Float Fishing vs Feeder Fishing

[flightliner]

Float every time if conditions allow, ledgering is such a blunt instrument. I use both in equal measure I suppose but I always feel more in contact with whats going on out there with float gear, you get a much better understanding of the fishes behaviour and that in turn tells you how to feed. That is something you can transfer to ledgering but somehow I feel that its not possible the other way round.

 

[dezza]

Where I can I use a float. It's more enjoyable and you have that sense of contact through something truly visual.

I do like legering however and do a great deal of it. I especially like "touch legering" where you feel the line for bites. This came into its own recently in South Africa where I caught a number of Vaal River yellowfish by touch legering whilst anglers around me caught nothing. One thing that puzzles me is the way that legering has been equated to "feeder fishing". Legering has got nothing to do with feeder fishing!

 

[chav professor]

Wow - it looks like floats are winning!! I love fishing with floats, indeed, I have a small collection by Paul Cook, Andy Field and Chris Lythe - all stunning!!

The reason i think the float is seen as a smaller fish method is that I personally think psychologically, people fish the float differently. Different baits, different places etc.... A big bait sitting static will eventually catch the bigger fish - so ledgering is the big fish method!

Stalking big fish in the margins, well, ledgering would be the kiss of death. A mighty plop as a 2oz lead is 'gently' lobbed to the spot a few feet away. Contrast this with a cube of luncheon meat with merely a swan shot and a 2" piece of peacock quill carefuly drawn into position - lovely.

My favourite float at the moment is the Polaris ledger float - it is ledgering but with a visual reference on the surface to register the bite. Their good fun and are the best of both worlds. Additionally, there is no need to plumb the depth. I also use mine to map a new lake - because they lock at depth (not 100% precise due to an angle) they are usefull for finding features and a guide to depths etc...

Polaris floats are also very sensitive. Because you fish them as a 'running ledger' the fish feel little resistance. Not as pretty as a hand made float though...

 

[dezza]

I don't think one method should win against the other. Each method has it's advantages under certain conditions. A good angler is one who can leger and float fish effectively, AND can judge when each particular method will produce the most fish.

As regards the leger being the method for big fish - not always. I remember catching a few very big chub on the Swale in Yorkshire by trotting big pieces of bread flake down to them, after link legering in the same swim produced a chublet.

I am sure many others have similar stories.

 

[Keith M]

I don't think one method should win against the other. Each method has it's advantages under certain conditions. A good angler is one who can leger and float fish effectively, AND can judge when each particular method will produce the most fish.

As regards the leger being the method for big fish - not always. I remember catching a few very big chub on the Swale in Yorkshire by trotting big pieces of bread flake down to them, after link legering in the same swim produced a chublet.

I am sure many others have similar stories.

I agree with Ron; both float and leger (or a combination of the two) have their days, I don’t see that one can be compared to another overall.
Yes an angler may get more enjoyment from float fishing or legering but I don’t think that one method is a better method than the other overall.

For example; when I trot for Barbel through the day, I generally catch more but slightly smaller Barbel but once the light starts to fade and the larger fish come out to play then I’ve found a light touch-leger is much more consistant even if I can still see a float.

If I am fishing in tight spots where a float is impractable then I use a legered bait; I certainly don’t choose a swim just because I prefer to trot a float, Im there to catch fish and soak in the atmosphere; it's where the fish are which decides which method I prefer to catch them on.

 

[quickcedo]

ledgering is such a blunt instrument

Not so my friend. I have more ways to present a bait on the bottom than you could throw a stick at. I have spent close on 40 years getting it right though, having spent the first years of fishing only using the float.

 

[Ray Daywalker Clarke]

I enjoy float fishing, trotting a float is the tops for me, but not always the best method. I enjoy doing a bit of ledgering, and to be honest, i should do more, and who knows maybe with better results.

I know an angler who will only fish with white maggots float fished and nothing else what so ever, he has had some great days fishing, but would he have had many more better days using ledgering methods, I think so, but who knows ?,

 

[flightliner]

Not so my friend. I have more ways to present a bait on the bottom than you could throw a stick at.

Mark, at the end of the day its about individual preferance, you with the bottom gear ,me with the float, as long as we are both enjoying what we do then alls well.
I have just been trying to download a picture that might have summed up why I said that bottom gear is "a bit of a blunt instrument"-It showed the somewhat extreme measures that I am forced to use on the Trent when its flooded but try as I may I was unable to do it (it was the re-sizing thing that seemed to be the obstacle), a pity really but maybe next time.

 

[quickcedo]

Only messing with you really. ledgering is quite often thought of as crude to say the least but many of us have refined and refined. That said on most occasions it'll never be quite as sensitive as a well set up float.

PS try this site, http://webresizer.com/resizer/ Don't try to do anything fancy just upload your pic to it and follow the instructions.

 

[Harvey]

..........

 

[William Pastuszka]

I prefer both methods, used to use the stickfloats & waggler more often, but mainly the feeder nowadays as the main method of choice.

 

[alan whittington]

The way ledgering,in particular for barbel has developed,it is crude to the extreme,following the carp lead,anglers using 2-4oz leads when you could hold bottom with far less,with their backleads(another bloody 1.5oz of weight on your rig),or even worse leadcore,without which creates the bowstring effect,which in turn scares the hell out of the barbel,i blame the pathetic 'how to do it' articles in the mags,whatever happened to learning to fish and getting bits of advice and expanding your own methods,we used to fish with just the minimum weight to hold,pull some line of the spool,so as when a barbel swam into the line the resistance wasnt so frightening experience(similar to weed passing over them perhaps),i know of rivers where fish will hole up if more than a couple of casts are made with a lead(or even a heavy bait),making trotting for big barbel THE method.

Mark,i know you dont use these heavy leads unless they are required,so your angling experiences over the years,buck current tackle trends,so you become that dinosaur,lol.

 

[Keith M]

A guy in our club who a couple of years ago made the decision to concentrate all his Barbel fishing on the float caught a superb winter Barbel of an ounce under 18lb in 2 degrees with snow on the ground in December during one of the coldest Decembers ever recorded as reported in the angling press. he also caught a nice double a week before and returned to catch a couple more doubles two weeks afterwards, and is a well known and very respected angler in the club.

He thought that changing his attack to the float would mean that he had seen the last of his big Barbel and was surprised at the size of the Barbel he was still catching on the float.

<Heres the link with his 17lb 15oz Barbel>

So who says that float fishing only catches smaller Barbel?

 

[barbelboi]

So who says that float fishing only catches smaller Barbel?

Totally agree - unfortunately I have yet to be able to put it into practice. I’d love a double on the float and pin but as I predominately fish smaller (streamer weedy) rivers and weir pools all my doubles have been taken whilst ledgering or free lining.


Thread answer - Float

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