I know I'm just a stranger in the comments but I have been a fan and watching the channel for a while now and wanted to let you know about how much you played a role in my decision on really digging into ultralight fishing and it's such a blast and VERY MUCH appreciate you and the inspiration you give!!! Tight lines my friend!
Good instructional walk through Ethan. Was able to kill 2 hours Saturday afternoon when it was 60ish in Chicago this weekend. Dark bottom pond was the choice. Wind blowing directly in my face and had to play the wind drift game. Slip floats, ice jigs and wax worms were the ticket. Mix of crappie and bluegill but nothing very big. They didn't seem interested in plastics but I only tried 2 colors in 1/80 ounce. Managed to get about 16 evenly split. Tight lines and Happy fishing. Blessings bud
Ethan, you don't have to waste money on those Thill float stop knots. I just take 60# braided line and tie a uni-knot on the main line. You can get thousands of knots out of a spool of braided fishing line, and it won't cost you an arm and a leg.
I’m using the same but using 6lb flouro or mono in a Uni knot on my 4lb leader. My Ul rods are TFO and this works great! My wife and I bank fish and caught several crappie yesterday doing this and being able to long cast out to a channel that we normally couldn’t reach with just a 1/32 ounce jig. And there was zero slippage of the Uni knot unlike the problems with the store bought thills and such.
Just ordered a couple last night and I can't wait to give them a try! The Donkey Tail Jr's. and 1/64 Oz jig heads have been absolutely amazing and I can't wait to try a new presentation!
Great video with some great info. Have to get some of your float ordered soon but till then hoping to get out this weekend and this some Mule fishing plastics on my BFS for whatever bites. Thanks for all the great ultralight and BFS content. Keep up the great work Ethan.
Good video. I like fishing a slip bobber with wind blowing. I find the waves give the jig movement and action that you'd normally do in calm water. You just need to keep the rod low when casting into a head wind to get your distance.
Fair! I guess I don't love it for cold weather when it is windy because it is creating more movement than I am looking for. But during warmer situations, I could see how that is a good thing potentially.
I use the exact same setup except instead of using split shot I use a 1/32 bullet weight and push the pointed end up into the bottom of the float. 1/32 bullet weights are kinda of hard to find but well worth the effort.
Because I fish both conventional and fly, I tend to use a lot of fly fishing knots with my spinning gear. Gunnar Brammer's non-slip loop knot is my go to. The tag end comes out at 90° to the knot, but it's a bit simpler to tie.
Yes!!!! As you know I would like to consider my self the biggest mule fishing fan. Definitely the best products and content in the world. God bless brother and tight lines!! Also. What braid are you running on the reel
Not mentioned - I like to use light braid as my main line. You can make long casts and the lack of stretch makes for better hook sets. I am liking Bass Pro Shops (the same Ott uses in MLF) where sometimes you can't see your float - but can see your line.
Keep the tube and make your own whip-knots with Dacron fly-line backing. That's what I do. Your "loop knot" is what I have known as a "Rapala Knot" since I've been fishing. (60 years?)
I have some of those plastic egg shaped bobber stops, but I have a lot of trouble with them... If I don't reel the bobber stop past the line guides it's okay, but if I have the stop between them somewhere, it always gets caught on the line guides when I cast... At that point, I just stick to the fixed bobbers. I'd love to use a slip float deeper than my rod length!
I need to try a slip float over the tiny blue 1/80th mule jig and horse fly I’ve been using. Gills, golden shiner, GSF, and crappie have already been hitting that thing a lot but if I suspend it under a float longer I bet I’d get even more.
Love your videos. I’m a semi beginner fisherman me and my son started this hobby and I’m very curious as to how to and what to buy for the description you showed on your video. Anything helps
It looks like you have a braided line on this setup, based on color. Do you also have a long mono/fluorcarbon leader on it, on which you mount your floar rig?
I have the same question. When using braid to mono leader if my leader is too long-the knot on the spool gets tangled and affects casting. How do you avoid if you are using day six foot rod and trying get your bait at say 12 ft depth? I am asking as a slip float not a leader
I will have to do some more experimenting, because it is very rare for me to run my slip float that deep, however this is a really good point. Is there a specific line you are having this issue with?
What fishing line do you recommend? Because I use fluro but it seem to sink so it make the line so much slag in the line… or I am doing something wrong
What he said^ A lot of fish in lakes and ponds are suspended so it’s best to use a float rig to hover a bait just above where they are positioned. A drop shot is a bottom-oriented approach.
I don't like the rubber stops because they don't fit through the guides well. The swivel was about as small as I can find, but I sadly don't recall the exact size.
Korean " Isofishing" has great floats in a pretty good range of sizes. They have weight because they are made with fantastic quality and durable plastic.
