Best Slip Float and Stopper

[Bruce Tomaselli]

Slip floats and stoppers are new to me. Can  you recommend what to buy for pan fishing, size, brand, etc.? I went to youtube and I learned how to rig them. I would just like to know what most guys prefer.

Thanks

[carl hendrix]

THING IS ALSO;; BRUCE IS WANTING A FLOAT TO USE WITH A FLY ROD;; SLIP FLOATS;  NOT TO GOOD WITH FLY RODS; NEED TO BE MORE FIXED; 

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Yeah, Carl you're 100% right.

Somewhere else I said the same thing to Bruce, suggesting he look into dedicated fly fishing strike indicators for actual fly casting. I wouldn't bother with casting anything else on a fly line.

[Bruce Tomaselli]

Okay, I was confused by slip floats versus dedicated fly fishing strike indicators. I understand what we're talking about now. Slip floats are a spinning rod thing. I have an ultra light spinning rod ready to go, too.

[carl hendrix]

MANY; MANY YEARS AGO;; I TRIED TO USE A SLIP FLOAT; WITH MY FLY ROD; TRYING TO GET BETTER DEPTH;  THING IS; A SLIP FLOAT; WHEN EITHER ROLL CASTING; OR TRYING TO OVER HEAD CAST; THE SLIP FLOAT;; SLIPS !!  CREATING TRUE HAVOC OF THE CAST !  90 PERCENT OF THE TIME; IT JUST COLLAPSES THE LINE;;    THE ONLY WAY I HAVE FOUND TO USE A FLOAT FOR A FLY LINE; IS A MORE FIXED TYPE; WHICH ALSO NEEDS TO BE TAPERED FOR LESS WIND RESISTANCE;;  WHICH LEAD TO USING THE QUILL FLOATS. THERE ARE MULTITUDE OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF FLOATS FOR FLY ROD USERS;; I JUST MUCH PREFEER THE QUILL FLOATS;; MUCH; MUCH MOE SENTIVE THAN THE COMERCIAL FLOATS FOR FLY RODDERS.. OVER THE YEARS;; THERS NOT MUCH I HAVENT TRIED AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER; WITH FLY RODS

[Lord of the Fly , Rods]

 Bruce , fish with what you are comfortable with , I have been using porcupine quills on a fly rod now for over 50 years , and I guess I will till I die . After you get use to them nothing else seems like it has the sensitivity for my style of fishing , last Saturday morning I caught 44 in 3 hours  using a porcupine quill , it is almost like using a net on them, you dont have to wait  for the quill to go down just watch the top tip twitch and you know they are licking it,and then set the hook . Try it  , it is really finises fishing , applying enough pressure to get the distance you want without flinging the cricket off, when you can do this and you run out of crickets and replace the quill and hook with a fly you will be a black belt with a flyrod .   LOFR

[Slip Sinker]

50 ft cast next to the pads in a crosswind and tags a fish.

 

my current set-up for long precision casting and sensitivity.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

For Bruce:

This is top-fed slip float arrangement.

Replace the float with a quill or waggler, and the silicone tubing "straps" and you have the fixed arrangement.
Replace the float with a bottom eyelet style, and NO tubing straps, and you the bottom fed line style I prefer.

Great image Ken!  

[Damon Toney]

Yeah, David, that's the way I like mine. My dad used to use those tubing straps. Man, they were horrible. Bottom fed eyelet is the most sensitive, most secure way to go.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Personally, I agree. I almost never used a fixed float anymore.
Now, they can be a PITA to cast if the float is too long; the long quills so often discussed here, , for example.
They tend to helicopter around and get into a tangly sort of mess when used as bottom fed floats.

However, these long, slender floats are very sensitive. If you really want to use quills/wagglers for casting, the tubing straps, are a real boon. I prefer these long types for what I call "dipping," where you are reaching out with a long rod with short casts - or just "dipping" the rig into tight cover. But you lose the variability of the slip float this way.

For everything else, the solution I like best is to use a short, cigar-shaped float. Mine are typically between 2-4". I often make my own, or just modify the store-bought ones by drilling a small hole in the peg that comes with the float. Pressed firmly into the body of the float, the peg stays tight and I've never had one come loose.
Plus these can also be used as fixed floats, or top-fed slip floats if you want.

Did you catch that? A single float that covers ALL THREE float applications!

Best of all, the cost about 10-15 CENTS apiece 

[Slip Sinker]

Tony Livingston... i think mentioned trapping the float with a second line stop and bead underneath the slip float for a fixed float...another great idea

David some great ideas there... 

 

[Slip Sinker]

the thing i really like about this setup is the float... super sensitive... minnows in my garden pond will nearly take it down. also it casts like an arrow making it very precise

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

They do cast well.
My only beef with any top-fed float is
1. the tendency of the exposed line to sail in a breeze.
2. The slack induced by the exposed line

The bottom fed slip float has neither concern
These are minor quibbles, admittedly.