Rod floats, Rod Leases or Nuttin?

[summersoff]

What say ye?

Also, do the floats affect sensitivity?

[bassguy84]

Think this has already been posted but I go with nothing. My most expensive combo is $60 so not stressing to much. Most of the time when I have seen and heard of people losing rods it's when they are dehooking a fish and misplace the rod behind them while excited. I have a solid routine that I do every time and I'm aware of where I put my rod. I do use leaches if I go to the ocean since I have flipped out there but that is very rare. I found leaches get in the way and I never used it except for the above when it did save my gear. Float have always moved around to much but other members have mentioned solutions for that. My son's I make use a leach since they are still learning as well is their kayak is not nearly as big so something falling off is a lot more likely. I guess it depends on how much ur chances are of losing something, the price of it and the discomfort of the leach or float. It's a balance I guess that we all make different choices depending on circumstances.

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[ronaultmtd]

Same here...my most expensive outfit is $450...Shimano Sustain 3000 FG on 7’ Penn Regiment Rod...I usually carry four outfits- all really nice- no leashes, no floats...

[Mark]

I used to use leashes.

Then I used floats. They have absolutely no impact on the balance or sensitivity of spinning, baitcast or flyrods in my opinion. But they do stop them from sinking.

Now I use no leashes and no floats.

I hope I won't regret that.

[belairfishing]

When I first started kayak fishing a few years ago, I used leashes. I found they got in the way and were generally annoying. Then I switched to foam floats on the rod handle. They moved around and got in the way kinda/sorta, so I scrapped everything and now go without. I'll echo Mark's sentiment - I hope I don't regret that decision. But having said that, I have never had a close call. Probably because I don't catch very many big fish!

[J.A. Veil]

I look at leashes and floats with a cost/benefit analysis. The benefit is obvious -- they can avoid a lost rod. The cost is more subjective and is not really a monetary cost -- it is a cost of convenience. As others have noted, leashes can easily get in your way and tangle with other gear. They can affect the ease of casting and placing a rod in a secure spot, like a holder. I personally like a clean and simple cockpit and do my best to put items back in the spots where they belong to avoid clutter. Leashes do not fit well with that goal. I have never used rod floats, but they look ungainly and awkward to me. For me, I have never, nor will I ever use rod leashes or floats. But each person should do their own cost/benefit analysis of whether you can afford to lose a rod and how much hassle those devices will make for you.

Some kayak fishermen use leashes for other gear too. When I first started out kayak fishing in 2001, I tied a cord around the center of my paddle shaft and tied the other end to a pad eye on the floor. I was concerned that I might lose it. After a few months, I realized that my paddle was very unlikely to get lost, so I gave up the cord and its clutter of the cockpit. In earlier years, I lost several pairs of fishing pliers overboard. I now have a small coiled leash on my pliers to keep the current pair from taking a swim. The pliers themselves are tucked into the gap between my seat and the cockpit wall and are out of the way until I need them. Other than the leash for the pliers, there are no leashes or floats on my kayaks.

[Jman]

I haven't ever used or thought about using a float on my rods, but like John said there's a cost-benefit analysis.

I have used leashes in the past but I don't use them much anymore unless I'm not confident in the rod holder I'm using. The new Yak Attack rod holders with the locking system have eliminated my need for a leash when I'm targeting larger species. When I used to bait fish for large red drum I didn't have a rod holder I was confident in, so I used to stick the rod in the standard molded in rod holder and use a leash to secure it to the side of the kayak, because the rod can pop out due to the large butt, fish, accidental bumps, or sporty conditions. The leash I used saved the rod on a few occasions from being donated to the fishing gods. I think I've dropped my rod in the drink two or three times so far (without a leash) and I've been able to recover it - one time in about 75' of water in the Susquehanna!

[Oldbayrunner]

Like others I started using leases and I too found them to get it the way. Then I tried floats, as others found they slide and at times my line would find a way to snag on them so the past few years I've used nothing. However I do have them tethered with bungee while in my storing rod holders in case I screw up and flip, which knock on wood has only happened once.

