Surface fishing is becoming possible again, and I'd like some advice from those who do it better than me.... What do you use to make the line between the controller and the bait float? Can you recommend a particular line (most I see on sale have claims about rapid sinking!) I have tried vegetable oil, with some success, but as the line starts to sink it pulls the bait right onto the controller...

hi Pangolin, the answer is easy, buy a can of silicon spray, and give the line in the reel a good spray, it will float for a couple of months, so use a seperate (new) line for the trace, and use line grease on that to float as much of the trace as you want, I always leave the last 6 inches free of grease, it sinks, and leaves no telltale surface impression near the bait.

Pangolin,

Float, sink, whatever, it's HERE

Message erased due to complete irrelevance, which was down to my idiocy in not understanding what Pangolin meant, and only getting it after I'd already posted a reply..

[ 19. April 2005, 01:29 AM: Message edited by: Graham. X ]

Just get a tub of fly fishermans or pike anglers line grease! dont grease all the way up to your hook though as you will get turnaways in bright conditions. :cool:

Good advice Budgie.....and a tin lasts for years.......

Deviating a little from the question, you should try using orange cork pieces as bait!! Last summer i was doing a spot of surface fishing on a local still water, using a piece of orange cork so i could get some more distance on the cast. Anyway, only had a couple takes of the crust but i had countless attacks on the cork by half decent sized carp, i reckon in the 6 - 10lb region, it was so funny to watch!!

tub of Mucilin does the job for me

try here

mucilin

Natural juices, thats what you want.........

Rub your fore-finger and thumb behind your ear, or on your nose, and then run your line through finger and thumb.

Works a treat...... honest!

I find it quite important to keep the last few inches of line near the hook sunk and I use tiny pieces of tungsten putty to achieve this, but agree with floating the rest of it. I degrease with some fine mud and like Bally use anything to hand if I need a floatant, butter (from sarnies), lipsalve, sweat are all equally effective if nothing else is available at the time.