Alternative for balloons

[Miller 197]

Hey all,

 

I'm staring this topic as a big of an open discussion to see what people have come up with as an alternative to using balloons when live baiting.

 

Using balloons works great, as it pops off straight away when a fish strikes and the hookup rate is pretty good. plus they are cheap as.... downside being you have to collect the balloon at a later stage or they are left floating around in the environment.

 

Ive tried using squid floats and stoppers attached onto the line but its been fraying my braid and ive had fish snip me off from hitting the float mid fight which sucks..

 

Maybe water bombs instead of party balloons.. They are about 1/4 of the size but still inflate pretty big.. but then they are still left floatin.. hmmmmmmm

 

Whats everyone else been doing?

 

Cheers

Chris

[The Mad Hughesy]

a mob in the US sells floats that attach to the bait then "snap off" so to speak once a fish takes the bait

www.redirig.com

[fifis101]

You can buy biodegradable balloons

[Gad]

at woollies the other day,I read on the packet of one brand they were edible, so I guess that would mean you were being safe around the rocks and being environmentally friendly too  

[Miller 197]

Biodegradable / edible is they way to go

 

and hey.. if I get peckish I can snack on my edible balloons  

[The Mad Hughesy]

or.....attach another line to the balloon which runs to a cheap $10 kids rod from kmart. once the balloon pops off, you can reel it back in. you will get the issue with possibly tangling lines, but for those environmentally inclined, this could be a viable option as well as using biodegradable balloons if they do end up floating away

[The Mad Hughesy]

what about that box packaging foam stuff... some types of that are edible. maybe that could be utilised somehow..

[Miller 197]

3 hours ago, christophagus said:

or.....attach another line to the balloon which runs to a cheap $10 kids rod from kmart. once the balloon pops off, you can reel it back in. you will get the issue with possibly tangling lines, but for those environmentally inclined, this could be a viable option as well as using biodegradable balloons if they do end up floating away

I had thought about doing something like this.. but if the balloon didn't pop off or the lines got tangled it could go pear shaped. I have enough troubles with tangles as it is haha

[The Mad Hughesy]

2 minutes ago, Miller 197 said:

I had thought about doing something like this.. but if the balloon didn't pop off or the lines got tangled it could go pear shaped. I have enough troubles with tangles as it is haha

yep, likewise haha hence why I don't do it