The Float and Fly
 A Historical and Sporting View

How to Rig the Float and Fly using the Coan Method With Pictures and a diagram.

Float and Fly for Bluegill in May, June, July and August

Southern Float and Fly Lakes - Information Sources

Winter Clothing for Float and Fly Season

Winter Fishing Safety

Annual Float and Fly Get Together and Seminar

ORDER: Float and Fly Jigs

ORDER: Fish Dope

ORDER: Punisher Float & Fly Kit

Float and Fly Gear
Our Recommendations

Southern Float and Fly Lakes - Information Sources

HIRE Bob Coan on Dale Hollow Lake, The Master of the Float and Fly.

ORDER: All Pro Float and Fly Rods

Float and Fly for Bluegill in May, June, July and August

Pictures of Fish Caught on the Float and Fly and our World Record Float and Fly Smallmouth Contest

"WINTER Fishing Safety"
Article By Jim Dicken owner FloatandFly.com
This article contains links to products that you can purchase for your comfort in winter.  The links do pay me a small percentage. These are NOT the only products and this is not an endorsement of said product. I have used some of these but they appear here basically because to keep the site going I have to have some income and these links do pay me if you purchase. The information here should be read with this in mind. Other products or services may work just as well if not better.   Jim Dicken

Clothing
There is plenty of new clothing on the market. Bob Coan describes best how to dress for the winter Float and Fly Season. First is the underwear. UnderArmour Thermal wear is great it has wicking action that will take the moisture away from the sking. Moisture is the big enemy in winter. Water drops, sweat, etc. causes the skin to lose heat. A good antiperspirant is highly recommended for your feet and main trunk of your body when fishing in winter. This will decrease sweating and keep you warmer. After the underwear, comes fleece lined pants and shirt.I like to wear the new Fleece Lined Pants and shirts from Carhartt or Red Head that you buy through  Bass Pro Shops. Carhartt Fleece-Lined 5-Pocket Jeans for Men,   RedHead Brawny-Lined Fleece Shirts for Men . These shirts and pants provide quite a bit of insulation and will allow you to layer your clothing which is necessary in winter. Many times when Float and Fly Fishing, we will run down the lake at high speed on cold mornings and I get extremely cold, only to get really warm when fishing. The wind chill affect at high speeds can be extremely bad in a boat. Layering is the only way to prevent this. I wear the fleece pants, and fleece shirts, then a light hooded jacket and insulated Bib Overalls and a Parka. This allows you to peel off the Overalls and Parka and fish in comfort as the day warms up, or if a front rolls in. If it rains, or snows the best overalls and Bib Outfits are made of GoreTex© a product that sheds water.
In some situations I will use my Frog Togs. Normally when air temps are in the low 40's to mid 50's to break the wind and keep the chill effect down.
A great piece of equipment to have is a Motor Cycle or Boat Helmet, with face mask, OR one of cloth with  safety glasses if you can not afford an expensive Motor Cycle Helmet. Another option is the Save Phace Sport Utility Mask . This item is a full face cover and is less than $100.00 for most versions with a Fog Proof semi clear lens on the front. At very low temperatures these masks will prevent serious frost bite in very cold weather that can develop when running a boat at 30 MPH or higher.
Next comes footwear. Yeah you would think it is first but if you are putting on pants and then the big suits the boots have to go on last. You want to wear socks that will wick the moisture away from the feet. The Wigwam Outlast Ski Sock is designed to wick moisture away from the skin and to keep the foot warm. I like the  RedHead Gobi/40 Below Socks Combo (wool, nylon, spandex) thermal outer sock paired with a moisture-repelling Gobi polypropylene undersock liner for outstanding protection. Machine wash. 2 pair packs come in assorted colors (navy, gray, or tan)--no color choice. This system gets the perspiration away from the skin where it will cause you to cool faster.  Warm Boots are the next variant. There are many kinds of boots to wear. I like the following, although I may not be able to afford them... Danner Hood Winter Light Boot for Men is a bit pricey but is one of the best boots you can wear in winter.  Another boot that is less pricey is *SALE* RedHead Hunter 600 Insulated Boots for Men .

On the water safety:
Bob Coan did a lot of research on fishing in winter when he started fishing the Float and Fly. One article Bob read was about incidents of drowning and death in winter from the Coast Guard. According to the article many of the people they found were men who had their zippers down. The conclusion was that fishermen or boaters were falling overboard for various and sundry reasons when attempting to Urinate. For that reason Bob carries either a gallon jug with an extra hole cut near the top, or just a plain juice decanter with handle in winter. Bob insists on all customers using this for a bathroom facility for the men. Other arrangements can be made for women.
Should you fall over board it is extremely important to get into DRY CLOTHING. If you can not afford 2 Winter Suits, then carry 2 sets of extra pants, 2 extra shirts underwear and 2 sets of socks, and dry shoes or some sort of covering for your feet. DO NOT GO OUT without these items. Failure to do this could result in serious injury and or death. Of course towels should be kept on board as well. Dry clothing is mandatory when you are going to have to move the boat in cold weather. Wet clothing at speeds over 10MPH at temps below 40 degrees will create serious wind chill so to be able to get to safety AFTER you have fallen in you will have to get dry or at least into dry clothing to have any chance at getting to a dock or where you can call for help.
I have noticed some guys wearing sanitary latex gloves on the water. While these will keep your hands dry they will cause you to sweat. This could lead to frost bite if you do not regularly dry your hands.

Heaters - You can purchase hand warmers, and other types of chemical charges that will keep you warm. One of the best is the Grabber Mycoal 20 Hour Warmer Pack (10 Pack) . Bob found that you can tuck one of these into a cotton glove and keep your hands warm most of the day. However Bob does not tuck them into the palm. Instead tuck the heater pad into the glove on the  back of the hand. This is where most of the blood vessels of the hand are very close to the skin, and in warming the vessels you will keep the fingers warm as well. I tried this little trick on a recent trip and it works great. Do not use a FOOT WARMER. Read the full package and you will find you need to keep cloth between you and the warmer. This kind of warmer can burn you if you do not keep cloth between it and the skin.

You can also make a Warmer for your boat that runs on Propane. Bob made one from a Tomato Juice can but of course Grape Fruit Juice or other big cans would likely work. Take a 3/4" bolt and put it through the bottom of the can. This allows you to put the can into the pedestal hole on your boat. This the can holds the propane can which you attach a warmer to and light. This puts out enough heat to warm cold hands. I will have pictures of the device and more instructions soon. Bob Coan who has one is getting the pictures for me. DO NOT USE portable devices that stand on their own and are devised for land use. A friend of Bob's bought a commercial unit for home use and it turned over when a boat went by and threw a wake, causing several square feet of his carpet to burn. The Pedestal device stays put due to the bolt driven in the base. Below is the device Bob uses in his boat.

 
Click on the pictures for larger images.

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