Discussion
So i haven't been float fishing in about 10 years. Maybe more. But I've decided to go again this weekend to see what i can catch. Cue me spooling up my reels last night & ordering some new floats etc. Anyone else enjoy a bit of float fishing? I used to love it when i was a kid and hopefully will be getting back into it this year. Any tips on baits etc? I usually use prawns and sweetcorn. Never had much success with fish over 1lb with maggots oddly. Always end up catching the tiddlers when using them. The place I'm fishing is stocked with Carp, Tench, Perch, Rudd, Roach and apparently goldfish! Will whack some pictures up of what i catch on Sunday as long as it doesn't rain!
Liokault said:
Maggots, maggots maggots and a few pellets.
For maximum float fun, especially for tench, try short range lift method.
Never actually tried the lift method when float fishing. Might give it a spin. Can't wait to go now! Supposedly showers on Sunday but i think i'll brave it. Will definitely be feeding the swim but haven't decided what with yet. Thinking a mixture of corn and maggots with the hook bait starting with prawns, but we shall see what works on the day!For maximum float fun, especially for tench, try short range lift method.
kentlad said:
JFReturns said:
I float fish.... Only in sea water though 
Interesting, I've never seen or heard of float fishing on the open sea?? You can't exactly present a natural bait can you?? Care to elaborate where & what for?JFReturns said:
I should point out I've not caught anything sea fishing with a float, I normally ledger! However, I'll be trying again Cornwall way by fishing a piece or whole frozen sandeel off some rocks. It's a great way of getting bait out amongst rocky and weedy marks, and the depth of bait is easily adjustable. Typical catches would be bass, mackeral, pollack and wrasse.
Ah, that makes more sense! This is the method I use for Tench and Crusians (but works for pretty much anything that swims) to good effect (best session last year was 107 Crusians and 23 Tench, and I've had a few 50+ sessions this year so far)...
13ft float rod, centre pin, 4lb main line, Drennan 'glowtip' antenna float (super sensitive insert waggler - I will use a pole float in flat calm conditions), ready tied sz 18 or 16 Kamasan B911 (c.2.5lb hooklength). If the float is a 5BB, I put 5BB at the bottom of the float with a bulk of c.4 #8 just over half depth, and another #8 2" from the hook (then fine tune how the float sits with #11's).
The most critical thing is plumbing the depth (can't emphasise enough how important plumbing up is to catching well)... plumb up to dead depth with c.1cm of tip showing, then add 1" of depth.
Your bait will then sit just on the bottom, and with the super sensitive float, when a fish picks up the bait you'll get a solid lift. Ignore any little dips or knocks - only strike a full lift or a sail away.
Hook bait will depend on what works at your location, but I normally use double red maggots (sz18 hook) or corn if they are really feeding well (sz16).
Loose feeding is the 2nd most critical thing after plumbing up. I use either a Sonus green groundbait or soaked 2mm micros... feed little and often (golf ball sized ball of groundbait every 15 mins - increase frequency if they are feeding well), and c.10 maggots every put in... and keep the feed going in even when you're not getting bites... swims will often go quiet for a while, and if you don't continue to feed they never come back.
If you get plagued by small roach/rudd/perch (there aren't really any small fish where I go), fish corn and increase the bulk shot to get the bait to the bottom quicker.
Good luck
13ft float rod, centre pin, 4lb main line, Drennan 'glowtip' antenna float (super sensitive insert waggler - I will use a pole float in flat calm conditions), ready tied sz 18 or 16 Kamasan B911 (c.2.5lb hooklength). If the float is a 5BB, I put 5BB at the bottom of the float with a bulk of c.4 #8 just over half depth, and another #8 2" from the hook (then fine tune how the float sits with #11's).
The most critical thing is plumbing the depth (can't emphasise enough how important plumbing up is to catching well)... plumb up to dead depth with c.1cm of tip showing, then add 1" of depth.
Your bait will then sit just on the bottom, and with the super sensitive float, when a fish picks up the bait you'll get a solid lift. Ignore any little dips or knocks - only strike a full lift or a sail away.
Hook bait will depend on what works at your location, but I normally use double red maggots (sz18 hook) or corn if they are really feeding well (sz16).
Loose feeding is the 2nd most critical thing after plumbing up. I use either a Sonus green groundbait or soaked 2mm micros... feed little and often (golf ball sized ball of groundbait every 15 mins - increase frequency if they are feeding well), and c.10 maggots every put in... and keep the feed going in even when you're not getting bites... swims will often go quiet for a while, and if you don't continue to feed they never come back.
If you get plagued by small roach/rudd/perch (there aren't really any small fish where I go), fish corn and increase the bulk shot to get the bait to the bottom quicker.
Good luck
Cracking guide Chris. Cheers. It's similar to what my set up use to be. 12ft rod. 6lb main line, will be using size 14/16 hooks. Think the hooklength i ordered is either 3 or 4lb. Usually set the shot either side of the float, with a bit of room either side, then half way down the line, then half way again etc etc until i get the depth and shotting right. Got a bunch of corn and will grab maggots on Saturday. Think the gear i have might be slightly heavy, but i should be ok. 6lb is the 'advised' strength for where i'm going to fish. Good tip with fishing with corn to avoid the silvers, but i don't mind catching the odd one. Quite nice to catch a variety of species!
