Fishing with a float is one of the best methods for catching bass on New River, according to Roger Armentrout, a top-o-the-line bass and river aficionado.
Float fishing means presenting your bait with a variety of casts, trolling methods, or even watching your line drift with the currents, using either live or artificial bait.
“Presentation and setup are the keys to success when it comes to float fishing on New River and other tributaries throughout Southern West Virginia,” offers Armentrout, who has mastered the New River’s rapids and gentle pools over the past 50 years, starting out as a river guide when he was still in high school.
“Through my guide service with Adventures on the Gorge, I have taught thousands of anglers how to float fish,” the veteran angler says, noting that there are five fundamentals great anglers use to float fish:
- Proper Setup Gear
- Depth Control
- Speed Control
- Covering Water
- The Bait
- Putting it all together
Float fishing effectively entails systematically getting your bait into the strike zone when it counts.
Armentrout explains that many anglers think all there is to float fishing is casting your lure or live bait out, watching it drift down the river, and hoping and waiting for a strike.
“Not so,” the angler-guide says. “The guys who do this catch one fish, while others, like me, catch ten to their one. If an angler doesn’t understand and use the key fundamentals of float fishing, he will have difficulty catching fish. Using these fundamentals has enabled me to net over 300 large- and small-mouth bass for my clients in a single month.”
The first fundamental, the veteran riverman explains, is choosing the right gear and setup. If an angler uses the right gear, he will do a lot better. This is everything you need:
- A good, suitable rod and reel;
- A good mainline suitable for fishing with a float device on the line;
- A proper float for rivers;
- The proper leader setup includes the proper leader material, weights, swivels, and hooks;
- The right baits;
- Pliers and a wading net;
- Wading gear such as waders, vests, packs, and jackets can really improve an angler’s game;
- And the knowledge of how to put all of this stuff to good use.
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Armentrout also talks about depth control:
- Getting your bait into the strike zone while float fishing can be done on any size river or stream. Learning the proper way will improve your success.
- The second fundamental rule is to get your bait down into the strike zone fast and keep it there. In order to do this, you need to know where the bottom is even when you can’t see it.
- To float fish well, an angler needs to know how and when to adjust his float to get his bait into the proper strike zone, which is usually a foot or two off the bottom of the river.
- He also needs to know how to find the bottom with his bait, even when he can’t see the bottom.
- There are methods to help an angler do this with nothing more than the right float, some weights, and the chosen bait.
- Control your speed for catching 10 times more fish.
- The number one fundamental and the most critical thing that all float anglers should know and master is how to control the speed of the bait so it drifts naturally and looks natural to the fish. The current near the bottom usually is slower than the current near the surface. In fact, the bottom current could be 90 percent slower than on the surface.
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“Speed is the primary reason why I can guide two anglers at the same time, both using the exact same bait, but one guy will catch ten fish while the other guy catches none,” the guide explains. “It’s a simple matter of one guy controlling his speed and working his float better than the other. I see it all the time.
“Covering the water is very important, too. Covering the water effectively and not missing any productive corners on the river is vital to increasing the chances of catching small- and large-mouth bass, as well as other varieties such as “red eyes” and “rock bass.”
Some anglers fall into a rut and keep fishing the same lines over and over, often unsuccessfully, Armentrout maintains, noting that there are methods for covering the water like an expert would, and being in the right position to catch more fish.
Another fundamental measure is to use the right bait and also to know when certain baits will work best, as well as how to cycle through the baits to find the most effective at any given time.
There are many baits that can be used for fishing with or without a float device.
The most common baits are live worms, plastic worms, real and imitation eggs, flies, maggots, and even stuff you might find in your pantry, like corn or even marshmallows. Even minnows and crawfish are acceptable baits on the river.
Some of these baits are great, and some you should probably not use at all.
The best baits to use under a float are:
- Worms – Plastic worms and live worms
- Spawn – Spawn sacs are a good choice
- Beads – Beads are a great imitation of a single salmon egg
- Imitation Eggs – There are lots of egg imitations
- Flies – You can use nymphs under a float for bass fishing.
- Jigs – Small jigs are also good under a float.
Rotating baits is another good idea, the angler points out. “I carry multiple baits, multiple colors, and multiple sizes because I know that a hot bait yesterday or when the river was higher might not work at all when water is low and clear or when conditions change. If the fish are not biting one bait, I’ll start rotating through baits, colors, and sizes to figure out what they will eat. All guides do this, and they do it a lot.”
Additionally, how do hooks fit into the equation?
“Use the right hook and the right size hook for the bait that you select. Guides and savvy anglers are very picky when it comes to the hook they use, because they know that some hooks just work better.”
At the same time, Armentrout suggests that anglers only use floats designed for river fishing. The best floats for river fishing are the thin profile floats with a pointed top.
“Unlike round bobbers or round top floats, the thin profile river floats are sensitive and will detect strikes better. They will also help an angler control his speed and detect the bottom easier.
“Thin floats tilt, providing the angler with a better idea of where their bait is, which is a critical concept that most anglers don’t understand.”
Using the right float for bass and other game fish can make a big difference when it comes to success on the waters of the Mountain State, including the New River, the Greenbrier River, and the Bluestone River.
For smaller rivers, shallower rivers, and rivers that are gin clear with an assortment of nervous, finny prey, Armentrout prefers to use the Drennan Loafer Floats. “These are clear floats with a small colored section on top and are about as stealthy as it gets.”
And under most light conditions, the bright orange topped floats are easiest to see, the river guide says.
“My philosophy when it comes to guiding anglers on the river to not catch a nice trophy now and then, but to consistently catch fish, regardless of size and weight,” Armentrout says, smiling. “I want my proteges to be ready and capable of catching fish anytime they are on the water.”
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Top o’ the morning!