Waggler or Avon?

[ahop0911]

Hello,

 

I've recently read conflicting articles on the relative merits of the waggler vs the Avon float. If you wanted to trot for chub on a small, reasonably fast flowing river which one would you use?

 

All advice appreciated

 

Thanks

Alistair

[Alan Roe]

Without knowing which river it is this will be a bit of a guess but you say it is a small river therfore I would suggest that the Avon style float would give you the greatest control and would be my first choice.

In this weather you would be well advised to hold the float back so that the tip is pointing towards you so that the bait travels in front of the float.

Depending on the bait you are using there may be points during the trot that you may want to check the float i.e. stop it completely for a second or so this causes the bait to flutter up in the current and down again when you let the float run on again and can entice some bonus fish this tends to work well with maggots and bread.

Good luck and have fun!

[Chris Plumb]

I use loafers a lot on the Kennet - carry quite a bit of shot for the size of the float - akkow good control - especially when holding back in fast flows...

 

 

C.

[ahop0911]

Without knowing which river it is

 

Thanks Alan, that's useful. It's the Kennet near Newbury............

[Alan Roe]

Then the Avon style float will be ideal for there. Keep the shotting simple a bulk shot about 18-20" above the hook and a tell tale shot 4-9" above the hook should serve you well

[MikeT]

Loafers seem by far the most popular float for trotting fast flowing rivers these days. Is this just a fashion thing, or do they offer any particular advantage over the old-fashioned Avon float? I suppose the main difference is their tip is fatter and therefore more buoyant and visible, but when I fish cork Avon floats I often shot and rubber them so the top quarter of the body of the float is above water as well as the tip itself, and this gives excellent buoyancy and long-distance visibility. An additional characteristic of the Avon float is having a stem made of cane or carbon or wire, which helps the float ride through the flow more upright, and this can be an advantage. Apart from its squat and short profile, what does the loafer have that an old Avon doesn’t?

[Alan Roe]

To be honest Mike I tend to use more of the bolognaise style avon floats nowadays as they have long sight tips carry plenty of shot and have wire stems which is ideal for the bouncy boilly river that the Ribble often is. These floats give superb control and can be seen for huge distances

[Dick Dastardly]

I totally agree with the reccomendations for the Avon float but would like to say that is fine for this time of year when your expecting the chub to be hard on the bottom.However in the warmer months when they will come up in the water a bit to intercept loose fed maggots/casters then the waggler fished half depth comes into its own.

[Andy Macfarlane]

I'd go for loafers or CHUBBERS (hence the name). The two floats are much the same but the chubbers require bands and the loafers are eyed like wagglers but the shape is almost identical and both are for trotting. My 2 favourite trout floats, so the requirements will be almost identical.

[gozzer]

I only use a waggler on a river if it's slow moving, or distance/wind dictate that I do.

The rest of the time I will use either a balsa, avon or stick float. The depth, flow, species and bait dictate the type, size and shape of float, and shotting patterns I choose.

 

John.