shore angling in the archipelago of Madeira (northeast Atlantic) — Scientia Marina (CSIC), vol. 84 no. 4, 2020 (Scientific literature)Relied on for: The methods, baits, ground and time of day recorded for the Madeira archipelago's recreational shore anglers, from a 2017 survey of 653 of them.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: The widely restated practitioner account of how this species is fished.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Black seabream

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK and European sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of species behaviour and regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Blackhead seabream

    A practitioner claim about how Acanthopagrus schlegelii is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for blackhead seabream.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for blackhead seabream and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Bluegill

    Established angling practice for this species, recorded as convention. The note states the property of the animal or its water that makes the method the answer.

    • IGFA International Angling Rules and World Record Requirements — International Game Fish Association (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Recognition of the species as an established sport fish and the angling methods and tackle classes conventionally used for it.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practice connecting this species and method.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Bogue

    The Canary material describes boga taken on light float tackle in mid-water from mole and rock. That is a consequence of the fish's feeding: a bottom rig fishes below where the shoal is.

    • Canary Islands regional angling guidance sites — Various Canary-based angling and island guidance publishers (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Canary shore angling practice: the techniques and tackle used from rock, mole and beach, and the species each is used for.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Guías de zonas de pesca en Canarias — Tenerife, Gran Canaria y Lanzarote — GuíaCanarias (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: The techniques named for Canarian shore fishing — rockfishing, jigging, light bottom fishing and squid jigs — and the species attached to them.States this directlyPassage read and verified

  • Catla

    A practitioner claim about how Labeo catla is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for catla.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for catla and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Chub

    Established angling practice for this species, recorded as convention. The note states the property of the animal or its water that makes the method the answer.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Established coarse-angling technique and its application to the species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary British coarse practice for this species.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Common carp

    Long-established, independently described.

    • Still-Water Angling — MacGibbon & Kee, 1953 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Float and surface methods for carp in stillwater.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Float practice for carp predating the modern specimen era.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Corkwing wrasse

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling and shore gathering practice as reported by practitioners: ground, seasonal timing, tackle, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of technique, fish behaviour and regional practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Crucian carp

    A practitioner claim about how Carassius carassius is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for crucian carp.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for crucian carp and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Dace

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Established coarse angling practice, including method selection, presentation and the reasoning behind them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Freshwater angling technique and the principles behind method selection.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • European plaice

    An established way this species is taken recreationally in north-west European waters.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Shore and boat practice in north-west European sea angling for the species and method described, presented across multiple independent contributors.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practice connecting this species to this method, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as tested fact.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • European sea bass

    An established way this species is taken recreationally in north-west European waters.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Shore and boat practice in north-west European sea angling for the species and method described, presented across multiple independent contributors.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practice connecting this species to this method, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as tested fact.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Flathead grey mullet

    Established angling practice for this species, recorded as convention. The note states the property of the animal or its water that makes the method the answer.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Established sea-angling technique and its application to this species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practice connecting this species and method.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Garfish

    A practitioner claim about how Belone belone is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for garfish.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for garfish and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Grass carp

    Established angling practice for this species, recorded as convention. The note states the property of the animal or its water that makes the method the answer.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Established coarse-angling technique and its application to the species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary British coarse practice for this species.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Gudgeon

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Established coarse angling practice, including method selection, presentation and the reasoning behind them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Freshwater angling technique and the principles behind method selection.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Ide

    A practitioner claim about how Leuciscus idus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for ide.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for ide and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Korean rockfish

    A practitioner claim about how Sebastes schlegelii is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for korean rockfish.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for korean rockfish and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Nile tilapia

    A practitioner claim about how Oreochromis niloticus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for nile tilapia.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for nile tilapia and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Pumpkinseed

    A practitioner claim about how Lepomis gibbosus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for pumpkinseed.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for pumpkinseed and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Redear sunfish

    A practitioner claim about how Lepomis microlophus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for redear sunfish.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for redear sunfish and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Roach

    Long-established and independently described.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Float practice for roach in the pre-modern era.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Still-Water Angling — MacGibbon & Kee, 1953 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Float and bait practice for silver fish from an independent tradition.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Rock goby

    A statement about how a species is encountered or fished, which is convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling practice as reported by practitioners: species encountered, light tackle technique and shore ground.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of shore practice and species encounters, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Rohu

    A practitioner claim about how Labeo rohita is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for rohu.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for rohu and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Rudd

    A practitioner claim about how Scardinius erythrophthalmus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for rudd.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for rudd and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Salema porgy

    Salema is named constantly in Canary shore species lists and never as a deliberate target. The honest edge is that it is caught on the light float tackle used for the shoaling fish, not that it is fished for.

