How did you get on?

[bracket]

This morning my Lady decided to have an intense mincepie and sausage roll baking session. Being the considerate Husband I am, I sloped off to the Frome to get a few hours in before Storm Barabra got into full swing. Eight o'clock found me on the bankside at a 4ft deep peg above the road bridge with a pigging downgate wind that was sure to get worse.



Because of the wind, and not wanting to spend all morning "flying a kite", I opted for more lead than normal and used a 14 No 4 stickfloat to a 20 hook with two No8s as back shots.



I fished and fed red maggot at a rod and a half out and was able to get a decent run through despite the wind. Nothing happened for the first 20 minutes until I netted a decent seatrout.

Not what I was really after, but I wasn't going to say No. I got a proper fish, a grayling, next run through and we were off.

.

Come while twelve thirty, the wind was getting impossible so that was the cue for one last fish then it's wrapsville and away home. The fish duely obliged, another seatrout.

I finished with 16 grayling and 5 trout, 21 fish in all. So a bit of a struggle with the wind but a satisfing session, bookended by trout and then off for some Christmas cheer. Pete.

 

[103841]

.

I've been meaning to ask this question for a while now, your post has reminded me.

Why when shotting down a float is it preferable to use a large number of small shot rather than a fewer number of larger shot?

 

[john step]

My guess is streamlining and balance...just feels right.
Also you can minutely fine tune by adding or subtracting shot as wind or flow alters.

 

[binka]

I've been meaning to ask this question for a while now, your post has reminded me.

Why when shotting down a float is it preferable to use a large number of small shot rather than a fewer number of larger shot?

You have more variations of where to position the shot in order to control the fall of the bait and how it 'rides' through the swim

Useful for all those super fine adjustments which are made to determine how they want it on a given day.

 

[S-Kippy]

You have more variations of where to position the shot in order to control the fall of the bait and how it 'rides' through the swim

Useful for all those super fine adjustments which are made to determine how they want it on a given day.

Alternatively.... you forgot to buy another tub of AAA and you dropped the tub of BB in the margins while setting up. That's normally my excuse anyway and you've no idea how many no 6 it takes to cock a 7 bb Avon. mg:

 

[peter crabtree]

Walking along the Colne today I noticed Neil1970 fishing, wearing his new camo gear..

 

[Neil Maidment]

I've been meaning to ask this question for a while now, your post has reminded me.

Why when shotting down a float is it preferable to use a large number of small shot rather than a fewer number of larger shot?

I am not a fan of angling publication's pretty diagrams of how a given shot pattern works. More precisely I think they are fiction especially in relation to river fishing.

Having said that, I'm an constant tinkerer of shotting and depth preferring to react to how I think, and far more importantly, how I feel the float and bait are "working".

I have a preference for big bulk shotting and will often use a large olivette but that largely denies me the opportunity to tinker so more often than not use SSG or AAA in that bulk. I will vary that in so much as I might think a string of several AAA is working better than the equivalent fewer SSG.

I do have some No6 shot somewhere in the shed but can't remember when I last saw them let alone use them. At best I'll use a No4 or No1 as a dropper, more likely a BB mg:

But, whatever floats your boat (or float!)

 

[Philip]

I am not a fan of angling publication's pretty diagrams of how a given shot pattern works. More precisely I think they are fiction especially in relation to river fishing.

Having said that, I'm an constant tinkerer of shotting and depth preferring to react to how I think, and far more importantly, how I feel the float and bait are "working".

I have a preference for big bulk shotting and will often use a large olivette but that largely denies me the opportunity to tinker so more often than not use SSG or AAA in that bulk. I will vary that in so much as I might think a string of several AAA is working better than the equivalent fewer SSG.

I do have some No6 shot somewhere in the shed but can't remember when I last saw them let alone use them. At best I'll use a No4 or No1 as a dropper, more likely a BB mg:

But, whatever floats your boat (or float!)

Quite happy to read that as I consider myself a fairly rubbish float angler but thats basically what I do !

I cant be done with faffing around minutely maneuvering dozens of tiny shot all day long.

 

[103841]

I think it's the combination of having slightly arthritic fingers and the fact I find most shot absolute rubbish that I keep my shot patterns as basic and simple as possible and like Neil tend to dismiss anything smaller than a No.1 shot.

 

[S-Kippy]

Depends on the river and conditions. I don't often get to float fish rivers with a bit of pace and power to them but when I do I'm happy to bulk shot with a single dropper but not as boldly as Neil.... I'm more likely to have a bulk of BB with a no 4 dropper. Such a set up would be greeted with utter contempt on my local rivers though which are much more sedate. What I have learned ( from Neil) is that on a river with a bit of push that a bit more weight gives you much better control. That might seem pretty obvious but when you've been brought up on small rivers and flowing canals where 4 x 4 stick float is standard fare it's quite hard to make the leap to what feels like cod tackle. I'm over it now though.

