Floats & bobbers, decoded.
A float does two jobs: it suspends your bait at a chosen depth and it shows you the bite - and the difference between a red-and-white ball and a shotted-down waggler is the difference between spooking fish and catching them. Here are all 10 types, when each wins, how to set it up and read it. Tie the rig beneath it from the rig catalog.
π΄ Fixed floats Clip-on and pre-loaded floats fixed at one depth - where most anglers start.
π Slip floats Slide freely to fish any depth yet cast compact.
π Specialist floats Wagglers, river sticks, popping corks, ice and balloon floats for specific water.
What hangs beneath it does the catching - pick the hook from the hook-type guide, build the business end with the rig catalog, and read the water with reading the water.