Tigger
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Posts posted by Tigger
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I use bread attatched via a hair rigged band. You can cast it quite hard and it doesn't come off.
Also, it swells up and disguises the hook.
I sometimes use half a slice!
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3 hours ago, Whitty said:
Im interested Ian,do you cut the carbon stems down,because most 3gm bolo floats are at least eight inches long,this causes me issues,in fact i've just ordered two Dave Harrell 3gm floats before reading your recent posts,I intend to shorten them to 5 or 6'" in length,in winter they would be great,at this time of year on the venues i'm fishing they are too big,i'm fishing three or four number eights and a ten dropper,at times that is way too much and one number eight on a really tiny waggler still spooks em,they see the float,being cast in,trotting through and being struck and wound in,clear water does it,even if it's three feet or more...just to add,you would use different gear mate,this is a different type of fishing to your norm,it would be different to mine if I hadn't been a member of a club with a stretch four miles or so downstream some years ago...
Alan, i've never cut the stem down on any but see no reason why you shouldn't do so if you prefer it.
The woodys 2grm avon/bolos are much shorter, if I remember rightly and they are wire stemmed so bouyant in a chop.
Maybe it would be worth you checking out some of the thick sigh tipped pole floats as they look like minature bolos?
I think I would try free lining if the fish are put off by a float.
Another way round the float spooking the fish would be to use the heavier float, fish well overdepth and hold back hard so your bait preceedes the float as it travels down stream. The bait would reach the barbel in advance of the float using that method.
You could even fish overdepth and allow the larger float to drag the bait behind it. That way the float has passed over the barbel before the bait reaches them.
Regarding shotting, maybe bulk shot directlt under thw float stem and use one small dropper ten inch or so avove your hook?
Just ideas, but I would imagine you have already tried them or thought about them already.
Oh, just thought, there is a short alloy stemmed dome topped sticky type float made by woodys also. The 2grm floats are short and have a large sight tip, not long but quite a chunky dome. I'm sure in the river you fish just now you would have no problems seeing it and the short length might suite you. The bolo is prolly as short though and you have a longer sight tip.
The fourth and fifth floats in from the left hand side arw woodys, the fifth one is the one I meant.
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Can you not use bread?
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21 hours ago, The Flying Tench said:
Thanks everyone for your helpful replies. My only remaining question is why the drop back indication should happen if you use a heavy ledger weight. As long as the lead stays static, whichever direction the pike goes in should cause the bobbin to rise. OK, that's in theory, I know, but how often in practice do you get a drop back if you are using a heavy lead?
Tigger, thanks for suggesting some pike swingers. I'll probably get a couple, but that's £25 so I'll have another go with ordinary 'front' bobbins to get my mind in gear.
Many years ago I did quite a bit of piking and often used weights up to 3 1/2 ounces. I did use a running set up but did get back drops on swingers and bobbins, no sure why that happened, maybe a bit of weed or similar stopping the line from running through the link.
As Martin said, flot fishing is a great way to fish for pike, infact it's my prefered method.
I do very little piking these days but still catch more than my fair share whilst trotting for other fish.
Some occassions pike can be a propper pain in the harris.
There was a chub and two barbel resting in the net head by my feet when this fresh water crock slithered up sniffing them. The barbel were about 6 or 7lb and it could have eaten one no problem so it was quite a large sized pike.
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Hope it turns out to be right for you Martin. Not too much lost if it doesn't anyhow.
No use to me though as I never use a keepnet, got enough to carry lol.
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27 minutes ago, S63 said:
I'd imagine them to be Ian, Nick makes quality stuff, I'll pick up a few when I next meet him and I'll report back on them.
I'm sure they will be fine.
Last time ai went to the local tackle shop for some maggots as I was on my way to do some trotting I noticed they had a large selection of drake floats. I liked the look of them and so picked several avons up. They look really nice but the sight tip is quite thin in comparison to my other makes and they will definately be much harder to see at any distance. In truth I bought them because they look nice, not because they looked good to use.
They were quite cheap, well under two quid each so even if they are just kept on the display cabinet in a shot glass looking nice they'll do for me lol.
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33 minutes ago, The Flying Tench said:
Thanks Tigger
Thanks, Tigger, sounds like I need to try heavier floats!
Thats just my take on it John, but you have to go with what you find best.
You can get bolos in 2 grm, so you have a light float with a good long sight tip rather than a dome topped stick float which can be difficult to see and imo gives very little to read even if you undershot it and have some body showing.
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1 hour ago, S63 said:
A shameless plug for a pal of mine, a new range of floats, a bit like an old Drennan Stillwater but loaded.
John, they look like well made functional floats!