    • Canary Islands regional angling guidance sites — Various Canary-based angling and island guidance publishers (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Canary shore angling practice: the techniques and tackle used from rock, mole and beach, and the species each is used for.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Guías de zonas de pesca en Canarias — Tenerife, Gran Canaria y Lanzarote — GuíaCanarias (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: The techniques named for Canarian shore fishing — rockfishing, jigging, light bottom fishing and squid jigs — and the species attached to them.States this directlyPassage read and verified

  • Sand whiting

    A practitioner claim about how Sillago ciliata is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for sand whiting.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for sand whiting and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Shanny

    A statement about how a species is fished or collected, which is convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling and shore gathering practice as reported by practitioners: ground, tackle, presentation and seasonal timing.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of technique, fish behaviour and regional practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Sheepshead

    A practitioner claim about how Archosargus probatocephalus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for sheepshead.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for sheepshead and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Silver bream

    A practitioner claim about how Blicca bjoerkna is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for silver bream.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for silver bream and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Striped snakehead

    A practitioner claim about how Channa striata is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for striped snakehead.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for striped snakehead and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Tambaqui

    A practitioner claim about how Colossoma macropomum is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for tambaqui.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for tambaqui and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Tench

    Long-established and independently described.

    • Still-Water Angling — MacGibbon & Kee, 1953 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Tench method and the dawn feeding pattern in stillwater.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Tench practice from an earlier and independent tradition.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Thick-lipped grey mullet

    An established way this species is taken recreationally in north-west European waters.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Shore and boat practice in north-west European sea angling for the species and method described, presented across multiple independent contributors.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practice connecting this species to this method, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as tested fact.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Thin-lipped grey mullet

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling and shore gathering practice as reported by practitioners: ground, seasonal timing, tackle, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of technique, fish behaviour and regional practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Twaite shad

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Established coarse angling practice, including method selection, presentation and the reasoning behind them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Freshwater angling technique and the principles behind method selection.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Two-banded seabream

    The Canary regional angling material describes float-fished and light bottom tackle with small hooks and natural baits as the method for the shore sparids generally, and Diplodus vulgaris is one of the two commonest of them on Canarian rock.

    • Canary Islands regional angling guidance sites — Various Canary-based angling and island guidance publishers (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Canary shore angling practice: the techniques and tackle used from rock, mole and beach, and the species each is used for.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Guías de zonas de pesca en Canarias — Tenerife, Gran Canaria y Lanzarote — GuíaCanarias (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: The techniques named for Canarian fishing — rockfishing, jigging, light bottom fishing and squid jigs — and the species attached to them.States this directlyPassage read and verified

  • White crappie

    A practitioner claim about how Pomoxis annularis is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for white crappie.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for white crappie and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • White seabream

    A practitioner claim about how Diplodus sargus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for white seabream.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for white seabream and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Yellowfin bream

    A practitioner claim about how Acanthopagrus australis is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for yellowfin bream.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for yellowfin bream and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

Reported, not established — 1 connection

Reported, but without independent support. Recorded because it is in circulation, not because it has been shown to hold.

  • Saddled seabream

    The diary records saddled seabream from Playa Papagayo rocks and the Puerto del Carmen sea defences. Because the species feeds in the water column rather than on the bottom, a suspended bait reaches it where a leger fished on the sand does not — which is the practical consequence of the habitat evidence rather than an inference about tackle.

    • Species hunting adventures on Lanzarote — a four-part shore diary with a full tally — Something Fishy Going On (angling blog), parts also posted to World Sea Fishing, 2014 (Practitioner report)Relied on for: The light-tackle methods, rigs, lures, baits and hook sizes a species-hunting angler used on Lanzarote, and the species each took.States this directlyPassage read and verified

Related techniques

What experienced anglers do — 1 connection

Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.

  • Coarse fishing

    How British angling practice classifies it.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Float fishing as a core coarse angling method.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: The categorisation of coarse methods.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

What you fish it with

What experienced anglers do — 9 connections

Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.

  • Bread

    The bread page describes flake attached at one edge so the rest stays soft and buoyant. That behaviour is only useful where the bait is falling through the water rather than lying on the bottom, which is the presentation a float creates.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Specialist treatment of which bait or lure family this technique is fished with.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: The independently restated practitioner pairing of this technique with this family.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Casters

    The caster record makes the distinction the float method depends on — no wriggle, a faster sink, and a bait that reaches a chosen depth rather than drifting up from it. It is the standard alternative hookbait on the same rig rather than a different technique.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Specialist treatment of which bait or lure family this technique is fished with.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: The independently restated practitioner pairing of this technique with this family.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Double overhand loop

    Which knot a kind of fishing conventionally uses is established practitioner knowledge that converges across independent traditions and independent state agency guides, and it is labelled as consensus rather than as tested result. Nothing here ranks knots by strength: see `why-knot-strength-tables-disagree` for why that number does not exist.

