loc-tie leger floats

[zardoz]

Hi,

 

am relatively new to coarse fishing but have been quite a few times now and am getting the hang of the basics as far as picking up bream and roach at my local park lake anyway, still have to break my tench and carp "ducks" but I'll get there.

 

Anyway, my local tackle emporium had some loc-tight leger floats and the guy in the shop told me that they fall flat when you get a bite. It seemed more fun than a quiver tip (as it says on the packet!) so bought one and found that it wobbles about a fair bit, and occasionally goes under and resurfaces in a flash but thats about it.

 

Have set it up as a basic running leger with a no 6 shot about two feet below the float then my 1/2 oz bomb further down with a n06 shot to stop the bomb just before the hooklength.

 

I find I am getting very finicky bites with the float wobbling a touch or maybe dipping under a tiny bit. If I strike at these I get zilch.

 

I guess this could just be the fact that its winter and the fish are finicky, but maybe I am setting the float up wrong or something. Should the lead be fixed rather than running? What I have done seems to be broadly consistent with the instructions.

 

The float is fairly big so maybe the fish feel the resistance of it and drop my sweetcorn and size 18 immediately.

 

Dunno - anyone got any experiences or tips of fishing with these floats?

 

Cheers

 

Jon

[Newt]

It would probably help if you could post a photo of the float. A catalog photo would be OK but better still if you take a shot of your float.

 

You can't use the forum's photohosting until you pass 15 posts but you could put it on photobucket or similar and post the link. Use the one with the tags.

[ginger]

I think the float you are using is correctly called Loc-Slide, it has a crescent shaped bit at the bottom that the line passes through.They work on the same principle as the Polaris floats, whilst the line is under tension (hence the use of a heavier than normal weight) the float is locked in position and when a fish bites the tension is released and the float usually rises although I have had bites that take the float under in the conventional way. I have used both sorts and they do work, especially in deeper water. The set up, as I read it, is like that of a running ledger, thread on the float then your ledger weight then add a locking shot at whatever point you wish above the hook (try around a foot or 30 cm to start with), there should NOT be any shot between the float and the ledger weight. The big disadvantage as I see it lies in the fact that the float cannot be changed without removing the hook.

[Chubstar]

I use the loc slides and polaris on my local lakes very sucessfully, but I am fishing in 25 feet of water less than 2 rod lengths out!! You are using them correctly, but in my experience, the float goes under more than it would drop flat on the surface, maybe that would have something to do with the depth though... Personally, I would not use them in water where you could use a normal float as I do not believe they are as sensitive as a conventional float, but are a good substitute for a feeder or leger, one method I do use which I think is a more sensitive set up is a helicopter rig (or paternoster) so the hooklength is not pulling through the lead, which leads to less aborted bites as there is less resistance this way.

[Neil G]

I use Polaris floats with braid on rivers and they work well

 

Careful with striking though...the stem at the base has the tendency to snap quite easily as I found out.

[zardoz]

Thanks for your help guys.

 

Sorry I meant loc-slide leger float got the name wrong. Mine has the same crescent shaped locking device Ginger refers to.

 

From gingers comments it sounds as though I have set it up right but I am fishing in only about 5-7 feet of water at a mix of ranges from a 15 to 60 feet out I would say - maybe that changes the way the bites work, or maybe I am using this at too shallow a depth. I am sure mine says something like 4 feet and above on it.

 

I am at work having a lunchtime "surf" right now so can't post a photo of my exact float BUT here is a pretty good catalogue photo I found. This isnt my exact one but is the same product line.

 

http://www.thefriendlyfisherman.co.uk/sear...p?section=17065

 

It sounds as though I am basically doing it right but would stil; be interested in swapping experiences of fishing with these. I found it quite interesting (in a good way) how just one simple piece of kit like this can produce a whole new experience of fishing i.e not knowing what your float will do next.

[Errrm]

Thanks for your help guys.

 

Sorry I meant loc-slide leger float got the name wrong. Mine has the same crescent shaped locking device Ginger refers to.

 

From gingers comments it sounds as though I have set it up right but I am fishing in only about 5-7 feet of water at a mix of ranges from a 15 to 60 feet out I would say - maybe that changes the way the bites work, or maybe I am using this at too shallow a depth. I am sure mine says something like 4 feet and above on it.

 

I am at work having a lunchtime "surf" right now so can't post a photo of my exact float BUT here is a pretty good catalogue photo I found. This isnt my exact one but is the same product line.

 

http://www.thefriendlyfisherman.co.uk/sear...p?section=17065

 

It sounds as though I am basically doing it right but would stil; be interested in swapping experiences of fishing with these. I found it quite interesting (in a good way) how just one simple piece of kit like this can produce a whole new experience of fishing i.e not knowing what your float will do next.

 

What length rod are you using? I would have thought that you would have problems striking at distances of 60 ft if you did not use a fairly long rod i.e. 15ft. If you want to fish at that distance then perhaps a normal ledger might be better because you have a more straight line.

[lutra]

Hi,

 

am relatively new to coarse fishing but have been quite a few times now and am getting the hang of the basics as far as picking up bream and roach at my local park lake anyway, still have to break my tench and carp "ducks" but I'll get there.

 

Anyway, my local tackle emporium had some loc-tight leger floats and the guy in the shop told me that they fall flat when you get a bite. It seemed more fun than a quiver tip (as it says on the packet!) so bought one and found that it wobbles about a fair bit, and occasionally goes under and resurfaces in a flash but thats about it.

 

Have set it up as a basic running leger with a no 6 shot about two feet below the float then my 1/2 oz bomb further down with a n06 shot to stop the bomb just before the hooklength.

 

I find I am getting very finicky bites with the float wobbling a touch or maybe dipping under a tiny bit. If I strike at these I get zilch.

 

I guess this could just be the fact that its winter and the fish are finicky, but maybe I am setting the float up wrong or something. Should the lead be fixed rather than running? What I have done seems to be broadly consistent with the instructions.

 

The float is fairly big so maybe the fish feel the resistance of it and drop my sweetcorn and size 18 immediately.

 

Dunno - anyone got any experiences or tips of fishing with these floats?

 

Cheers

 

Jon

 

If the fish are finicky and you fancied a change, I think a swing tip might have been a better bet.

[rob.imk2]

I use locslide floats for deep water .if my float flats out it,s usually a decent fish taking the bait.Having said that I strike at the slighest movement of the float up down or sideways better to miss a few than miss em all

Edited February 27, 2008 by rob.imk2

[zardoz]

Rod is actually about 11 feet long so maybe a good point about the range however I still have the same problems re losts of little bites at 15-20 feet.

 

I am beginning to think its just winter, finicky fish and my inexperience combining

 

I might look into swing tips - I guess this produces a definite swing instead of the small movements of quiver tip/leger float etc (or does it duuno never used one?)

 

Maybe I should just strike more and daydream less

 

Cheers

 

Jon