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[adriaticum]

I never mentioned a book, you were supposed to email me the name of a book.

LOL Johnny, yes you did without even knowing it. 
Sent you an email.

[firstlight]

Was in the store the other day and they dont have or carry Stealth floats anymore and is no mention of them on this thread.
I liked them and they were priced right.
Anybody know if they are still around or ?

[Fish Assassin]

Army and Navy downtown still carry them

[adriaticum]

Was in the store the other day and they dont have or carry Stealth floats anymore and is no mention of them on this thread.
I liked them and they were priced right.
Anybody know if they are still around or ?

Get Cleardrift floats.
Also good price.

[BigFisher]

Floats dont matter for steelhead, there not coho. You dont even have to set the hook...

[bcguy]

If you are dropping a few hundred or more on a reel, and as much on a rod, why would you cheap out on a float 
Rod...sage....reel...milner...simms top to bottom...float..foam dink hahahaha

[scruffy]

i myself have used all the floats mentioned and to be honset the foam DNE works just as well as any balsa,dink or clear plastic.....but like others have said you must have confindence in your gear or you'll be questioning yourself........



scruff

[greyghost]

If you are dropping a few hundred or more on a reel, and as much on a rod, why would you cheap out on a float 
Rod...sage....reel...milner...simms top to bottom...float..foam dink hahahaha

This is pretty creepy! Are you stocking me bcguy!

[sbc hris]

I've used just about every type of float mentioned here, and I've never found a difference between any of them. I just make sure I match the float size to the water I'm fishing, and weight it accordingly. I just use what I find, (log jams are your friend) I haven't bought a float in a long time, and always have a stock of foam and plastic in several sizes. Like others have said, confidence is the key, so use what you like!

[Stuart Dickinson]

Down here you see guys fishing from shore and using a plastic water bottle as a break away float with a mullet suspended underneath!

[Spawn Sack]

Best way to rig a dink float I've ever come across. Learned this from Rod from Bent Rods. You'll need: - some DNE floats (I use 20g, 25g, 30g) - some bamboo BBQ skewers - Some RC fuel tubing (get it from a hobby shop, very cheap, buy by the foot) - Some glue (I use Gorilla glue)

First take a bamboo skewer and poke out the existing tube inside the DNE float. It should pop out quite easily as it's just a bit of glue holding it inside. If you don't pop the tube out you won't be able to thread your skewer through the float.

Put a little glue on the skewer and thread it through the float (I like Gorilla glue as it expands and holds like mad)

Do this with as many floats as you want to make. I would suggest doing 2-3 in each weight of float you like to fish. Let the glue dry for an hour or two.

Now take some wire cutters and snip the skewer about 1/2 an inch from the top/bottom of the float.

Now you are done. An optional step it to take some sandpaper and round off the tips of the skewer (I do).

NOW, to rig it up! Snip two small pieces of RC tubing, I use about 1/4 inch. You'll have to experiment here as if you clip it shorter the float will slide a bit easier on the line, longer and the float will be harder to slide. I find about 1/4 inch is perfect. I keep extras cut to length in my vest.

Slide two cut pieces of tube up your line, then stick each end of the float in the tubes - done! Advantage over other float rigging methods is you can pop the float out easily and switch to a bigger or smaller float depending on the water, the RC tubing grips the line perfectly and does NOT start to slip like a worn out bobber stop, if you get your line tangled you can pop the float out which may may it easier to work with the line, if you get a snag your line does not cut into the float like with a wrap dink float, the float moves easier when you want to adjust float depth than wrap floats or bobber stops.

I have converted a few buddies to this method and they love it. Other say it's too much work and unecessary. Personally I think it's worth the work and once they are done up they are DONE. Can be used with any float where the line goes straight through. I prefer DNE floats as I find they drift nicer due to their tapered profile.

Give this method a try you wont be dissapointed!

[leapin' tyee]

Now take some wire cutters and snip the skewer about 1/2 an inch from the top/bottom of the float.

Now you are done. An optional step it to take some sandpaper and round off the tips of the skewer (I do).

NOW, to rig it up! Snip two small pieces of RC tubing, I use about 1/4 inch. You'll have to experiment here as if you clip it shorter the float will slide a bit easier on the line, longer and the float will be harder to slide. I find about 1/4 inch is perfect. I keep extras cut to length in my vest.

Slide two cut pieces of tube up your line, then stick each end of the float in the tubes - done! Advantage over other float rigging methods is you can pop the float out easily and switch to a bigger or smaller float depending on the water, the RC tubing grips the line perfectly and does NOT start to slip like a worn out bobber stop, if you get your line tangled you can pop the float out which may may it easier to work with the line, if you get a snag your line does not cut into the float like with a wrap dink float, the float moves easier when you want to adjust float depth than wrap floats or bobber stops.

Sounds interesting, is it the main line stay outside of the float?

[islanddude]

I uses shrink tube on my loafer floats from the U.K. Shrink tube comes in different colors and sizes.

[Spawn Sack]

Sounds interesting, is it the main line stay outside of the float?

Yes, the mainline will run on the outside of the float.

[greybark]

I'm with JC on this .. I guess I have seen the evolution of floats on the Vedder after 50 plus years of fishing it.  The first were big, ugly split-side wooden jobs, brown bottom, red top ,that had a nasty habit of falling off your line sometime during the day.  To a kid that often used rocks or wheel nuts for weights, losing a float was serious bad news ... and any found float was a gift, as my friend Chris knows. Next came the ping-pong ball floats crafted by George Friskie, perhaps the most innovative Vedder River angler of the era and arguably to this day.  They were a work of art and floated a big chunk of lead and a big gob of bait but were fragile, prone to leaks and a bitch to cast. 
We soon started carving dense foam fishing net floats, along with balsa and cedar.  After varnishing and painting, these floats were obviously very labour intensive and it hurt big time when the crappy mono lines of the day failed ...  it was always the line, never the angler...  and the prized float drifted away.
Finally, foam dink floats came on the scene, first the big fatties an inch wide, 8 inches long and wound on the line with one or two turns...total garbage, imo ...  and then big expensive plastic torpedoes with interesting names, that again, are fragile and are often seen abandoned on river banks....

Nah, give me a 6”, ½ “ wide straight thru foam dinker, top painted orange/green anyday.  Will float all I want to throw, and as JC says, is easy to retrieve.  And cheap

    Hey Dave a great wrap up . You bottom bounced my brain thru the evolution of floats I and others have used since the sixties .   Again a great post ....