Visible float

[Tigger]

27 minutes ago, S63 said:

I'd imagine them to be Ian, Nick makes quality stuff, I'll pick up a few when I next meet him and I'll report back on them.

I'm sure they will be fine.

Last time ai went to the local tackle shop for some maggots as I was on my way to do some trotting I noticed they had a large selection of drake floats.  I liked the look of them and so picked several avons up.  They look really nice but the sight tip is quite thin in comparison to my other makes and they will definately be much harder to see at any distance.  In truth I bought them because they look nice, not because they looked good to use.

They were quite cheap, well under two quid each so even if they are just kept on the display cabinet in a shot glass looking nice they'll do for me lol.

 

[Whitty]

Im interested Ian,do you cut the carbon stems down,because most 3gm bolo floats are at least eight inches long,this causes me issues,in fact i've just ordered two Dave Harrell 3gm floats before reading your recent posts,I intend to shorten them to 5 or 6'" in length,in winter they would be great,at this time of year on the venues i'm fishing they are too big,i'm fishing three or four number eights and a ten dropper,at times that is way too much and one number eight on a really tiny waggler still spooks em,they see the float,being cast in,trotting through and being struck and wound in,clear water does it,even if it's three feet or more...just to add,you would use different gear mate,this is a different type of fishing to your norm,it would be different to mine if I hadn't been a member of a club with a stretch four miles or so downstream some years ago...

Edited September 9, 2021 by Whitty
Missed section

[Tigger]

3 hours ago, Whitty said:

Im interested Ian,do you cut the carbon stems down,because most 3gm bolo floats are at least eight inches long,this causes me issues,in fact i've just ordered two Dave Harrell 3gm floats before reading your recent posts,I intend to shorten them to 5 or 6'" in length,in winter they would be great,at this time of year on the venues i'm fishing they are too big,i'm fishing three or four number eights and a ten dropper,at times that is way too much and one number eight on a really tiny waggler still spooks em,they see the float,being cast in,trotting through and being struck and wound in,clear water does it,even if it's three feet or more...just to add,you would use different gear mate,this is a different type of fishing to your norm,it would be different to mine if I hadn't been a member of a club with a stretch four miles or so downstream some years ago...

 

Alan, i've never cut the stem down on any but see no reason why you shouldn't do so if you prefer it.  

The woodys 2grm avon/bolos are much shorter, if I remember rightly and they are wire stemmed so bouyant in a chop.

Maybe it would be worth you checking out some of the thick sigh tipped pole floats as they look like minature bolos?

I think I would try free lining if the fish are put off by a float.

Another way round the float spooking the fish would be to use the heavier float, fish well overdepth and hold back hard so your bait preceedes the float as it travels down stream.  The bait would reach the barbel in advance of the float using that method.

You could even fish overdepth and allow the larger float to drag the bait behind it.  That way the float has passed over the barbel before the bait reaches them.

Regarding shotting, maybe bulk shot directlt under thw float stem and use one small dropper ten inch or so avove your hook?

Just ideas, but I would imagine you have already tried them or thought about them already.

Oh, just thought, there is a short alloy stemmed dome topped sticky type float made by woodys also.  The 2grm floats are short and have a large sight tip, not long but quite a chunky dome.  I'm sure in the river you fish just now you would have no problems seeing it and the short length might suite you.  The bolo is prolly as short though and you have a longer sight tip.

The fourth and fifth floats in from the left hand side arw woodys, the fifth one is the one I meant.

 

Edited September 9, 2021 by Tigger

[Whitty]

The only reason I fish double rubber floats in summer is to get the bait to run straight down the flow,free line is a possibility if fish are taking close to where the feed goes in,trouble as you know as you pick odduns up they back off and only careful feeding gets any sort of confidence back into their feeding,along with that the narrowness along with the being fiahed for most days makes them a little crafty,the big thing in my favour is competition,because there is good numbers it keeps you in with a chance....ive tried all the things you mention,ive fished three feet overdepth,more than the depth,with a bulk of shot just above depth and three droppers spread below that and edge it through,trouble is it isnt natural,the bait wafts through quicker and no tactic really works other than running it through at around current pace...

Edited September 9, 2021 by Whitty
Correction

[Tigger]

 

I gave up on what looks natural long ago.

Reasons for doing so, i've had my bait dragging across the flow, being held back hard so it rises in the water or held back full stop so the bait has just hung in the flow being pushed up, down, around etc and had fish take my bait many times doing all those things. So for those reasons plus others I don't think there is a natural way to present a bait.  I mean , if you throw a handful of maggots in some pacy water a lot of them will go with the flow whilst a lot will swirl around as if in a washing machine, some wil go to the bottom etc etc and fish will take them all.  Same goes for the weights of baits compared to the freebies, now that one really does beggar belief.  Lets face, fish don't decide if a bait is heavier or lighter, more bouyant or less bouyant than any other before they take it. 