    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Comprehensive British freshwater angling practice: terminal arrangements, leaders, droppers and the knots each is made with.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Classical coarse angling practice, including hooklength attachment, loops and the shotting arrangements they carry.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Improved clinch knot

    Which knot a kind of fishing conventionally uses is established practitioner knowledge that converges across independent traditions and independent state agency guides, and it is labelled as consensus rather than as tested result. Nothing here ranks knots by strength: see `why-knot-strength-tables-disagree` for why that number does not exist.

    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Comprehensive British freshwater angling practice: terminal arrangements, leaders, droppers and the knots each is made with.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Classical coarse angling practice, including hooklength attachment, loops and the shotting arrangements they carry.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Lobworms and worms

    The worm record's stated presentation error is burying the worm so nothing moves. A float holds a worm clear of the bottom with both ends free, which is the presentation that error is defined against.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Specialist treatment of which bait or lure family this technique is fished with.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: The independently restated practitioner pairing of this technique with this family.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Maggots

    The float-fishing page describes controlling depth and presentation, and the maggot page describes the bait whose whole use is being presented at a controlled depth.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of which lure or bait family this technique is fished with.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: The widely restated practitioner pairing of this technique with this family.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Stick float rig

    That a method conventionally uses this terminal arrangement, drawn from published description of practice rather than from any claim that it must.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Classical coarse angling practice: terminal arrangements, shotting, float attachment and bite registration in still and running water.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK coarse and match angling practice as reported by practitioners, including pole, float and surface rig convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Sweetcorn

    Sweetcorn is one of the few coarse baits that survives repeated casting and remains visible in stained water, which is the combination a float rig fished at a set depth in moving water needs.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Specialist treatment of which bait or lure family this technique is fished with.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: The independently restated practitioner pairing of this technique with this family.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Waggler float rig

    That a method is conventionally fished on a particular terminal arrangement, drawn from angling literature and from widely restated practitioner description rather than from testing.

    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Comprehensive British freshwater angling practice: terminal arrangements, leaders, droppers and the knots each is made with.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Classical coarse angling practice, including hooklength attachment, loops and the shotting arrangements they carry.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

Skills behind it

What experienced anglers do — 6 connections

Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.

  • Currents, eddies and where fish hold

    A link from a practice, an environment or a geography to the mechanism it rests on. It asserts that the mechanism is load-bearing here rather than merely relevant, which is the test applied throughout this file.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Long-running published description of how conditions are read in the practice named, by ground type and by region.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of how the condition named governs the practice named, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Getting bait where you want it

    A link from a practice or a piece of equipment to the mechanism or explanation it rests on.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Classical British coarse angling practice: river float work, shotting, bait delivery and the reels and rods used for each.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Comprehensive British freshwater angling practice including river float fishing, surface presentation and the equipment for each.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • How floats work

    A link from a practice or a piece of equipment to the explanation of what it is for. The two records are halves of one answer and the edge is what lets a reader arriving at either find the other.

    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Comprehensive angling practice including tackle setup, the function of each component and the balance between them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Classical coarse angling practice including float shotting, bite registration and terminal arrangement.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Margins, features, and why fish use edges

    A link from a practice, an environment or a geography to the mechanism it rests on. It asserts that the mechanism is load-bearing here rather than merely relevant, which is the test applied throughout this file.

    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK and European coarse, match and predator practice as reported by practitioners, including how conditions are read on the waters named.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of how the condition named governs the practice named, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Reading a tide for fishing

    Written only where the method's own conduct changes because of the condition — a different rig, depth, retrieve, or a decision to move or stop. Every condition is true of every method, so an edge that merely records that would distinguish nothing.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: British sea angling practice: how tide, wind, swell and water clarity change where and how a mark is fished.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Comprehensive angling practice across disciplines, including water reading, seasonal condition and the tackle each demands.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • The kinds of fishing, and how they differ

    A record joined to the beginner explainer that answers a question it raises. Written to open the beginner spine outward, which carried eleven internal edges and almost nothing else — a reader could circle it indefinitely without reaching a method, a habitat or a fault they were actually experiencing.

    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Comprehensive angling practice across disciplines, including tackle, water reading and the conduct of a session.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Classical coarse angling practice including approach to the water, presentation and the ordinary faults of a day's fishing.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK angling practice as reported by practitioners, including the faults beginners actually meet and what is done about them.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: British sea angling practice including shore access, pier and harbour fishing and session conduct.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

Official guidance — 1 connection

Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.

  • Float, bobber and quill

    The method depends on a distinction the vocabulary hides.

    • FAO fishing gear types and fishing technology information — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Float and gear terminology and function across fishing traditions.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

Compared with

What experienced anglers do — 1 connection

Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.

  • Strike indicators, and when they help

    Two records a reader would reasonably weigh against one another, joined where the comparison teaches something about both. A navigation claim rather than a claim about the world.

    • Trout & Salmon — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary game and fly angling practice as reported and restated by practitioners, including tackle convention and technique.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated angling practice and belief, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as tested fact.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

How FishingHQ labels evidence is explained in the evidence policy.

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