[john from md]

I use the thin floats found at Bass Pro. To keep them from sliding, I put some GOOP at both ends and it keeps them in place. If you want to remove them, the GOOP just peels off. They don't get in the way and keep me from losing anymore expensive Shimano reels.

[Mark]

As I mentioned earlier in this thread I no longer use rod floats. But they are effective.

I never had trouble with them interfering with the line, even on low profile baitcasters:

RodFloat.jpg

But I did have trouble with them sliding on my lighter small diameter rods. I solved that problem with the use of thick rubber bands as you see in the following photos:

C.jpg D.jpg E.jpg

The combination of the Velcro cinched tightly on the exterior of the float and the rubber ban under it on the rod, will stop it from moving.

However, I would caution folks against leaving the floats on their rod permanently. The lacquer finishes on some rod blanks will not sustain prolonged exposure to water or dampness. Some rods may never be effected. But others might. I found this out the hard way by putting a fly rod away after a rainy day trip. I stored it in its sock and tube and forgot to let it dry when I got home. The finish on the rod dulled in certain areas from prolonged exposure to the moisture. The integrity of the rod was fine, but it was unsightly.

I hose down my rods after most trips. Then I wipe them lightly with a towel and allow them to dry. To prevent water from getting under the floats during their rinsing, I always removed them before squirting water. And that's the main reason I stopped using floats. I didn't want to chance harming the rod's finish. Putting them on before trips and taking them off after got a little tiresome. So I just stopped using them.

Finally, to me it's not a cost benefit choice. It's not monetary. I can always buy a new rod. But I do have an emotional attachment to some of my rods. Three have been custom made by builders who are no longer alive. They're one of a kind. One is my very first fly rod purchased from Joe Bruce's fly shop many years ago -- which I still use. Another is a birthday present from my dad. And on it goes. Each has a story or special meaning. By rights, I should chain them in my kayaks! But I don't. They owe me nothing after years of service and good memories. So I could lose them and feel bad about it. But I wouldn't forget them.

[dsaavedra]

I try to keep a leash on every rod that I'm not actively using. This is because I once dumped a rod from a rod holder while grabbing the rod out of the holder next to it... the reel handles got tangled together and I got to experience that sinking feeling as you watch your St. Croix slowly descend to the bottom. I was able to recover it, thankfully.

Some trips where I'm switching rods frequently it gets annoying taking the leashes on and off the rods in the holder, so sometimes I get lazy and don't use them. I'm just extra careful when switching rods.

Regardless, whichever rod I'm holding in my hands has no leash and no float on it.

[J.A. Veil]

I had never heard of the Savur product until this morning. https://www.savuroutdoors.com/howdoesitwork

It is removable rod butt that according to their website: "allows you to quickly and safely recover lost fishing rods, action cameras, and fishing bows from being lost forever. We use auto inflatable life jacket technology to deploy a float that comes to the surface. Tied to the other end is your lost item connected by 60 feet of braided fishing line. When the float pops up, grab it! Pull up what would have been lost forever, and yes, it is reloadable."

It is not a product I would use, but it does provide another option for those who currently use floats or leashes.

[Turtle]

I've used the floats before. Of course I've never actually dropped a rod that had one on it, but that's the way things tend to go. One benefit I've experienced from them is that you can bury a hook in the float material instead of using the hook keeper. With some setups, I've had hooks pop out of hook keepers, but never had that issue with one sunk into the float. Perhaps this is a bad idea for the equipment (?), but none of my gear is particularly expensive. Just a thought.

[elkfish2]

I leash all my rods . Had too many bass pull it right out of the rod holder and run while trolling.
Best part of the leash is you get a second chance at the fish .

[elkfish2]

I had never heard of the Savur product until this morning. https://www.savuroutdoors.com/howdoesitwork

It is removable rod butt that according to their website: "allows you to quickly and safely recover lost fishing rods, action cameras, and fishing bows from being lost forever. We use auto inflatable life jacket technology to deploy a float that comes to the surface. Tied to the other end is your lost item connected by 60 feet of braided fishing line. When the float pops up, grab it! Pull up what would have been lost forever, and yes, it is reloadable."

It is not a product I would use, but it does provide another option for those who currently use floats or leashes.

Just make sure there is no water way down in the hobie rod holder before you shove that butt in .