Musings on surface baits....

It'll soon be that time of year again, when the fish are up in the water and suckers for a well-presented floater.

I was talking about making some Gardner-style suspender floats in another thread recently, which neatly overcomes the problem of hiding the hook by suspending the bait from an angled tube hovering a few inches above the water, but with more conventional surface presentations the weight of the hook ensures that it rides beneath the bait and is presumably visible.

Enterprise baits make fake plastic mixers that have a hole on the opposite side to the hook. This hole is plugged by the addition of a (supplied) shot, about BB size, which cocks the bait, ensuring that the hook rides uppermost. A neat trick, but I'm not particularly confident using these fake mixers, so how to mount a food bait in the same manner so that the hook is above water?

Maybe this will work; it seems feasible, at least. I intend to prepare some mixers, and maybe some cubed-off pop-ups in a similar colour, by drilling through and countersinking the hole to the depth of a BB shot (or whatever weight is found to work) then looping a medium band halfway down the shank of the hook. The band is then pulled through the bait, the shot nipped on to the band, and the band released so that the shot pulls into the countersunk hole, simultaneously trapping the hook on the opposite side.
The weight should be enough to cock the bait so that it floats low in the water as if waterlogged and the band-knot and shot, respectively, should neatly plug the holes, making them reasonably watertight. I've made the process sound long winded, but in practice, with baits made ready, it should only take seconds to mount or change a bait.

Workable idea or flight of fancy?

A few years ago I decided to lighten my surface gear right up, I purchased a 12ft twin tipped barbel rod and a small mitchell reel. I think a lot of carp rods are just to heavy for surface fishing.
This kit allows me to use much lighter gear, 10lb mainline with an 8lb fly flouro leader. Now I can use size 12 to 14 hooks, much smaller baits and much smaller surface floats. In fact I use the smallest bubble float made by Fox. All this scaling down has made a big difference.
I've found surface carp very spooky, not so much at the start of spring but you can see this wariness escalate as the season progresses.
I'll usually always start feeding with cat biscuits, as the are lighter and smaller than doggies. Plus ill never cast out until I have at least 3 fish slurping and even then ill over cast and draw the hook back slowly.
I've had fish on dog biscuits, stacked cat biscuits, Marsh mallows, plastics, foam, trimmed pop ups, floater paste all manner of things, so I see no reason why your thoughts wouldn't work.
I just stick to a couple of rules
Lightest gear possible
As less a disturbance as possible
Get them feeding first
Look at how they are feeding
Surface fish are a lot easier to work out as you can see how they are taking baits, you can see what they are spooking off. So carry a multitude of different hookbaits.

I never use a carp rod for surface fishing, I use a stepped up waggler rod , line of 6 or 8lb main line and 6lb hook link
Hooks I go size 12 or 14 if possible

By using a small knife I cut a small grove in a dog buscuit then attach the bait to the hook via a bait band so the hook is partly hidden in the grove

Not sure it makes much difference as sometimes the carp spook off just as they are about to take the gait but if it gets an extra fish or two it's worth it

Rob, the Enterprise fake dog biscuits do work. Just use a light hook that is counterbalanced by the BB in the base. Dipping in flavour adds to their effectiveness.
If circumstances and distance allow a lighter line, they can be cast under their own weight with no controller.