Quote Originally Posted by fish_4_all View Post
Okay, then lets see if we can find me a float that will work. Most of the time the water is rough with waves about 1-2 inches high. I am fishing in deep water, the lakes around here that have big crappie and gill are close to 30 feet in most areas, most of the time anyway. I need to cast at least 20 feet and most of the time i need to throw up to 50+ feet. I use medium light 5'6" to 6' rods. 6# mainline with a 4# leader. I do often fish with a braider line for casting a bobber so I don't break them off but I always use a 4# leader. Point me in the right direction please. Trout can be just as finicky at times so I will probably use it with them also.

For this type of fishing, you'll have to use a slip float (called a "slider" by the English.) Here's a good basic article on "how to" with the slider. It contains an excellent diagram on how the rig should look.

Commercials Part 12 – Advanced Float Fishing - FISHINGmagic Reference

I'd just use one of the Thill balsa wagglers with this set-up.


Quote Originally Posted by fish_4_all View Post
As for not wanting a weight on the leader line, my trout bite to cast ratio tripled when I stopped using weight on my leader. Clear water conditions are common most of the summer here so I try to use as clean a presentation as possible. Maybe it doesn't and won't matter for crappie/gills so I will have to give the shot down the leader a try. Fishing with a clean leader outfished most everyone else that fishes bobbers/floats for trout on any given day so I figured it would work as well for panfish.

When I fish maggots for gills, I put a SMALL shot about 6-8" from the hook, usually a #8 Dinsmore. It's about 1/16" in diameter. (Bass Pro carries the Dinsmore shot in their fly shop.) I've never had a problem catching gills or trout with this set-up. I'm not really sure how big a weight you're using, though. I'm sure using bigger shots down the line would spook fish.