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Earlier in a post you asked me why I prefer a long sight tip over a dumpy one and I forgot to answer you. The reasons for my preference for a long sight tip are numerous. One obvious reason is because they are easy to see at long ranges, I sometimes trot a float up to 100yds and they are still visible in the right light conditions. Also, they enable you to read a bite better, and they allow you to see subtle things such as a slight rise in the tip if your bait or bottom shot hits the deck and is being dragged along the bottom. If you use a wire stemed bolo float in fast water with a chop on it the longer sight tip is still visible in the undulating surface. The wire stem helps to stop the float from flattening out if you slow it down by holding back a touch. In choppy riffling water it may also be a good idea to shot the float so as the top of the shoulder is above the waters surface as this keeps the float from dipping under in the chop and going out of sight for a second or two which you may strike at thinking it is a bite. The dumpy rounded type floats are ok on flat steady water but are not the most visible, even to someone with 20/20 vision. I think they are made more for fishing off the rod tip and fishing short trots in smooth flowing glides. Imo, it's pointless to struggle using those dumpy things when you could use a far more practical float which you can see so much easier.

On the beach at 5 am, water clarity, weather, lack of weed, all perfect, all I needed was some fish. Tried a number of lures and lost one of my expensive ones ? No matter what I tried the fish either weren't there or just didn't want to play. Never a wasted trip when you can admire a sunrise before the rest of the world awakes. Returned a few hours later at low tide in the forlorn hope I might find my lost lure, bingo, found it within seconds....result!

Fab history there. Still so sad about Peter Houseman. I was 4 when my 7-year old neighbour, who was my hero at the time, cried when Chelsea lost the Cup Final in 1967. I cried for him in empathy, but didn't understand why. But when we won it in 69/70 when you were collecting your tokens, footy suddenly made sense and I've been a big fan ever since. Used to bully my Brentford-supporting Dad into taking me to maybe 5 games per year after that, before I started going to the Shed with my schoolpals from 1978, my first unchaperoned match being a 4-3 win v Bolton having been 3-nil down with 15 mins to go, 'Big' Sam scoring the winner for us with an own goal. That cemented my love and I hardly missed a home game for the next 12 years, and from 82 til around 1990 went to pretty much every away game. Chelsea were dreadful then, and the hooliganism was horrible, but they were fab days (eg a last match 1-0 in pouring rain at Bolton (again) to stay up in the old 2nd division, cup wins v Liverpool, 4-4 at Sheff Weds and 5-3 Fill Members Cup win at Wembley - offset by 6-0 defeats at QPR and 0-4 v both West Ham and Wimbledon). I got out of the habit of going when my kids came along (as I did with fishing) but though I follow them all the time on various websites, I'm not sure I can be arsed to go watch a game anymore given the hassle and cost of getting tickets, the journey, and Neanderthal supporters I always seem to get sat near. I went to a couple of Champs league games v Barca, I think Messi was quiet in both of those too- though Ronaldinho scored a ridiculously good toe punt in one, and E'to who ended up playing for us for a while scored their winner (I think) in the other. My school pals still have season tickets and have been to all 3 Champ League finals and Baku for the Europa. Me? I'd rather spend the money and time chasing roach. Sorry to have hijacked your post, Chris.

The S63 was a screen name I used on a car forum many moons ago when I was driving a S63 AMG. I was actually born in 1953 and started my support of Chelsea in 1969, I lived in Wandsworth and use to walk to Stamford Bridge every other Saturday and stand in the shed (it was the warmest place), saved all the tokens on the back of the programme and got my 1970 cup final ticket for ten shillings, or was it 50p by then, can't recall. Went to the same school as Peter Houseman, part of the great "H" team, Hollins, Hudson, Hinton, Harris, Hutchinson along with Ossie, David Webb and Charlie Cooke...ah what memories! My last ever visit to the Bridge was as a guest in a posh box and watched (painfully) the hugely controversial second leg of the CL semi against Barca which we lost due to diabolical reffing, i I actually got to see Messi live, he had a shocker on the night!

Ah, a fellow superbloo, excellent.?

Well played, though not sure Preston North End will be catching many tench this season in fishing terms. The mighty Chelsea netted a nice league win to add to (yet) another European trophy, so we both had good afternoons.

You assumed right, my question was really about rivers. It was S63 who mentioned tench. Thanks for your suggestions.

I tried this when fishing a large reservoir for bream, there was a shelf some way out and I was having trouble seeing the float. There could be issues with wind but I don't remember that. I was fishing in 12/15ft of water and using a slider. Of course I could have used a leger of some sort but the shelf was a problem and I like the float if I can. I would suggest trying adapting a couple of old floats first to see it it works, I haven't tried it on river floats but my eyesight is not that good now so might adapt a couple of trotting floats myself, it can be difficult seeing floats once they get past a certain distance.

Oh Chris, 2am - you even missed Gogglebox! At least you saw more Perseids than perch.

Ha! Good point, S63, though I tend to leave those sultry shots for the carp porners. Me, every fish that flaps into my net is a triumph of luck over ability and I hope never to lose the cheesy grin.