I've been experimenting with Tandem floated rigs but haven't caught a Double yet .

About 6 of the 8 Crappies took a squirrel Tail Jig/1"Chartruese twister tail ,floated  .The Crappie  were coming out under leaves blown to the end of the lake on the rip rap .I was in the right place at the right time.

This being aware of your surroundings, the environment and shifting motivation for the fish. You were in the right place at the right time and KNEW it - that's the important part.

My hero!

Ha ha ,part of being there at the right time is being there constantly .At least lately its been the case . Wish you lived next door so I could show you this spot and watch you fish it while I tie tandem rigs!

Id be there in a minute!

Going more and often is a key point, for sure. Its kinda my main challenge

Welcome Andy, looking forward to your input!

Using a 4" fixed Float today I lost a #4 Hook to a Gill and a #6 to a white Perch ,had to cut the line . I usually use #4 ,targeting  Yellow and White Perch and # 6 or smaller for Gills .At times ,it was hard to register that fish took the bait  today ,I was using two shot so the float sat low .

John,

The weight and buoyancy of that float looks like it is around 2 grams in shot to balance it (or a jig). This seems light, but when the water begins to chill, anything over 1 gram is not going to register the bite. That said- the tool you need for swallowed hooks is the FishSaver hook remover. That said - I am going to tell you to use an even smaller hook once you have this tool because it really doesn't work with anything larger than a #8 or #10. 

With this tool and the use of the smaller hooks - if you are going for perch and gills, you can get them out of their bumms if you need to - well, stomachs.  The only reason I lose a hook is if I am impatient or I hook a monster, but I fish #2 lb. line and don't even break off. 

The secret to this tool vs. a hemostat is that it doesn't damage the line. Needle nose and hemostats have to grab the hook and sometimes those teeth will mark the line. After one or two- you will either lose a fish or lose the hook or both as the line will break. The FishSaver is made of soft plastic that won't damage the knot on your hook.

Simple use - pull the line really tight (you might even bend the rod tip to tension the line - recommended) and slide the notch down the line right to the hook.

Bump inward, 1/4 - turn and out comes the hook and leader every single time. I caught 2,011 fish in 24 hours using this tool. I had quite a few swallowed hooks.

Without that tool, I might have had to re-tie my leader some 100 times!

Reduce the float to a .75 gram balsa float (requires less shot) like the Gapen 5" pencil float and see the difference it makes. Fish it side-by-side with the other in the same conditions and you will be able to tell the difference- the fish can!

Thanks very much for the advice Johnny! I balanced to the black line .I thought I should have gone to a lighter float today ,like you suggest .

In a club outing, I perfectly balanced a new member's float - lower in the water than the black line even. I saw on this day that my neighbor with a larger float that I set up perfectly couldn't muster 10 fish in 4 hours. Just 20 feet away, I had a float that was 1/3 lighter and I caught 14 lb. at about 120 fish. As water chills, fish take their food in lighter, and lighter and lighter. Advantage fish.

Still trying this fall, to get a "fix" on adept Fixed float use .With cold water at 50 degrees I used these three . The far left is very sensitive but quickly got wrapped up in a 2# test tangle while being employed on a springy 7,1/2 ' Berkley 'Dough Series' rod , putting it out of commission .The middle one using 4# test wasn't being pulled under and I was catching but lost two hooks to fish ,having to cut the line , the far right 'waggler ' using 4#test worked out best .I used an 8' Slab Seeker Zebco rod .

This is really helpful  to see the pictures. I am sure I can wrestle up these old floats and we can do some comparisons. Not only when the water is cold but also when the water is warm - we might get you to fish fixed float on cane pole (it's my thang).

While I love to cast and slip floating to depths is cool, these cut down on your catch rate. 

So the floats below might support a jig and that would be their intention. I preach getting the bait it self very attractive and animated - rather than trying to make the sides (jig) more attractive than the main dish (food). Why make it harder on us?

Instead of using a rod with guides on a fixed float, most situations for panfish and even small cats call for the telescopic pole (Cane Pole Crazy). Much better hook set (awesome prices $10 - $20 pole) and so much fun swingin' fish in through the air. Of course, if you start hooking big ones, like we did at Reel Foot- the long-handled net is always good to have to scoop in a 3 - 5 lb. cat if you can hold them. The only tie I go to a rod and reel on a fixed float is when I get a few beasties in the area and I break off a couple of times - or if they show me signs they are there.

I vow to you the best fixed float and fixed float rig is ready and it will beat those float that you used to know as finesse. In cold water fixed float in the right size is so key to catching some fish. P.S. - I also do cast the fixed float in an even smaller size than those below to catch channel cats, carp, panfish and trout when the conditions are right. Wind kills that.

Yesterday ,I used this float with a 32nd oz Jig /tipped with crawler piece and caught 20 fish , 5 species. .It worked decently in 50-48 degree water . It casted nicely and casted  the light jig 3x as far .It's a 3"  weighted fixed foam cigar float.

Well yes but as a slip float ,unless lobbed , they can land in A tree and be irretrievable , NO?

they can fly off easily if configured as a slip float , is what I'm getting at .

I must be careless lol

yup the shallow socket ,thanks Dave

water temp down to 46 degrees ,caught fish  with the 3" weighted float which got out to the fish nicely from shore on a short rod ,but the drop of 2-4 degrees in water temp means I should be balancing a different float.Some misses and half hearted takes today .

Water temp down to 42 degrees .Only two Perch today ,fixed  floating late morning .Skim ice in the NW cove I've been fishing had to go to the NE section and try to reach where I think the narrow creek channel runs .

