Float Types and How to Choose One

A float sits on the surface and tells you what is happening to the bait underwater. It also holds the bait at the depth you want.

Buoyancy comes first

Every float has a set buoyancy. When the sinker weight matches it, the float stands at the right height and reacts even to a light touch on the bait. In Korea, freshwater stick floats are rated in pun (as in "3 pun") and sea through-floats in ho or shot sizes (0.8, B, 3B). A bigger number takes a heavier sinker and handles wind and current better, but feels bites less sharply.

Kinds of floats

• Pepper float: a small, simple float shaped like a chili pepper. Cheap and easy for beginners.
• Bobber ball: a round ball float. Easy to see and rarely tangles, so families and kids use it a lot.
• Stick float: a long, thin freshwater float. It shows the slow "rise" of a crucian carp bite better than anything, so it is the standard for carp fishing.
• Through float: a round sea float with a hole the line runs through. It handles wind and waves and tangles little, so it is used for black sea bream and other float fishing at sea.
• Paulownia float: carved from light paulownia wood. Handmade ones are sensitive and treasured by anglers.
• LED float: a night float with a light in the tip, so you can see bites on dark water.

Choosing for the conditions

Use a sensitive stick float on a calm reservoir, a through float at a windy sea, and an LED float after dark. When in doubt, ask the tackle shop which rating locals use for your target fish.