You should always use a swivel. And then you use a lighter test line than your mainline so that if it breaks, you only lose the hook basically. You'll still have your bobber and stops.
So why is a slip float better than a fixed float? Obviously casting is better and the loop know helps a lot but can you get a vertical jigging action out of it?
Rubber bobber stops are ten times better&won't slip unless you want it to&you should always put a small bead at the bottom of the bobber.keeps weight from smashing bottom of bobber.
Don't use the egg shaped ones,they make these realy Kool ones that are just strait&have never had problem with them going threw the guides of even my smallest ultralight rods.
Ethan. I have most of you Mule Fishing Tackle, including the float in this video. Sorry to say:they dont last more than a few fishing outings and the become brittle. These are not durable😢
I would love to hear more about what you are experiencing. Could you send me an email to mulefishingsupplies @ gmail? I can't say they are built to be hyper-durable (due to the material), but they also shouldn't be breaking on you unless you are banging them up against rocks and hard surfaces often.
your bobber stop thills are the wrong size. just like line and swivels, the right size for the right line. that's a size 8 thill stop and you should use size 2. i tend to use my ice fishing size #0 ice buster bobber stops, this way when you have a bite, the bobber stands up and it's super light and visible for pan fishing.
I wouldn't consider the Elixir a trout-only rod. In fact, I wouldn't really consider any rod a trout-only rod. I am a multispecies angler and use rods for what I think they will be good at. This Elixir has a great action for the slip float rig regardless of what species I am catching.
Is there any specific rig for specific fish? I’ll throw powerbait, salmon eggs, and red worms on a drop shot setup with an owner mosquito circle hook and catch trout Al day in creeks.
@@FishAnything “The wiliest trout meets its match in the Phenix Rods Elixir Spinning Rod, the premier trout stick for the dedicated ultralight enthusiast.” Directly from the Phenix product catalogue.
I know I'm just a stranger in the comments but I have been a fan and watching the channel for a while now and wanted to let you know about how much you played a role in my decision on really digging into ultralight fishing and it's such a blast and VERY MUCH appreciate you and the inspiration you give!!! Tight lines my friend!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I really appreciate the kind words and support. I am just a stranger who makes videos so we are no different :)
@@FishAnything 👍🎣
Good instructional walk through Ethan. Was able to kill 2 hours Saturday afternoon when it was 60ish in Chicago this weekend. Dark bottom pond was the choice. Wind blowing directly in my face and had to play the wind drift game. Slip floats, ice jigs and wax worms were the ticket. Mix of crappie and bluegill but nothing very big. They didn't seem interested in plastics but I only tried 2 colors in 1/80 ounce. Managed to get about 16 evenly split. Tight lines and Happy fishing. Blessings bud
Sounds like a great time! Fingers crossed for more consistent spring weather
Ethan, you don't have to waste money on those Thill float stop knots. I just take 60# braided line and tie a uni-knot on the main line. You can get thousands of knots out of a spool of braided fishing line, and it won't cost you an arm and a leg.
I do the same and just get beads from the craft store.
I’m using the same but using 6lb flouro or mono in a Uni knot on my 4lb leader. My Ul rods are TFO and this works great! My wife and I bank fish and caught several crappie yesterday doing this and being able to long cast out to a channel that we normally couldn’t reach with just a 1/32 ounce jig. And there was zero slippage of the Uni knot unlike the problems with the store bought thills and such.
That’s something I haven’t thought of thanks!
I melted wax and poured it onto some pre cut lengths of fine string.
Very good advice - thank you all! I will try that :)
Great video I love that you walk through and showed the step-by-step on a slip float rig. I’m gonna have to try it. Thank you.
Thanks! Hope it helps!
Just ordered a couple last night and I can't wait to give them a try! The Donkey Tail Jr's. and 1/64 Oz jig heads have been absolutely amazing and I can't wait to try a new presentation!
Thank you so much!
Great video with some great info. Have to get some of your float ordered soon but till then hoping to get out this weekend and this some Mule fishing plastics on my BFS for whatever bites. Thanks for all the great ultralight and BFS content. Keep up the great work Ethan.
Thanks Jeff! Hope you have been catching some good fish :)
Good video. I like fishing a slip bobber with wind blowing. I find the waves give the jig movement and action that you'd normally do in calm water. You just need to keep the rod low when casting into a head wind to get your distance.
Fair! I guess I don't love it for cold weather when it is windy because it is creating more movement than I am looking for. But during warmer situations, I could see how that is a good thing potentially.
This is a great instructional video! Thankyou!
Thank you Mark!
I love your videos always entertaining and informative keep up the great work.
Thank you!!
