Visible float

[The Flying Tench]

I'm probably not alone in finding that, as I get older, I can't see the float so well. Can anyone recommend a very visible float? I fished today with a big stick float that takes 12 number 10 shot. I could just about see it, but I suspect I would have caught better if it had been a lighter float, but still with a BIG coloured bit on the top.  Any thoughts?

[chesters1]

Thicker glasses? Bad eyesight is a bugger mine changes all the time one day pin sharp the next  mr magoo

I rarely fish more than 2 rod lenghts out so not effected so much perhaps fishing closer will solve the problem its amazing how close fish are to you if your not moving about 

[S63]

I’m hoping my choice of float will soon be changing as I’ll be having my cataracts sorted out very soon.

[Martin56]

13 hours ago, The Flying Tench said:

I'm probably not alone in finding that, as I get older, I can't see the float so well. Can anyone recommend a very visible float? I fished today with a big stick float that takes 12 number 10 shot. I could just about see it, but I suspect I would have caught better if it had been a lighter float, but still with a BIG coloured bit on the top.  Any thoughts?

Maybe paint the tip so it's longer, then just put on less shot so the tip shows more, less sensitive I know but if they're "having it"!!!

Could also try a large, thick bristle Paste Pole Float, they're NOT confined to just pole or paste fishing & have a bristle up to about 3 inch long but still Super Sensitive.

They come in wire, Carbon or even Titanium stems and will take the shot typical of a stick.

[Tigger]

 

I hardly if ever use a stick float, imo one of the worst floats you can use on a river, ok on a still water though.

I use bolos/avons, long sight tips pear shaped bodies, thin carbon or alloy stems (depending on the swim) and generally no lighter than 2grm.  Mostly I use 3 to 5grm.

To save you wasting time looking for some decent ones, Dave Harrel has his name on various ones and they are very good.  Benwick sports is prolly youe best place to buy them from. They have some other nice makes besides Dave Harrels to have a look at.  Don't worry about bites, even minnows will pull a 5 or 6 grm float under!

I'll put a short clip up on the "a few hours out thread" and you will be able to see a 3grm float I use to give you an idea.

[The Flying Tench]

18 hours ago, chesters1 said:

Thicker glasses? Bad eyesight is a bugger mine changes all the time one day pin sharp the next  mr magoo

I rarely fish more than 2 rod lenghts out so not effected so much perhaps fishing closer will solve the problem its amazing how close fish are to you if your not moving about 

I fully agree, but even 2 rod lengths out can be tricky for me if there's ripple on the water and it's dusk or a dull day.

[The Flying Tench]

5 hours ago, Martin56 said:

Maybe paint the tip so it's longer, then just put on less shot so the tip shows more, less sensitive I know but if they're "having it"!!!

Could also try a large, thick bristle Paste Pole Float, they're NOT confined to just pole or paste fishing & have a bristle up to about 3 inch long but still Super Sensitive.

They come in wire, Carbon or even Titanium stems and will take the shot typical of a stick.

Thanks, Martin. That's interesting. I've always assumed that to see at a distance a round red blob is better than a thin line as in a pole float. But it might not be so. The eye and brain may be good at picking up straight lines. Actually I've got a pole float I've never used. I'll try it, and if it has prospects I'll get one or two paste pole floats.

But it raises an interesting question. Why are the antennae of pole floats so long and thin? With some stick floats you have only about 3mm of float tip above the water, but the radius of the tip is quite large, maybe 8mm. But with a pole float there may be 20mm above the water but with a very thin radius, maybe 2mm. Why is one better than the other?

[The Flying Tench]

4 hours ago, Tigger said:

 

I hardly if ever use a stick float, imo one of the worst floats you can use on a river, ok on a still water though.

I use bolos/avons, long sight tips pear shaped bodies, thin carbon or alloy stems (depending on the swim) and generally no lighter than 2grm.  Mostly I use 3 to 5grm.

To save you wasting time looking for some decent ones, Dave Harrel has his name on various ones and they are very good.  Benwick sports is prolly youe best place to buy them from. They have some other nice makes besides Dave Harrels to have a look at.  Don't worry about bites, even minnows will pull a 5 or 6 grm float under!

I'll put a short clip up on the "a few hours out thread" and you will be able to see a 3grm float I use to give you an idea.

Thanks, Ian. Wow, Benwick Sports does indeed have a good selection. I'll go to them when I've researched a bit more with one or two floats I've got but never used. One of them is a 'drift beater' with a very fine antenna but then a hefty orange bit right at the top which would be very visible. The fish would feel no resistance until it came to the orange bit hitting the water, so I'd have to strike before that happened.

Why do you prefer a long relatively thin sight tip rather than a short more dumpy one?

[S63]

32 minutes ago, The Flying Tench said:

Thanks, Ian. Wow, Benwick Sports does indeed have a good selection. I'll go to them when I've researched a bit more with one or two floats I've got but never used. One of them is a 'drift beater' with a very fine antenna but then a hefty orange bit right at the top which would be very visible. The fish would feel no resistance until it came to the orange bit hitting the water, so I'd have to strike before that happened.

Why do you prefer a long relatively thin sight tip rather than a short more dumpy one?

I use the Drennan Driftbeater quite a lot especially for my tench fishing for the very reasons you mention. The tip is like a Belisha Beacon!

[Tigger]

Ok, sorry, I assumed you were fishing the river with it FT, so I was suggesting floats for running water.

In your situation I think the best thing to do is choose a float you can see easily and work round that.  Some of Dave Harrells waggler floats have nice thick tips and are hollow so sort of glow brightly as tge light shines throught them. They come in numerous sizes so may well be worth you checking out.

 

Edited August 13, 2021 by Tigger