Float rigs

[Gary Foster]

Can anyone please give me a few ideas on float rigs. I've only just started to fish again after a break of about ten years and any hints or tips will be very useful. I'll mostly be fishing still waters waggler style and i'm fishing for just about anything that swims.

 

Thanks guys

[aswhi]

Hi Gary - welcome

 

off the top of my head a few tips for light waggler work would be

 

1) always sink your line by casting past where you are going to fish, reel into the spot with the rod tip submerged. always also find the depth with a plummet - spend about 10 mins nosing around the swim with it to find depth changes - fish will be here.

 

2) put the bulk of the shot around the float and shot droppers (no 8's etc) down the line. a good starting point is 3 number 8's halfway down and a couple of evenly spaced number 8' or 10's to teh hook for a nice slow fall mid-water to bottom.

 

3) if fish are taking on the drop (fairly rapid bites after float settles) then shot the line with equally spaced no 8's - this may happen in warm weather or if you are loose feeding a lot. If they are on the bottom (waiting a while for bites) then move a bulk (3-4) number 8's about 12-8 inches off the botton and 1 or 2 equally spaced droppers between this and the hook to get the bait down fast.

 

4) If wind is a problem and dragging the float off then switch to a non-insert style waggler and go overdepth and drag a couple of no 8's along the bottom (say 8inches to 1 foot overdepth.

 

5) if you are getting sucked maggots but not seeing bites then move the bottom dropper shot closer to the hook. if you are getting bites but cannot hit them then move it away.

 

Hope this helps - I'm sure the otrher guys on here can give you a lot more advice than this but it'll do to start things off

 

Andy

[Gary Foster]

Thanks very much this helps a whole lot. Watch this space I'll be appearing in a swim near you soon!