FISHING WITH BARHAM
Here’s how to rig a float and use circle hooks for maximum effectiveness and a whole lot of fun
Float-fishing livebaits on circle hooks for bass.
If you’ve never tried fishing a live or dead bait under a float for bass, then you have been missing out on a heap of fun. I use this method towards the end of the autumn and in early winter, mostly because I’m too caught up in my lure fishing throughout the summer.
However, you can float-fish a bait for bass almost any time of the year, so don’t think for one second that it’s just a winter tactic.
First off, I must point out that I don’t use a leader when float-fishing, relying on my 30lb braid mainline straight through to save the hassle of drilling out the centre of the stopper bead so that the leader knot can pass through it.
To start, I thread a bead on my mainline, followed by the float, then another bead and a tiny link swivel to carry the lead weight, followed by another bead. Finally, I tie on a small swivel to the end of my mainline to trap it all in place.
As far as the trace goes, I like to use 25lb fluorocarbon, but only about 3ft maximum. Using this short length of stiff fluorocarbon helps prevent tangles and keeps the livebait away from the sinker.
The link swivel option, rather than using a drilled bullet lead, allows me to change my sinker throughout the day, if required. Decrease the amount of weight as the tide slackens, and add more as it begins to push harder. I’ll start with a 2oz ball lead.
I used to use a single treble hook, but the new bass legislations have changed all that, and for the past two years I’ve been using circle hooks.
SECRET CIRCLE
I’m going to let you into a little secret, as shown to me by my friend Martin Donald, who is possibly the most consistent bass angler I’ve met.
This ingenious method of fixing a smaller hook on the bend of the circle eliminates the risk of the livebait turning on the hook and masking the point. It gives the ultimate
presentation and near-perfect hooking potential. It stems from the old method of bridle-rigging livebaits, as used by many of the world’s top big-game anglers.
What you do is take a size 4 short-shank hook, such as the Kamasan Specialist freshwater range, and then, using 15lb braid, whip the eye of the small hook to the bend of the circle hook. Do this by first tying the end of the braid to the bend of the hook, then pass the tag end through the eye of the smaller hook, around the bend of the circle, then back through the eye of the smaller hook and so on six times. You then tie off the end of the braid, and trim it with scissors.
Once you have the smaller hook attached to the bend of the circle hook, you can manoeuvre it into place. Once you are happy with the positioning, apply a blob of superglue to set it all in place. When baiting up, you pass the point of the smaller hook through the top lip of your baitfish and you’re good to go.
THE METHOD
The key is to know your mark. It’s easy to pinpoint where the bass are likely to be thanks to modern sonar technology. In a lot of cases it will be a drop-off on a reef or offshore bank where it goes from, say, 40ft up the bank/reef to 60ft or 70ft on the drop-off.
The bass will often be hiding behind this drop-off, waiting to ambush anything that comes over their heads.
Bass like fast water, which is why I often pick a spring tide. This can present problems when trying to float-fish because the tide quickly carries your float away out of sight. If you lock it off and don’t continue paying out line, then the tide simply lifts your bait up in the water away from the feeding zone.
The easy tactic to use in this situation is called ‘holding off’. Once your float is away from the boat and you are approaching where you think the bass might be feeding, you thumb the spool of your reel and allow the tide to lift your bait up in the water. Once you’re near where the bass are, you take your thumb off the spool and dump a load of line so that your float gets carried away naturally by the tide, allowing your bait to sink and waft naturally past the bass.
Keep doing this at regular intervals and you’ll cut down the distance between you and the float compared to what it would have been if you’d just let it drift away unhindered.
You must never ‘strike’ when using a circle hook. Instead, use the weight of the fish and the fact that it is running away from you to set the hook. If you try and strike while using circle hooks, you will lose 80 per cent of your takes. Let the fish run, tighten your drag and wait for the fish to hook itself.
LIVE AND DEAD BAITS
Float-fishing over a drop-off doesn’t necessarily require live baitfish. I’ve caught just as many bass on dead fish as I have on live ones. During the winter the choice of livebaits for float-fishing is limited to maybe pouting and whiting, both of which don’t last too long in a livewell. Don’t be put off if you only have a few freshly killed baits in the tank – stick one on and give it a go. ■