I am just beging to float fish, so I am by no means an expert, but recently I have been fishing a lot with Thill floats and Steelhead Stalkers. I really enjoy the way they perform. The only drawback to these floats is there cost. Have you tried dink style floats? I have not done much float/bait fishing and usually fish with jigs 1/8 or 1/4. With these styles, there is no need for the addition of shot.

Do a search for float fishing and you should be able to find some more info.