Stick Floats ?

[robisme]

Hi, lets say you lost all your Stick floats somehow and wanted to get a new set to replace them, what would you look for ? and where ?, say for instance for rivers like the Trent and Yorkshire rivers and not for fishing rapids & fast water, I know it's had to say a good general purpose set, or even two sets, but I'm sure you know what I mean. I actually fish mainly in Yorkshire really.

So I'm looking for ideas as to what to look for, present for my son and maybe I'll treat myself to a few too

 

thank guys

cya

[seph]

There is no real answer to this as a river can vary from day to day and swim to swim, so the stick float you used yesterday may be no good today, if you get what I mean. It will only take a few inches rise in the river to do this. You may fish a swim that is only 2 foot deep and move to another that could be 10 foot and you would need to cahnge float. I carry small sticks say like 4 no4 upto 8BB along with Avons, Chubbers and Loafers.

[david t]

You can cover most situations with about 6 floats, providing you dont cast them into trees.

Personally ive never used loafers that much on my rivers, the only time i have is for floatfishing lobworms, but for anything else i find them too big. get yourself a couple of plastic or hardwood stemmed sticks, with an ordinary domed top, the type of sticks that have a slight taper on them, with no shoulders, get one or two in 4 no 4 size, and one or two in 6 no 4 or 8 no 4, these will cope with waters from 3 to 7 feet, and from slight to reasonable flow. the sticks that carry more weight will be more stable in faster water.

 

If the water is too fast for them, you will want a balsa bodied stick float, these are 100% balsa, and are more buoyant, a balsa the same size as a 6 no 4 plastic bodied stick will carry about twice as much weight, and will be more stable in fast water.

 

The type of flow is important too, if the water is boiling, it will be hard to run a stick through properly, you want a smooth, if quick flow, one that the fish can comfortably sit in. if you want to fish a boily swim, you will possibly need to fish a big balsa carrying 1-2 swanshot, or a chubber type float, which are like a stubby fat stick float. too be honest though, in real boily water, your often best either, not fishing it, or fishing a ledger there.

 

I have a few avons, these are more like a big pole float in looks than a normal stick, alot of them have a aluminium stem, and a balsa wood body, the aluminuim stem helps keep the stick level in the water, in fast flows.

 

Ive often found that you dont actually need to fish that heavier a float, keep to as light a float as possible, if you can fish a 4 no 4 stick, then dont fish a 8 no 4 for the hell of it, the lighter float will give better presentation. as long as the flow is suitable.

 

Drennan do good stick floats, but you can also get good handmade 'local' tackle shop sticks.

as a guide, get your son a few 4 no 4 sticks, a few 8 no 4 sticks, a few balsa's of about 4-6AAA, and one or two chubbers, in case he wants to use whole lobs on the hook.

 

and get some light line to go with them, theres nothing worse than trying to fish a stick with 6lb line, 2 or 3lb in much better.

[robisme]

Hi and thanks,

btw I matchfished a bit, so know how to use them lol.

Just being away for several years, I don't know where to find the good ones anymore, none of my locals don't have much choice

 

thanks

 

PS, I know what you mean Seph, but you can cover most situations with the right ones, it's just finding em these days thats the problem

 

Good post David t

Edited November 1, 2006 by robisme

[MikeT]

Thank you, David T, for your excellent post- I find it most helpful, and it succinctly answers questions I would also have asked.

 

I fish on the Dorset Stour, trotting with stick floats, so your advice is very apt for me. However, the swims there often go to ten or even fifteen feet, and I am usually fishing just under rod-length depth. Would you consider that heavier floats are necessary for deeper swims, all else being equal?

 

Thanks again.

[david t]

If the swims in question are 12 foot deep, or so, but the flow is smooth, not boily, and the speed is slow-steady, then you would want to maybe go up to a 8 no 4 stickfloat, to ensure that you could put a reasonable amount of shot of the line, to ensure the hook bait gets down to the bottom quite quickly. if the swim is deep and also the flow is racing through, then fish a balsa, carrying say 4AAA or more, so again, to ensure the hookbait doesnt spend half of the trot through the swim in mid water, slowly sinking. A heavier loading float in a deep racing swim, will also be more positive, and wont keep ducking under every second.

particulary in fast flood water, chances are the fish will be on the riverbed, so you want to keep your hookbait there, and get it down there quickly.

[gozzer]

Although I have a wide selection of floats for moving water, there is one pattern that I have run out of. One I found to be more versatile in it's use, more so than the stickfloat. It was a 'pacemaker', one of the Ivan Marks' designs I believe. It was like a shouldered stickfloat, but better for 'holding back'. I have made a few, but they don't seem quite right somehow. Does anyone know if they are still made?

 

John

[teejay]

Although I have a wide selection of floats for moving water, there is one pattern that I have run out of. One I found to be more versatile in it's use, more so than the stickfloat. It was a 'pacemaker', one of the Ivan Marks' designs I believe. It was like a shouldered stickfloat, but better for 'holding back'. I have made a few, but they don't seem quite right somehow. Does anyone know if they are still made?

 

John

 

Woody's in Hereford sell a range of shouldered wire stem stick floats which would be great for holding back in big boily rivers like the Wye (for which they were, no doubt, designed) I belive these floats are distributed to the tackle trade through Premier floats.

http://www.floatsonline.com/premier_running_line.html

[Dick Dastardly]

So whats the difference between a "Chubber" and a "Loafer" then David T ?

[Chris Goddard]

Rob is me!! Drop me an address and I MAY have summat for you!!

 

So whats the difference between a "Chubber" and a "Loafer" then David T ?

 

If I may Budgie?? A CHUBBER is a common name for a fat boy and a loafer is a lazy git!!