Great info. I was actually doing alot of research on lightweight floats/bobbers for ultralight rating rods about a month ago!
I hope this one works well for you! Tight lines
Thanks for the video. It was complete down to showing how to tie loop knot. I have trouble tying those.
Thanks for watching!!
Great video thanks 😊
Thanks Lance!
Very informative - Thanks!
😎👍
Thanks! Tight lines 👊🏽
I use the exact same setup except instead of using split shot I use a 1/32 bullet weight and push the pointed end up into the bottom of the float. 1/32 bullet weights are kinda of hard to find but well worth the effort.
I might just have to try that! Thanks for sharing.
Great video I am going to try your rig shortly loveto fish slip flot ,but have never used a knot like yuo showed thanks.
The loop knot will definitely work well for you! I am a believer.
Because I fish both conventional and fly, I tend to use a lot of fly fishing knots with my spinning gear. Gunnar Brammer's non-slip loop knot is my go to. The tag end comes out at 90° to the knot, but it's a bit simpler to tie.
I will have to look into that one! Thank you for sharing.
Slip float and meal worms was slaying the blue gills yesterday in upstate NY.
Love to hear it! Tight lines :)
Yes!!!! As you know I would like to consider my self the biggest mule fishing fan. Definitely the best products and content in the world. God bless brother and tight lines!!
Also. What braid are you running on the reel
You’re the man, Caleb. That’s Sufix 832. It’s okay, but I like j braid or spro better
@@FishAnything that’s what I just got to try with the new pfluger president reel!
Not mentioned - I like to use light braid as my main line. You can make long casts and the lack of stretch makes for better hook sets. I am liking Bass Pro Shops (the same Ott uses in MLF) where sometimes you can't see your float - but can see your line.
100% agree!
I am digging these tutorials. New sub. I'm trying the drop shot rig today while bass fishing the Umpqua river in Oregon. keep it up.
Thanks so much for the support!
@@FishAnything I used the drop shot with a Berkley white grub and caught 84 bass. I'm hooked.
Keep the tube and make your own whip-knots with Dacron fly-line backing. That's what I do. Your "loop knot" is what I have known as a "Rapala Knot" since I've been fishing. (60 years?)
And wax it to stop it slipping. I've got some dacron. Thanks
Good timing I just got mine
Thanks for the support and tight lines!
I have some of those plastic egg shaped bobber stops, but I have a lot of trouble with them... If I don't reel the bobber stop past the line guides it's okay, but if I have the stop between them somewhere, it always gets caught on the line guides when I cast... At that point, I just stick to the fixed bobbers. I'd love to use a slip float deeper than my rod length!
I will do some experimenting with a deeper slip float presentation and plan to make some follow-up content at some point!
I need to try a slip float over the tiny blue 1/80th mule jig and horse fly I’ve been using. Gills, golden shiner, GSF, and crappie have already been hitting that thing a lot but if I suspend it under a float longer I bet I’d get even more.
Man that sounds like some fishing I’d love to join you on! Tight lines
Love your videos. I’m a semi beginner fisherman me and my son started this hobby and I’m very curious as to how to and what to buy for the description you showed on your video. Anything helps
Check the list of items in the description!
I went through all the videos again to find this one for the knot. LOL!!!
🤠 thanks for the support!!
It looks like you have a braided line on this setup, based on color. Do you also have a long mono/fluorcarbon leader on it, on which you mount your floar rig?
Yeah I beefed up my length of copolymer leader in this case to avoid crossing over to the braid. Good callout!
How do I get my cast to not tangle on the slip float knot if I’m running the rig past the spool?
I have the same question. When using braid to mono leader if my leader is too long-the knot on the spool gets tangled and affects casting. How do you avoid if you are using day six foot rod and trying get your bait at say 12 ft depth? I am asking as a slip float not a leader
I will have to do some more experimenting, because it is very rare for me to run my slip float that deep, however this is a really good point. Is there a specific line you are having this issue with?
Do you ever use a lead plumb on the hook to find the depth?
Nahh but that could be a good way to do so from bank.
I’m starting to get into ultralight fishing but for smaller bass does anyone have any cheaper options for a reel I already have a pole I want to get.
Shimano Sienna 1000 is the best cheap reel in my experience.
Ok thank you
I also put 8 lb on to my new shimano sensilite do you think that is a good weight
Have you ever had issues with the bobber stop getting caught on the rod guides during a cast?
Not with this string type. The little rubber ones have issues with guides for me.
Have you ever tried the littma blue sniper ultralight rod, and if so what do you think of it
I have not! I’ll have to look into it 🤠
Do you put your split shot above or below your swivel
Usually a bit above!
What fishing line do you recommend? Because I use fluro but it seem to sink so it make the line so much slag in the line… or I am doing something wrong
I personally prefer either braid to a leader or straight copolymer/monofilament.
