hi all

i purcahsed a pack of 5 pre wieghted floats today as they where going cheap and just wondered what peoples opinion on them was?? I am a newbie to fishing and thought they might help when setting up due to less time playing about with shotting the line. I was also wondering if these are as flexible as normal floats, as in can u play with the shotting patterens as much??? I made up a simple rig to have a play about with them in a large bucket tonight to see how they behaved in water and they cock without any wiegth does this mean i need only smaller shot on the line in order to get my bait where i want it???

many thanks in advance

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Pre-weighted (or self-cocking) floats have been on the go for years, I remember fishing with them in the early 70's and they were old hat even then! They are usually fished 'on the drop', but you can put some small shot down the line to get the bait where you want it faster, but obviously not much of it. Use float-stops instead of shot to keep your float in place

I have seen some really badly designed floats selling in some cheap supermarket type shops, however; If these floats are not too big and are well designed by competent float manufacturers then they should be good floats.

I will usually use preloaded floats called 'Onions' or the smaller 'Darts' when I am fishing tight up against a far bank or tight up against an Island or in front of a bed of lillies as it means that I can get within inches of the object, but you mustn''t check your line as it flies through the air as the hooklength will start to move ahead of the float in flight and get tangled on the lillies or bankside vegetation. I also use them when after distant shoals of fish because they cast well at a distance.
One slight disadvantage is that the float will sink lower into the water when it lands but this is not usually too much of a problem.

I take it they are waggler type or stillwater floats then? If they are pike floats, they are lethal. If it's say a self-cocking waggler for instance, then as mentioned, it's ideal for fishing on the drop. I use them for casting a long distance surface carp, Rudd etc, since you can lock them with a float stops and adjust the depth to suit the swim or if you've got the fish feeding confidently enough that you only want as little as a 12" of line below your float then they are ideal. The again, you can have a dropper of as much as 9 feet long and possible more, cast space allowing.

...Andy (I can't sleep in this heat)....