Taking the Pith

[Worms]

Budgie, they work really well too - I particularly like the long sight tips you can put on them. I find I use them all the time for my winter grayling fishing and they are well suited to various swims. I used to use Drennan Loafers mostly but find I can see my crow quills more easily now. And I feel good 'cos I made 'em!

 

I love those floats, as for grayling, well,

'S'funny but I find that generally my winter grayling fishing requires me to use heavier floats! Obviously the float requirements depend on the river and the local conditions but I find that my grayling float requirements are more varied than any other fish that I target. I find that big avons will keep a bait low enough in the water to attract those big fish...either at the head or the tail of the pool in the winter or, allow me to weight the float to allow a slow drift but keep the bait high up in the water without holding back which, enables you to fish those far eddies (long distance stret pegging?) etc. on smaller waters (embarrasingly enough, those old wooden pins with old silk lines are wonderful for that, cracking kit for mending the line...but I digress).

 

I fish a number of swims on a number of rivers, but, when I target grayling I carry more styles of float than for all the other fish that I chase. These are fickle fish, one second they are taking bait sub-surface, the next they are taking bottom dragging baits. This can be the same swim and within minutes. The next time the grayling have gone off the feed try a completely different tactic. It doesn't always work, but some days you can catch an embarassing number of fish just by altering the speed or height in the water....or both. I use everything from blackbird quills, porcupine (my favourite) to large avons and bobbers, balsa, cork, pith, plastic cork (dense and very machinable), floating putty, matchsticks, you name it, use the whole gammut for grayling. They're worth it

[Tigger]

I use everything from blackbird quills, porcupine (my favourite) to large avons and bobbers, balsa, cork, pith, plastic cork (dense and very machinable), floating putty, matchsticks, you name it, use the whole gammut for grayling. They're worth it

 

 

I breed Macaws (parrots) and have often thought about using their moulted quills for floats. I usually finnish up throwing em away though. I think fly tyers use them also as they have pretty colourfull plumage.

[Worms]

I breed Macaws (parrots) and have often thought about using their moulted quills for floats. I usually finnish up throwing em away though. I think fly tyers use them also as they have pretty colourfull plumage.

Save them mate, save them!

[watatoad]

Many thanks George,

 

Great floats although too much whipping for me even if it is really great whipping and I do appreciate your workmanship.

 

What George has not said and something I was told as a boy by an old gamekeeper who made most of his tackle and all of his floats was if you are going to collect elder for Pith get plenty otherwise you may find you like it and enjoy working with it and need more than you have collected.

 

He used to dry his slowly and very naturally tied in bundles and hung from the rafters of a shed I don't know how long but I would guess a good few years after all he had been doing it all his life so I expect he just got more each year whether he had used all the last lot up or not.

 

Swan quills used to be very popular back in the 50's, so if you see some on the bank pick them up if you don't want them message some of the posters on here I am certain they would appreciate them.

 

Peacock also used to be pretty popular.

 

I remember using (well getting the wife to make them) goose quills just big enough to take a number 4 shot plus a maggot for going daceing that was fun. They were really sensitive.

 

Toady, I am still regularly using some elder floats that I must have bought over 50 years ago. So I think they are pretty long lasting even if you have to give them a coat of dope or varnish every so often, dope seems to me to be longer lasting than varnish but maybe I have been unlucky with my choice of varnish.

 

I do keep my floats in a 'traditional' float boxes held in place with a foam, I believe it is still available from one tackle company mail me for the name.

[Worms]

Swan quills used to be very popular back in the 50's, so if you see some on the bank pick them up if you don't want them message some of the posters on here I am certain they would appreciate them.

I'll happily take any swan quills for arrow fletchings, never mind the floats

[George387]

Worms

I know exactly what you mean about the Grayling and concur that you have to have an assortment of floats as they can be really penikity. I dont go above 7bb for the rivers around here unless there is some extra water in them then I would take a few 2 & 3AAA with me.

 

Like yourself I have used everything from match sticks & tooth picks, small cork bobbers with the smallest of porcupine quills through them to all weird & wonderful ways of bite identifications.

 

The Grayling are truly a wonderful fish and I have fished for them since knee high to a grasshopper and had the pleasure of catching 3 over 3lbs, 1 from the wiltshire avon, 1 from the clyde & 1 from the Ure, I never tire of them, and if I could only fish for 1 fish for the rest of my life then it would definately be the lady herself

[chavender]

i've had a look myself for some elder pithe stems i had with some reed stems from last year ,cant find the buggers anywhare ,it was the reed stem i wanted primarily too make some stickfloats with ,i'll have too luck some more ,but i could of swarn i'd stuffed the bag full up the attic when i moved up there .

 

as with Georges ,avons are my usual choice of body shape ,i do sometimes though use a different method i make a float sandwich ,and cut the pithe into small disk sections ,along with cork and balsa section about 1/2" in length and fit them onto cane or quill ,but cane is easily fitted into a drill chuck ,with quill its a case od carefull wittling then sanding .

 

I stack them in alternate materials balsa / pithe /cork /pith /balsa with them glued together & too the stem i can then shape them ,with the pith held tight between the cork centre and balsa its more stable with most work being done too the balsa .then seal and varnish

 

makes for a very nice float ,I gave my last one away a couple of years ago now ,maybe i should make another .

[Tigger]

I'll happily take any swan quills for arrow fletchings, never mind the floats

 

 

I just found a swan Today with it's head and neck chewed down to it's chest, a fox had chomped it and left it. All it's flight and tail feathers where intact. I'll have a nosey tomorrow and see if it's still there.

[George387]

i've had a look myself for some elder pithe stems i had with some reed stems from last year ,cant find the buggers anywhare ,it was the reed stem i wanted primarily too make some stickfloats with ,i'll have too luck some more ,but i could of swarn i'd stuffed the bag full up the attic when i moved up there .

 

as with Georges ,avons are my usual choice of body shape ,i do sometimes though use a different method i make a float sandwich ,and cut the pithe into small disk sections ,along with cork and balsa section about 1/2" in length and fit them onto cane or quill ,but cane is easily fitted into a drill chuck ,with quill its a case od carefull wittling then sanding .

 

I stack them in alternate materials balsa / pithe /cork /pith /balsa with them glued together & too the stem i can then shape them ,with the pith held tight between the cork centre and balsa its more stable with most work being done too the balsa .then seal and varnish

 

makes for a very nice float ,I gave my last one away a couple of years ago now ,maybe i should make another .

 

Hi steve,

Ive only ever seen 2 floats the way you describe with the sandwich and that was as a boy so if you can find them I'd love to see one again if nothing else for memories of an old guy I used to know who had them. he used cork, pith and what I can only describe as a red wood?? not sure what it was but they certainly were beautiful

Best Regards

George

[watatoad]

We are all starting to sound like the beautiful float appreciation society...hehehe

 

But they do look very good