What size (weight) castmaster do you recommend?
I like the 1/12oz a lot, but I’ve used the 1/32oz all the way up to the 1/4oz
Howdy from Romania! So what’s special about this setup compared to drop shot or jigging? Why float fishing with spinning equipment?
Allows fishing a specified distance from the surface vs the bottom. Most people here don't have center pin tackle, so they use what they have.
What he said^
A lot of fish in lakes and ponds are suspended so it’s best to use a float rig to hover a bait just above where they are positioned. A drop shot is a bottom-oriented approach.
Can you do an Ugly Stik Gx2 review?
I have been planning to for a while but haven't got to it yet! I will try to make time this year.
You're the best, appreciate all your insight and the great gear!@@FishAnything
What knot do you use on the swivel?
Any knot will work - I used a palomar.
What type of line and weight are you using?
6lb braid to a 4lb copolymer leader
What size swivel are you using? Have you tried the rubber bobber stops?
Most times they get stuck in your rod guides. It's fine for fishing up to about 5x though.
I don't like the rubber stops because they don't fit through the guides well. The swivel was about as small as I can find, but I sadly don't recall the exact size.
@@FishAnything the smallest "ant swivels" are made by "spro" and they're a size 10
I use a 2" clear water filled float - use it on everything-- instead of a split shot I use a bead and a ball bearing swivel
I have heard good things about those as well!
@@FishAnything it makes it ez to cast a really long way and cover alot of water .
Korean " Isofishing" has great floats in a pretty good range of sizes. They have weight because they are made with fantastic quality and durable plastic.
You should always use a swivel. And then you use a lighter test line than your mainline so that if it breaks, you only lose the hook basically. You'll still have your bobber and stops.
This would work well with a double nymph rig too!!!(fly lures)
Interesting! I still need to play around with fishing flies on an ultralight more.
Its helpful sharing
Thanks :)
So why is a slip float better than a fixed float? Obviously casting is better and the loop know helps a lot but can you get a vertical jigging action out of it?
It gives you the ability to create more depth control. Imagine casting a fixed float and trying to get your jig down 10’
@@FishAnything ahh now I see!
The knot, that you are using to tie on the jig appears to be, in some ways, a uni knot with an extra step for added strength.
thank you
Thanks!!
Instead of the bopper stop I use a slit weight. It's Less expensive and do the job
Rubber bobber stops are ten times better&won't slip unless you want it to&you should always put a small bead at the bottom of the bobber.keeps weight from smashing bottom of bobber.
I tried these but they have a hard time getting through the guides on my ultralight rods sadly.
Don't use the egg shaped ones,they make these realy Kool ones that are just strait&have never had problem with them going threw the guides of even my smallest ultralight rods.
Surgeon’s knot vs loop knot?
I don't tie a surgeon's knot but I believe that is a line-to-line connection so I can't say it is worth comparing to the loop?
Ethan. I have most of you Mule Fishing Tackle, including the float in this video. Sorry to say:they dont last more than a few fishing outings and the become brittle. These are not durable😢
I would love to hear more about what you are experiencing. Could you send me an email to mulefishingsupplies @ gmail?
I can't say they are built to be hyper-durable (due to the material), but they also shouldn't be breaking on you unless you are banging them up against rocks and hard surfaces often.
#Richardgenethefishingmachine showed me the technique of making your own in one of his videos. Works great
I saw that as well! Good point.
@@FishAnything I apologize if that sounded crappy. I love and appreciate all your content!
Come fishing with me
Let’s do it!
your bobber stop thills are the wrong size. just like line and swivels, the right size for the right line. that's a size 8 thill stop and you should use size 2. i tend to use my ice fishing size #0 ice buster bobber stops, this way when you have a bite, the bobber stands up and it's super light and visible for pan fishing.
Good feedback! I haven’t seen the smaller ones before but I’ll be on the lookout.
You elaborate to much
You spend several minutes for a simple knot?????!!!!!!! This is not true
You’re using a trout set up for bass and perch…. 🤦🏻♂️
I wouldn't consider the Elixir a trout-only rod. In fact, I wouldn't really consider any rod a trout-only rod. I am a multispecies angler and use rods for what I think they will be good at. This Elixir has a great action for the slip float rig regardless of what species I am catching.
Is there any specific rig for specific fish? I’ll throw powerbait, salmon eggs, and red worms on a drop shot setup with an owner mosquito circle hook and catch trout Al day in creeks.
@@FishAnything “The wiliest trout meets its match in the Phenix Rods Elixir Spinning Rod, the premier trout stick for the dedicated ultralight enthusiast.” Directly from the Phenix product catalogue.