Floating Spinner Rigs

[JEB]

I know that I am thinking a little ahead here, but I happened to be tying up spinners. I've never tied up spinners with floats on them and was just wondering if I added these to my box and used them in the right situation if I could increase my catch over regular spinners without floats. What type of situation? Depending on the length of leader how far off the bottom will the float or floats take put me?
I appreciate any insight on this!
Thanks in advance.

[Art/Co]

JEB

At least you are thinking ahead. Try rigging one in the boat when you lost your last one for the day. Anyway , back to the question..I've had days when a walleye would not touch a floating rig( must have been too high off the bottom or some other reason)and other days the walleyes are slamm'in it. By the way don't forget to rig some single hook floaters for leeches..

art

[Dutchman]

JEB, The best thing to do is build them and then watch how they float with your choice of bait and weight. They're excellent in snaggy or weedy areas. Try different sizes. Then record how they run in clear water. Be careful though...The last time I did this I ran into a pile of rocks on Big Stone...Should of been watching where I was going ...Got to keep the prop company's in business too.

[SetTheHook]

I use one of the styrofoam floats on most of my spinner rigs that I use with bottom bouncers. I don't think they ride much, if any higher at all, unless at very slow speeds. Mostly I use them to create space between the spinner and hook.

[ezmarc]

Walleye are finicky, unpredictable and change their minds about what they want, more than my ex-wife did. Be versatile and carry different colors and also some floats that act like spinners. On any given day they will hit float rigs one hour, and then not touch them the next. I carry about twenty different combinations with me and then create new ones while I'm not catching anything. I like the single hooks for Erie, now that the mayflies are back and then I attach a stinger treble for when you want 2 hooks for full worms.

Have boat will travel

[Tackleman]

Another option is to use a regular Phelps Floater and use a bead and bobber stop to space a clevis and spinner above the lure on your leader with just enough space to allow the spinner to spin. This has worked in high pressure situations where the fish need the little extra trigger, i.e. darker water and such. Check out Phelpstackle.com to see the floater. Mike

[RANGER]

I was getting ready to post but it would be a repeat of yours. The one thing I would add is that, floaters are ALWAYS tied along with the straight harnesses and quite a number with red beads. I happen to think this is the most versatile and successful plan-of-attack. From one minute to the next, to say nothing a day-to-day, Ol' WAllyeye can do a 180.

Actually, gernades work well too. ;-)


RANGER


"KEEP YOUR LINES WET, YOUR POWDER DRY and THE BEER COLD"

[eyegetit]

Try dropping your floater-rigged spinner w/live bait in a bucket of water and observing the buoyancy. I have found that they make most of my spinners neutrally buoyant (neither rise nor fall). This is usually enough to keep my rigs from hanging up on the zebra mussels in my home lake. I started putting the straight styro floaters on my spinners w/bottom bouncers last season and had incredible results.

[Kevin/CO]

My personal experience with spinners with floats aren't that the rig float as much as there is a larger profile and more color. Most of the rigs I have tied that have floats on them don't really float unless I use big floats. Normally floats allow me to go much slower while not making any contact with the bottom because of the added bulh being pulled through the water. But the floats adding color and size to the rig to help entice strikes they also sometimes spook fish. I think I will still tie a lot of rigs with floats on them seeing as my biggest fish hit the ones with floats.