I have been using a small diameter black fixed dink float for winter run. i know everyone has a preferance when it comes to floats and I really like the one I have been using. My question is: is it stealth enough for summer run in low clear water? I do have some clear floats, but they are slip floats which I don't really care for.

HoJ,

I use the exact same one as you for summer and winter, unless deeper/heavier water requires too much weight for such a small float.

Anytime I'm worried that the water is too shallow or clear in the summer, I don't fish floats, but that's not very often.

Fish on...

Todd.

And make sure the part of the float that's in the water is a natural color, shades of green, brown/tan/cork or gray. Black will be easy for a fish to spot.

I know it sounds wierd, but I think the white dink floats are the least visable to the fish. Think about this, if you are underwater and looking up, the water surface appears white or light colored if the sun is shining....so (IMO) the black, green or any dark color float will stand out more then a white one.

I use the largest cheater made for a float. I slide it up my line and peg it with a toothpick. I usually use chartruse or hot pink..... I think that people get way too uptight when it comes to float colors and spooking fish with your float. I really dont think that it makes any difference. I've never seen the occasion where I've been outfished by someone else because my float was too visible to the fish. Hell, not only have I not had trouble with my float spooking the fish, but ther have even been times where I've had summer runs come up and strike my float. Go ahead and paint your floats black or blue or green or whatever, but I really dont think it matters to the fish.

hookedonjigs,
When fishing for Summer-run Steelhead, I personally like the round cork floats. I mainly fish them with jigs but occasionally I will toss them with bait. I don't paint them. The float looks like a piece of wood just floating down the river. They have worked well for me in low clear water situations.
Good Luck

I like the topic I have always used the four to six inch Dink floats in black and green. I dont think that these floats will spook an agressive catchable steelhead in even crystal clear conditions. I do like the posts of steelhead coming up to eat the floats!! Thats fun stuff. I think the first fish I rose to a float was on the gold river, it actualy took it down for a yank. I have one float that has teeth marks in it from last march on the hoh were three fish decided it was the better presentation. I fish the skeena area in the fall and primarily fish dry flys I think this is a fascinating way to fish for these critters and very effective.

I like the small round corks too. I've floatd them right over fish in gin clear water and they haven't been spooked at all. When fishing riffles or deeper water I don't think it matters much.

Mark