I slip floated for the first time last year(2014) and I am hooked. It totally improved my overall bream catch. I can' t believe that I have never tried it before. I watched some guys use it last winter on Youtube and I figured I would give it a try. Glad I did. I keep one outfit rigged with a slip float at all times. It is my go to method for fishing any kind of live bait. My camera is in hiding at the moment. When I find it or break down and buy a new one I will shoot you some pics of my fish and tackle.

Maurice , anxious to see your pics and hear about your Slip floating adventures .Thanks for joining and contributing!

Took a crawler under a Balsa Pencil float .

Welcome David Jackson .Hope you find helpful  tips from this group's members and will share your pics and experience! I have a 7, 1/2' Berkeley Trought dough series rod I use or float fishing from shore . I have to get my 8' Zebco Crappie rod fixed it is split towards the end . Both rods are very whippy at the end and are good rods . I even got a 6lb 13oz Channel Cat on that Zebco Crappie Rod .I like the long rods for casting distance and landing fish over Rip rap .

Welcome Gary ! Thanks for joining!

Great to have Howard Webster over here .Check out Howards page guys! He's a Perch and Pike man as well as Bluegill!

the one and only David!

Welcome Kelly Peterson! Look forward to your input!

Welcome Steve C.! Looking forward to your input ! Tight lines!

Hi guys, Just joined your group.I'm learning a lot reading through some of the posts and pictures, thanks

Welcome June! A bunch of  fishing nuts sharing their experience ,enjoy!

"Hi guys, Just joined your group. I'm learning a lot reading through some of the posts and pictures, thanks"

Welcome, June. Slip floats seems pretty basic, but in truth, they offer a fairly complex range of function for the angler. In fact, they are one of those time-tested methods that could be used alone, with no other technique, and rarely let you down.
And this isn't exclusive to bluegill, although they are generally considered a "panfishing" technique. You can size them to the fish you are after, or the water you are fishing - or both. 
No one uses them to the exclusion of other methods, since no one thing is perfect. But they're pretty darned close.

Thanks, I an a very avid ice fisherman and steel head fisherman, I use a lot of fixed floats for steel head fishing 90% of the time. Long rods and light lines. I'm just learning how to navigate through the forums and not very computer savoy, thanks for everyone's  patience. I'm also very interested in ground bait (chumming) and shore fishing. Trying to find a basic recipe for a ground bait for gill's. 

Thanks guy's

"I'm also very interested in ground bait (chumming) and shore fishing. Trying to find a basic recipe for a ground bait for gill's." 

No need to get complicated here. I suggest these:

1. Cat Food, seafood flavors 

Dampen into a moldable mass, and toss nickel size chunks into the swim you are chumming. Once every ten minutes is enough.

Don't overfeed, so a little goes a long way. You want to create a "cloud" of fine nibblies, and a scent trail. Your aim is NOT to feed the fish, but entice them.

2. Finely chopped bits of whatever hook bait you're using.

This is kinda messy, and gets a little gross, but - hey, that's part of fishing. Chopped worms, mangled crickets, ground minnows, and so on. Same rules apply as above - don't feed, entice.

3. Ground "meaty bits"

Put some chicken liver or uncooked shrimp (with the shells) in a food processor and whirl it up coarse. Use this glop as a chum bait - I suggest mixing it with the cat food.

A wrinkle on this is to poke a can of cheap cat food full of holes and suspend it over the "fishing hole." A more modern take is to use the pouches of pet food, instead of cans.

MORE

DO you want to feed fish NOW, or create a "secret spot" where you know fish are consistently feeding?
If the former, use the items in 1-3 above.

If the latter, SINK the chum to the bottom and anchor it there. Don't forget to include a retrieval rope so you don't leave cans and pouches to pollute our shared waters.

This will draw micro-feeders, which draws the small feeders that eat the micro-feeders, which, in turn draws bigger feeders.... ad infinitum.
The drawback to this method is it takes time to be effective; hours, even days.
The benefit is it is consistent and lasts a long time.  

LORE

- Here in the Gritty South (SC), we have a saying:

"The best place to catch a fish is under a piece of cornbread."

I can vouch for this one. I make my "pone bread" with cracklin's and lots of grease. Sometimes I toss in some cheese. It is moist, delicious, and full of meaty flavors that fish like. It also makes a dandy snack while fishing.

- I've also heard that ground eggshells make an effective attractant/chum. The fish see the bright bits and come out of curiosity.

- Place minnows in a glass (plastic) jar that has small holes poked in it, and suspend it in the water at your fishing spot. The captive minnows attract other fish, which are then ripe for catching

- Collect road kill, raw meat scraps from the kitchen, the carcasses and guts of cleaned fish, even manure... and suspend it over your "honey hole." Hanging it in a tree branch, usually in a wire mesh cage near the surface, is traditional.
Do this when it is warm, and enticingly horrible oils and juices will begin to drip into the water as the stuff decomposes, which is like a siren call to fish. Meanwhile, flies have been working on the ghoulish creation, and their maggot-babies soon appear...and fall of into the water.

You may never get the fish to leave after this!

But it may also attract other anglers, or offend anyone within 100 feet... the smell, you see. So choose your Drip Site carefully.

Welcome Bait Guy !

Welcome Edward Kendall !

52 degree water .Yellow Perch Slip float Rig .4# Mono , Daiwa UL Spinmatic Reel/ 7,1/2' Berkeley Dough Series Rod , 32nd oz. Buck tail jig  tipped with 1/3rd Baby Crawler.

Welcome Edward Meza.Look forward to your pics and contributions!

Heard a lot about people having a hard time getting thin line thru thr thill wobble bobber. Seeing I was having a problem, my wife came over with a sewing needle threaded it liner all and got it thru. Hope this can help some one.

Welcome Rick Fuhrmann!

Welcome James Michael Landrum!

Welcome Dave Schuyler !