Manys the time I have fed small 5 mill pellets and used a 18 or 20 mill pellet on the hair, the fish still take the larger bait even though its much larger and heavier.

I do get what your saying though about running/mingling your bait in with the freebies as they go through a swim ( especially on a smooth flowing glide or river).  Now that does very often get a bite. I do it myself, although for the biggest part i'm running a bunch of 10 to 14 maggots on a 14s hook through amongst loads of single maggots.  Now that proves fish can be caught out because of their geed lol.

Sometimes though, if they arn't taking a bunch of maggots I will try a couple of maggs or even thread on a sinlgle magg and can get an instant bite.  All I can come up with is, every day can be different, and even every session can change so you just have to ring the changes until you hit the sweet spot.

By the way Alan, I know you already know all that as I typed it .

[Whitty]

I certainly dont know everything and can always learn,your approach is often miles different to my own,im sure during winter I could catch barbel on 6/7/8/9/10 maggots on a hook run through,during the warmer months yoy can watch their response and they can be very selective,having barbel in your peh feeding,without getting a bite for hours means im getting done over so a change is required,thats without the other fish,fishing pressure I believe is what dictates tackle,strange really,cos on the Thamesbin many places there arent many anglers,yet you often struggle for better fish,so they must be not liking the presentation either...swines.

[chesters1]

I had a very visible float in the 60's it had a sail ,you could see it hundreds of yards away as the wind took it away into snags or other unwise places !

I had another with an underwater sail that actually went upstream somehow ,both totally impractical but floats are designed to catch the eye of the angler not the fish

Interesting snippet here i did have the strange shaped one but like most it sat in the float box with 50 more that never saw daylight nevermind water ,still have a few old ones inc wire stemmed ones that caught my eye ! Some 'traditional' floats now are just getting silly covered in whipping i used floats from the 40's and 50's never saw any that fine again designed to catch the eye of the angler not the fish! Floats work much better in water not in cases! Rediculous things like burned bamboo rod rests and other 'traditional' nonsense  traditional anglers were only to happy chucking away when decent versions hit the market ,a bamboo landing net handle was ridiculous it was ditched as soon as aluminium ones appeared which were ditched when Fiberglass ones appeared  ,traditional is in the head of the gullible angler

https://nobbystackle.wordpress.com/2015/01/31/some-interesting-floats/

Edited September 10, 2021 by chesters1

[Tigger]

Your right chesters, many of these fancy custom made floats are specious.

I really dislike those floats caked in brightly coloured whippings, many of which have bits of feathers etc under many layers of varnish.

 

 

[Whitty]

I dont know if I ever told you but I ordered ten Avon floats to my own spec(for a specific stretch of river)from a well known float maker who if you want to know his name I will message it to you,I knew exactly what I wanted as I had made one myself,but the idea of making 10 bores me,anyway,I wanted floats five inches long,balsa body,6mm balsa tip around 3/4" long,with a capacity of around 5 or 6bb give or take,I waited ages,when they came they were longer,both in length and tip,but worse than that they took around 13bb,totally useless for my intended fishing,I rang him and he got the hump syating thats what his customers want,I said 'well sell these to them and make what I ordered,he ended up making 6 not 10,2 were 3bb,2 4bb and 2 6bb,totally hopeless,I mentioned it on a forum I was in at the time and a guy on there made floats and though he didnt have time to make 10 up for me he made 6 in half the time and much cheaper,every float was a no.6 shot over 6bb perfect....

[Tigger]

No, you've never mentioned it to me Alan.

The first float maker was a plonker by the sounds of it! 

He prolly relied on people not wanting to hurt his feelings and just accept the floats he sent them.

Not good at all, especially when you specified exactly what you wanted.  If he couldn't do it he should have just said so to save the aggro for for you and even himself!

Must addmitt I amcurious who he is?

I have never seen any hand made floats to compare to the mass produced ones for actual use and loading capacity accuracy.  My favourites are Steve Mahers (unfortunately no longer available). 

After the Maher floats I like Dave Harrels selection of bolos and the woodys selection.  Only rhing I don't like about the woodys bolos is the red paint on the sight tip doesn't go all the way down the tip to the top of the body. The black of the body comes up the sight tip to much imo.

There are a few sort of one off runs of floats made by companies such as map which I have and they are corkers!

I don't understand why they would make a run of excellent floats and then end their production?

They may make another run of floats which are total rubbish?

The drake floats look great but the sight tips on the avons look a little thin for the larger rivers that I fish when some trotts can be up to a hundred yards.

Although, i've not tried them out yet so will give one a try next time out.  I'm quite sure they will be fine on smaller rivers and would prolly be good for you as they make the avons down to 2grm or less.

I have some 2grm myself.

 

Alan, check out the floats at benwick sports online, they have some great looking floats.  They have some small pole floats what look as though they may suit your river perfectly.

 

Edited September 10, 2021 by Tigger