Visible float

[Martin56]

4 hours ago, The Flying Tench said:

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?

So, when fishing with Paste you Always plumb up (with a plummet) Dead Depth so the Antennae shows only about half its length. When you mould the Paste around the hook (about the size of a 50p coin) & lower it in to the water, the Paste then acts like the plummet. If the float then rises it means your Paste has come off - or its a Bite

Of course if if Dives under it's deffo' a bite (Strike in either event)

You don't have to use a paste float (I don't) if only fishing paste say down the edge or close in & they are very visible at 3 inch or 1 & 1/2 inch. (Plumbed half way)

I mix my paste like Plasticine, way too firm for the "Paste Purists" but it means I can even swing carefully it out with the Rod as well as the Pole!!

[markhoop]

You could try expanding the size of a float. Put a couple of slits in the top of the float and place two bits of cardboard or plastic in them, you can paint them to the colour of your choice and a touch of super glue to hold them in place, a bit of varnish as well if you want. Unconventional but it shouldn't interfere too much with the action of the float and you will be able to see it a lot better.

[S63]

^^^ welcome aboard Mark. 

[wotnobivvy]

re Mark's tip dart flights are an option. Make the float fly better and come in a multitude of colours

[markhoop]

22 hours ago, S63 said:

^^^ welcome aboard Mark. 

Thanks, I will give it a go.

[markhoop]

22 hours ago, wotnobivvy said:

re Mark's tip dart flights are an option. Make the float fly better and come in a multitude of colours

I tried this when fishing a large reservoir for bream, there was a shelf  some way out and I was having trouble seeing the float. There could be issues with wind but I don't remember that. I was fishing in 12/15ft of water and using a slider. Of course I could have used a leger of some sort but the shelf was a problem and I like the float if I can. I would suggest trying adapting a couple of old floats first to see it it works, I haven't tried it on river floats but my eyesight is not that good now so might adapt a couple of trotting floats myself, it can be difficult seeing floats once they get past a certain distance.

[The Flying Tench]

On 8/13/2021 at 8:07 PM, Tigger said:

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.

 

You assumed right, my question was really about rivers. It was S63 who mentioned tench. Thanks for your suggestions.

[Tigger]

 

Earlier in a post you asked me why I prefer a long sight tip over a dumpy one and I forgot to answer you.

The reasons for my preference for a long sight tip are numerous.  One obvious reason is because they are easy to see at long ranges, I sometimes trot a float up to 100yds and they are still visible in the right light conditions.

Also, they enable you to read a bite better, and they allow you to see subtle things such as a slight rise in the tip if your bait or bottom shot hits the deck and is being dragged along the bottom.

If you use a wire stemed bolo float in fast water with a chop on it the longer sight tip is still visible in the undulating surface.  The wire stem helps to stop the float from flattening out if you slow it down by holding back a touch. In choppy riffling water it may also be a good idea to shot the float so as the top of the shoulder is above the waters surface as this keeps the float from dipping under in the chop and going out of sight for a second or two which you may strike at thinking it is a bite.

The  dumpy rounded type floats are ok on flat steady water but are not the most visible, even to someone with 20/20 vision.  I think they are made more for fishing off the rod tip and fishing short trots in smooth flowing glides.

Imo, it's pointless to struggle using those dumpy things when you could use a far more practical float which you can see so much easier.

 

Edited August 15, 2021 by Tigger

[The Flying Tench]

Thanks, Tigger. I did some experimenting today on a calm lake just a couple of rod lengths out. I quite see your point about choppy water, but in calm conditions I found a dumpy waggler easier to see than a pole float, though I was just about able to see both. It may be something to do with my eyesight where I find it difficult to focus with both eyes together.

And there was an additional factor that I don't understand. I was fishing up in the water with hemp and caster. Bites with this type of fishing are always fast, but I found the bites with the pole float were super-fast. I couldn't hit them at all! I don't know if anyone knows why they should be faster with the pole float?

[Tigger]

 

Maybe you were hitting the bites better with the dumpy float because you could see it better ?