Using floats is one of the simplest but most potent ways to catch more and bigger catfish. Two mistaken ideas keep most catfishermen from ever considering them. First, many people think catfish feed exclusively on the bottom. Second, many believe floats are good only for suspending baits above bottom. But floats can be used to improve presentation, deliver and hold a bait in a particular area, and indicate bites. Primarily, however, a float helps drift a bait accurately and keep it moving smoothly along the bottom.

Tackle

 

Rod: 7- to 12-foot medium- to heavy-power casting or spinning rod with a moderately fast action.

Reel: wide-spool reel.

Line: 12- to 30-pound-test mono.

 

Rigging

Tie a five-turn uni-knot around your main line, using the same or slightly heavier line. This serves as an adjustable float stop. Slip on a small bead, followed by the slip float, hook, and lead shot. Now slide the stop knot and slip float up your line so the float suspends the bait near bottom.To anchor a big livebait for flatheads, tie on a swivel about 20 inches above a 3/0 to 7/0 hook. Add a 1- to 4-ounce egg sinker (depending on the size of the livebait) above the swivel. A big float is needed to hold up this rig.

Presentation

Float rigs are particularly deadly in rivers when they're drifted through the tail end of a riffle and into the beginning of a hole, along and around snags, and over flats such as the run at the tailout of holes. In all of these situations, livebait works well during early and late season, cutbait all season, and stinkbaits during summer. In deep slack areas in rivers and in reservoirs, ponds, and lakes, use floats to suspend cutbait for channel and blue cats running shad, or to suspend big livebaits for flathead cats. Large livebaits suspended beneath big floats are deadly for flatheads in rivers and reservoirs. No need to get the bait extra deep. Indeed, just about 5 feet down often does it, even when the water's over 10 feet deep. Flatheads spend a lot of time attacking fish riding near the surface. They can feel vibrations from the struggling bait.