Learn to Make Your Own Light, Balanced Bait Cast Fishing Float

Bait Cast Fishing Floater On Duty

If you always hold on to your rod or watch for a tug on the line, the float will free up your hands and tell you when a fish is on the line. Just watch the float and take measures to prevent a big fish from taking your fishing pole away.

If you already use floats, don't you agree that those sold in stores are bulky, heavy, break easily, and cost a lot? If you make your own, you will never want to buy another one again. Chances are, you can make about 10 of them for the price of one at the store. If you are good at it, fellow anglers will offer to pay to have you make them some. But, with any new endeavor, it may be tricky in the beginning. But, if you refuse to quit, you can shape, build, and design attractive, efficient custom floats that are suitable for long distance bait cast fishing.

Notice these floats of different lengths and widths for various uses. A couple of them allow attachment of a tiny lithium battery and a diode for night fishing. My fishing style is bait cast. I use a long telescopic rod with a baitcast reel. Others prefer spinning reels. In bait cast fishing the cast is launched with a bait basket and a simple, but specialized set up with an objective of long distance casting. The float must handle the total weight while being light, so as not to add unnecessary weight, and be well balanced. The float functions quickly to set the fishing depth, and instantly indicate a fish on the line.

Long Styrofoam, urethane and polyurethane rods are commonly used to make the body. Styrofoam rods I've used are hard and easy to shape and sand for smoothness. They often have a hole in the core. Polyurethane rods are very popular in Japan as they are available in many different colors. Urethane is my favorite. It is soft but not porous as a sponge is. The body is white and it is the cheapest of the three types. The floater on the far right has a urethane body. The reason for having sinkers at the bottom will be explained later.

Rods for the body are available in various widths, and the urethane rods I buy are well over six feet long, so I slice off appropriate lengths as needed. I buy them at a local building supply wholesaler, and they tell me that they are used for insulation within walls. There is no hole in the center and because this hole is necessary for normal use, so I have the pleasure of creating it. I slide a thin fiberglass rod through the hole after after that. Then I attach a small weight at the bottom and four fins at the top.

Top: Rods for body  Bottom: Making the hole

Creating the hole at the core can be a painstaking process and takes some getting used to. I use the top section of an old fishing pole to do this. Using a fiberglass rod with one end sharpened is a good alternative, as this has to be done later, anyway. Work slowly and carefully. Focus on keeping the hole in the dead center of the body. When done half-way, turn the rod around to do the same from the other end.  The objective is to have the hole align exactly at the center. Do not give up when holes appear at all angles randomly throughout the body. It is to be expected in the beginning. If you concentrate and persevere, you will develop skill and master the technique to do it well on almost every attempt.

Top: Weight attached  Bottom: Shaping body

Although the weight in the picture looks large, in reality it's very light. It is 3.75 grams, or about 0.13 ounces. If wind is not a factor, half of that weight is sufficient. There should be a hole in the sinker core. You have to form a loop at the top end of a thin stainless rod and slide it through the hole of the sinker. Use a razor or cutter and shave an end of a fiberglass rod to fit in the hole on the other end of the looped stainless rod. You may have to enlarge the hole to do this. Leave a quarter to half an inch of excess before snipping the stainless rod. Use thin, sturdy thread or fiber and wrap it around the exposed stainless rod and the fiberglass rod and tie a neat knot near the sinker. Apply glue to the wrapped area, and paint it after it dries if you want to do so.

Shaping the body of the float may be started while waiting for the glue to dry. Before using a razor-sharp cutter, I make guidelines with a pencil or marker at regular intervals along the length of the body. I always cut and shape as if I'm peeling an apple and never shave it as if working on a pencil edge. If there are rough areas remaining, sandpaper is used to smooth them out. I apply heat after that to soften the body so that the final form can be molded with my hands.

Heat may be supplied with an electric or gas range. Insert a rod through the center of the body and rotate it over the heat. Please work carefully and never use high heat and do not rotate the body very slowly. If the body starts to bubble, you've ruined it. It is best to heat slowly just past the point where it is warm. Roll your hands over the warm body while smoothly rotating from top to bottom. This produces the final shape and helps to keep water from seeping into it. Let it cool and bond the body to the fiberglass rod at the desired position.

As for attaching the four fins at the top, it is much easier to do than shaping the body. A sheet of plastic is used to make the fins, but it is best to avoid brittle or hard plastic. Soft and flexible plastic make the fins durable. Be sure to sand the surface of both sides in a circular motion, and try not to use a design with a sharp edge as there are times when the fins contact your main line. A half heart shaped design is best. Sanding makes it easy to apply luminous paint on the fins later. Keeping a master sample of all fin designs allows easy duplication.

To set the first fin, sparingly apply quick drying cement glue on the edge of the fin and carefully place the rod on it. Allow bonding time. Then do the same for the second fin on the opposite side. Looking at the exposed fiberglass rod adjoining the fins, it's easy to see that you have two natural slots on opposite sides to insert the next two fins. Take your time, glue the fins precisely, and don't have glue dripping down along the rod by using too much of it.

When painting the fins, you will find that blue, green, and yellow are not good colors to use as they are difficult to see at a distance. An easy color to spot is luminous orange. Black is easy to see in strong sunlight.

Even if your float is divinely shaped, if it can't handle the weight of your setup, it ends up being a cute ornament. The total weight of my bait cast fishing setup is over four ounces, so mine has a total length of about 10 inches, with the diameter of the body before shaping being about two inches and the total body length at completion is about seven inches. I relay this data to you as a rough guideline for your preparation in creating your custom float.

When testing, I judge it to have passed the test and be acceptable for use if about one third of its body is above the water.

If you are toying with the idea of making your own custom fishing float, my advice is to, "Go For It!" Before taking it out for a test drive in the water, have a bit of fun and toss it in the air in a high arc as if throwing a dart. You'll be pleased with its lightness and good balance. That's why this type of float is used in long distance bait cast fishing in Japan. When you take it fishing with you, don't simply admire its handsome sight and balance. The real fun begins when it shoots down into the water, out of sight. That's where the action is!