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13 hours ago, The Flying Tench said:
I've just bought myself a Drake Alloy Domed Stick because of it's high visibility. On reflection, at 2gms it's maybe a bit heavier than I'll use, but it occurs to me they go up to nearly 5gms! I can't imagine what kind of fishing would need such a weight. What weight do you folks find you need? Tigger, I know you fish some fast flowing bits. I'm not talking about the style of float (I know sticks are not your favourite), I'm trying to get into my head the depth and speed of water which might need such a float.
The depth of water doesn't always determine the size of float I use John. I often use a 6 grm wire stemmed bolo in 2ft of water. You need the body size to be bouyant enough to stay upright when holding back and the weight to get the bait down to the deck.
Even on relatively small smooth flowing rivers fishing in 2ft of water i'll use a 3grm wire or carbon stemmed bolo float. Sometimes i'll use a 2grm float but prefer a heavier one for the biggest part.
Even fishing at cloe range the longer sight tip of the float is much easier to see. Also, the longer sight tip allows you to read a bite, and know when to strike. You can see if smaller fish are messing with your bait etc where as a dome topped float would just go under causing you to strike. Very often you know a fish has bait in it's mouth by the way the float is travelling and by the amount of tip showing. These things arn't as easy to see with a dome topped float.
Another reason for the larger float and longer tip is if the bait is dragging bottom and it catches slightly it doesn't just go under as a dome topped float would. You have more time/chance to see it's a false bite.
So, personally I always try to use as heavy a float as is possible in most scenarios, regardless of depth. One other reason for a heavier float is that if your fishing across the flow and hold back a lighter float will just kite off line, usually coming in to the bank. Even mending the line will cause that to happen if using lighter floats.
I know Alan fishes some very narrow rivers these days and he has tailored his fishing to suite them. If I was to fish them I might use similar equiptment, but then again I might use something that is slightly different.
I know manufacturers have floats marked as being ideal for certain depths of water etc. Personally, I ignore those recommendations as they are just generic ideas. Obviously they want you to buy a full range of sizes in each style of float to maximise their profits, when in reality you only need a couple.
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20 hours ago, The Flying Tench said:
Ah, of course, that's why I've seen carpers with no bobbin - they use bolt rigs! But do bolt rigs work with pike?
As Alan said, even using a self hooking set up you need a swinger of some kind to show a dropback/ fish swimming towards you.
I forget the name for them but there are a few swingers for pike fishing. If you get a normal run the line is pulled forward and the swinger goes up until it unclips and drops off. If you get a slack li er then the swinger falls down.
There was one which had an alarm incorporated in it. Wichever way the swinger went, up or down the box it was attatched to would sou d off. I think it was just a continuous noise once set off.
As I said, I forget the name of them, but I think they were fox.
Here are some drops offs as examples for you John.....
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I think a big reason for using a bobbin appart from enjoying seeing it shoot up and knock the varnish off the rod is to show back drops.
if you just use a baitrunner combined with an alarm and get a drop back bite you won't get any indication as your line willl simply go slack. You need the bobbin or swinger to pull the slack line back through the alarm to make it sound off.
If you fished a quiver or watched any rod tip with a slight bend in it you would notice the tip drop back. Obviously using that method would require you to watch the tip in the same manner as you watch a float.
So if you want to sit back using two rods and look at your surroundings then using a baitrunner reel (or a reel with the drag relaxed) combined with an alarm and bobbins or swinger would be your best option.
A self hooking set up will most likely work best for this kind of fishing.
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Nice one Martin
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I've never fished the thames, so have no idea about it. I would imagine there is no chance of overfeeding a river like that during the summer months if using less than a pint of maggots in two hours. That would tell me there are very few fish in the swim. Several decent sized chub would go through those maggots within 20 mins or less. Even a small shoal of dace would get through those maggots in a short time.
Are there minows present? If there are they will eat the lot! Sounds to me like you fed way to little. Next time I would take at least three or four pints of maggots and a bag of sweetcorn. Ditch the feeder, loose feed and fish over the top of it. Try float fishing also.
It sounds like there were probably few fish infront of you, or the ones that were just weren't hungry, or you need to feed more to get the fish going and draw in more to compete.
I've fished swims and similar has happened, I either throw in a good few large handfuls of maggots which has immediatley switched the swim on or if nothing happens for half an hour I move elsewhere.
Sometimes you have to up sticks several times or more to find the fish. If the fish are not there, or the resident fish are not feeding then you have to move and find some elsewhere or be prepared to sit it out and possibly catch a few fish, or blank. That's the beauty of travelling light as I do.
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I have used a number of different coloured lines, both braid and monos. If legerring I have seen little or no difference in the usual green, brown, clear coloured lines.
If float fishing I prefer to use a brown coloured line, or a clear line.
I also prefer mono to braid for both purposes.
I think braid is a good choice for lure fishing.
John, another way around flow causing drag on your line is to fish upstream. Upstream legering enables you to fish with much less weight also.
Many rivers containing barbel are rocky and if under pressure as it would be when playing a barbel, if the braid glances against a rock it just parts. It really isn't resiliant enough.
