striper float rig.....or w/e it's called

[MASSfisher0311]

ive been surfcasting for a while now and i use the usual 2-3 oz. weight on the fishfinder with a 2 foot leader with a 4/0 hook....lately i have been having bad luck fishing and im almost convinced that when my bait is on the bottom its harder for fish to find it or even pick it up....i bought a bass rig with a float the other day havent used it yet...i feel like ill have more luck with it cause its suspended in the water were the fish can see it, skate and crabs cant eat it, and it wont get stuck in seaweed were fish wont be able to get at it....anythoughts on this and any tips on how i should use the rig? thanks a lot

[TonyDB]

I believe it was last summer we had a discussion on the use of a float on a fishfinder rig. Here's my opinion. If you want to use the fishfinder rig you have to carefully match the weight of your bait to the bouyancy of the float. If the float is too bouyant for the bait, your bait will float up near the surface...usually not a good thing. So, IMO if you really want to use the float, lose the fishfinder rig.

If you really want to use both you can either trim your bait to match the float or the float to match the bait. Here's one thing I've used with success but again it takes trimming. I use a cork from a wine bottle and trim it. I then slide in on the hook and bury the eye in the cork to secure it. Cheap, but effective.

If you're under-age, have your father buy a case of good Chardonnay, I'll drink it for you and provide you with all the corks free of charge. I think the fish prefer white wine corks. :)

[erizerme]

You should also consider a High-Low rig, keep's your bait bait off bottom. A 48" leader with two dropper loop's on it,spacing depends on where you want your bait to hang in the water column, Barrel swivel at top, snap lock on bottom for your weight. You do have to keep your line taught ( from shore) or they will just lay on the bottom. work's well and they tend to hit the top loop.