On a side note would it be worth setting up a separate 'show us what you've caught' thread? Would anyone be interested in sharing?
On a side note would it be worth setting up a separate 'show us what you've caught' thread? Would anyone be interested in sharing?
JFReturns said:
I should point out I've not caught anything sea fishing with a float, I normally ledger! However, I'll be trying again Cornwall way by fishing a piece or whole frozen sandeel off some rocks. It's a great way of getting bait out amongst rocky and weedy marks, and the depth of bait is easily adjustable. Typical catches would be bass, mackeral, pollack and wrasse.
This is brilliant fun holiday fishing - you can use a carp rod or heavy spinning rod, and a small pike float or large chubber. 
kentlad said:
Cracking guide Chris. Cheers. It's similar to what my set up use to be. 12ft rod. 6lb main line, will be using size 14/16 hooks. Think the hooklength i ordered is either 3 or 4lb. Usually set the shot either side of the float, with a bit of room either side, then half way down the line, then half way again etc etc until i get the depth and shotting right. Got a bunch of corn and will grab maggots on Saturday. Think the gear i have might be slightly heavy, but i should be ok. 6lb is the 'advised' strength for where i'm going to fish. Good tip with fishing with corn to avoid the silvers, but i don't mind catching the odd one. Quite nice to catch a variety of species!
On a side note would it be worth setting up a separate 'show us what you've caught' thread? Would anyone be interested in sharing?
6lb mainline will be fine - it doesn't really affect anything as long as you're not using rope!! Hooklength diameter is much more important On a side note would it be worth setting up a separate 'show us what you've caught' thread? Would anyone be interested in sharing?
The method and line strengths quoted above have been good enough to land Carp to just under 11lb (accidentally hooked whilst fishing for Roach on a commercial in the winter). So as long as it's not snaggy, you can get away with really light gear for big/strong fish... just takes forever to land them!
I always use bulk rather than 'shirt button' style for shotting, primarily because I'm mostly after fish that feed on the bottom (Tench & Crusians) and I want the bait down as fast as possible. It also help hold the float stable when it's windy or there's a tow. If I want to fish shallow (eg; for Rudd), I'll shallow up to c.24", and take all the shot off the line.
I also like silvers and do quite a bit of Roach fishing in the winter; last year I had 2 over 2lb in one session (and 30+ over 1lb through the winter).
Have a look at www.maggotdrowners.com. It's a good fishing forum and there are some very, very good anglers on there.
Hope you're day goes well... I'm off for a Crusian and Tench session on Miltons at Buryhills in Dorking tomorrow
Chris Stott said:
6lb mainline will be fine - it doesn't really affect anything as long as you're not using rope!! Hooklength diameter is much more important
The method and line strengths quoted above have been good enough to land Carp to just under 11lb (accidentally hooked whilst fishing for Roach on a commercial in the winter). So as long as it's not snaggy, you can get away with really light gear for big/strong fish... just takes forever to land them!
I always use bulk rather than 'shirt button' style for shotting, primarily because I'm mostly after fish that feed on the bottom (Tench & Crusians) and I want the bait down as fast as possible. It also help hold the float stable when it's windy or there's a tow. If I want to fish shallow (eg; for Rudd), I'll shallow up to c.24", and take all the shot off the line.
I also like silvers and do quite a bit of Roach fishing in the winter; last year I had 2 over 2lb in one session (and 30+ over 1lb through the winter).
Have a look at www.maggotdrowners.com. It's a good fishing forum and there are some very, very good anglers on there.
Hope you're day goes well... I'm off for a Crusian and Tench session on Miltons at Buryhills in Dorking tomorrow
Good luck for tomorrow mate. I'm a big fan of Tench. My dad used to tell me the old story of Tench being the 'healer' fish of the lakes. Always enjoyed catching them since & love the way they fight. Stubborn buggers! Any photo's of the Roach over 2lb? That's huge for Roach. Even 1lb is pretty sizeable. Where do you fish out of curiosity? The method and line strengths quoted above have been good enough to land Carp to just under 11lb (accidentally hooked whilst fishing for Roach on a commercial in the winter). So as long as it's not snaggy, you can get away with really light gear for big/strong fish... just takes forever to land them!
I always use bulk rather than 'shirt button' style for shotting, primarily because I'm mostly after fish that feed on the bottom (Tench & Crusians) and I want the bait down as fast as possible. It also help hold the float stable when it's windy or there's a tow. If I want to fish shallow (eg; for Rudd), I'll shallow up to c.24", and take all the shot off the line.
I also like silvers and do quite a bit of Roach fishing in the winter; last year I had 2 over 2lb in one session (and 30+ over 1lb through the winter).
Have a look at www.maggotdrowners.com. It's a good fishing forum and there are some very, very good anglers on there.
Hope you're day goes well... I'm off for a Crusian and Tench session on Miltons at Buryhills in Dorking tomorrow
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