Alan mentions braid and not using it as he doesn't fish snags. I do understand what he is saying and in the rivers he fishes braid may be fine for snag fishing. I wouldn't argue with Alan as he knows his stuff!
However, braid is of little use in my local rivers due to the rocky substrate. I have tried it and it didn't work, I even went up to 30lb plus braid in various makes. The result was the same...it broke off!
Infact my normal 6lb sensor mono was far better in those same spots.
If fishing a snag swim I only float fish or touch leger fish. I wouldn't sit in a chair and put my rod in rests (I would never use two rods in a snag swim). Reason I wouldn't fish like that is quite simple, once the tip of the rod goes round the barbel is hooked and on is already well on it's way to the snag. By the time the angler has got hold of his rod, even if a baitrunner reel function wasn't in use the bend of the rod alone will very often allow the fish to get into the snag.
When I float fish or touch leger I clamp down on my reel and use a sweeping strike and hold the rod in that position. The fish has the bend of the rod and stretch of the line still to give it some lea way towards getting into the snag. However, bqecause of the sweeping back strike which is held back the fish hasn't got enough lea way to reach the snag. In these kind of situations you need to have full confidence in your set up and tackle and allow the fish to play themselves out on the bend of the rod and stretch of the line. Once you sense a weakening of the fish then you can drop the tip a little and wind in as much line as you can and pull back again to widen the gap between the fish and the snag. You just have to repeat this until you have the fish far enough away from the snag to enable you to play it in more of a normal give and take way.
I have found a shorter rod to be the better tool for the job in these kind of situations as the bend of the rod gives less lea way for the fish to reach the snag....if you get my meaning?
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Thing is, like with lots of things today, you just can't say anything as you will have a mass of idiots shouting you down.
The government have got the vacinated people hating the unvaccinated people and blaming the unvaccinated people for the spread of covid and causing new strains of covid. It's no secret that double vaccinated people still catch covid and still carry and spread it just the same as if they hadn't been jabbed.
As I said it's all very surreal, the world is going mad!
It beggers belief how easily the masses are led by the powers that be!
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No, no, I wouldn't dream of suggesting such a thing Ken
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A lot of shyte coming our way, infact it's been coming across the channel in dingys for quite some time now!
The french government have recently warned the british border force to be very careful when approaching the incoming army as they are known to have guns....etc.
An estimated thirty thousand illegal invaders by the end of this year, and those are onky the ones they have collected and molly coddled.
Now we have another twenty thousand being brought over from Afganistan.
No room left for us in the not too distant future!
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It's similar in canada!
There is defiantely something very surreal going on, and covid is just an excuse to go ahead with it.
If it carries on as it is things are going to get very messy!
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Rather listen to this fella...
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Sometimes a black tip stands out best in those kind of conditons.
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Oh, ok John, just looked a fake is all and i'm sure there are a few pebble beaches which are man made somwhere in the UK?
I know it's spain but as an example, I think the beach in benidorm is man made. It's agritty sand and as there is no tide to speak of it doesn'st seem to be washed away.
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Nice picture!
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Is that beach man made John?
Looks like it's manicured ?
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Yeah, I get that Mark, and I totally agree.
My problem is I have a lot of animals/pets, birds, dogs etc and any spare time I have is spoken for.
Something is always wanting a walk, to be fed or cleaned out
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Visible float
in Coarse Fishing
Posted
I gave up on what looks natural long ago.
Reasons for doing so, i've had my bait dragging across the flow, being held back hard so it rises in the water or held back full stop so the bait has just hung in the flow being pushed up, down, around etc and had fish take my bait many times doing all those things. So for those reasons plus others I don't think there is a natural way to present a bait. I mean , if you throw a handful of maggots in some pacy water a lot of them will go with the flow whilst a lot will swirl around as if in a washing machine, some wil go to the bottom etc etc and fish will take them all. Same goes for the weights of baits compared to the freebies, now that one really does beggar belief. Lets face, fish don't decide if a bait is heavier or lighter, more bouyant or less bouyant than any other before they take it.
Manys the time I have fed small 5 mill pellets and used a 18 or 20 mill pellet on the hair, the fish still take the larger bait even though its much larger and heavier.
I do get what your saying though about running/mingling your bait in with the freebies as they go through a swim ( especially on a smooth flowing glide or river). Now that does very often get a bite. I do it myself, although for the biggest part i'm running a bunch of 10 to 14 maggots on a 14s hook through amongst loads of single maggots. Now that proves fish can be caught out because of their geed lol.
Sometimes though, if they arn't taking a bunch of maggots I will try a couple of maggs or even thread on a sinlgle magg and can get an instant bite. All I can come up with is, every day can be different, and even every session can change so you just have to ring the changes until you hit the sweet spot.
By the way Alan, I know you already know all that as I typed it
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