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Having faffed about with small shot, losing most of them, I watched Neil on the Itchen with his bulk shot set up, I find it works for me and results in less tangles casting as the float follows the shot, when the flow is negligible, often the case on the Salwarpe, I use a waggler.

 

[Neil Maidment]

The waggler is much underused on flowing water.

On Thursday I soon realised I had a quantity of chub in front of me in a reasonably pacey shallow swim with a very long trot. I caught quite steadily for the first couple of hours on a 8grm balsa, 6 x AAA bulk about 20ins above the hook, 1 x BB dropper and the rest under the float. Understandably after depleting the shoal by a few and losing some more, they backed off and slowed down.

I'm sure I would have continued to have the odd chub throughout the rest of the day but I recalled a recent post on FB by Andy Little about "shot shy" chub on the Hampshire Avon.

I switched to a loaded 8grm dumpy waggler with just a single BB down on the hooklink and the response was immediate and very positive. They did drop even further down the swim but continued to "have it" and I was hitting the bites with a big bow in the line (although a big sweeping strike was called for). These were chub averaging around 5lb which tend to hang solid on the strike before really moving off and then it's a patience game to bring them all the way up to the net (well most of them anyway) :wh

The only downside was I had to switch to a fixed spool reel rather than keep with my favoured centrepin. mg:

 

[tigger]

Neil, before going to the trouble of swapping over your float set up you could have just slid the shot up under the float and had the one down the line (or none down the line depending on depth and/or bait being used) and tried that first. I often do it and it usually works ok.

 

[Neil Maidment]

Neil, before going to the trouble of swapping over your float set up you could have just slid the shot up under the float and had the one down the line (or none down the line depending on depth and/or bait being used) and tried that first. I often do it and it usually works ok.

I do that regularly and is often part of my tinkering about during a session. But when there's a decent distance to reach, as there was on Thursday, that sort of set up is very prone to tangles. Particularly as I'm using a centrepin and my version of the Wallis Cast. A fairly gentle swing is no problem but when the target is at least 3/4's across towards the far bank of the Dorset Stour it becomes an issue. I can happily reach just about anywhere with a "normal" shotting pattern but bunch it all under the float and limitations arise!

Also with a missed strike, with that set up, the top & bottom balsa creates far too much surface disturbance. A bottom only waggler collapses through the water, which may cause untold havoc under the surface, but I don't see it!

All these little things just build (or lose) my confidence in what I'm doing and that is one the major factors in all my fishing.

 

[bracket]

I've been meaning to ask this question for a while now, your post has reminded me.

Why when shotting down a float is it preferable to use a large number of small shot rather than a fewer number of larger shot?

In my case it is a result of match fishing the Trent during the 1960/70s when "THE" method was caster fishing on "The Drop" for roach, which was best achieved by string shotting. This was taken to extremes by some anglers, John Dean comes to mind. In his hay-day John would shot up a stickfloat with between twenty and thirty No8s. I have first hand experience of this, having drawn next to him and suffered the consequences. So with me it is a personal preference and what I am used to. Most of the pros and cons have already been cover on this thread so I don't need add my two pennyworth, other than to say, the basic objective is to put your bait where the fish are and there are a myriad ways of doing this. That's what makes angling so fascinating. Pete.

 

[tigger]

All these little things just build (or lose) my confidence in what I'm doing and that is one the major factors in all my fishing.

Yeaph, if your not confident/happy in the set up then you've gott'a change it to one you are.
I've always managed ok with it even when rattling it across river. One major reason I prefer to stick with the top and bottom float is the fact that I can still hold it back or slow it down significantly when I want to.

 

[Neil Maidment]

Here's a bit of self indulgence

A slideshow review of my 2016 efforts and all in less than 4 minutes!

https://youtu.be/lgYtiove1e4

 

[tigger]

Here's a bit of self indulgence

A slideshow review of my 2016 efforts and all in less than 4 minutes!

https://youtu.be/lgYtiove1e4

Very good Neil, except for the obnoxious racket in the background!

 

[Tee-Cee]

" I wanna tell you a story"....Only those of certain years will recall this phrase from way back when, but it serves as an apt title to this little piece...

So there I was, sitting quietly tucked away in a sheltered still water swim on Thursday morning, enjoying the clear blue skies and also taking the odd roach without a care in the world. Some of the fish were very reasonable with the best at 1lb 4ozs, although most were in the 8/10" class, which suited me just fine.

I had made my usual plan of how to feed the swim on the journey down so when I arrived I immediately set about doing so before I set up. Fish came almost straight away from just in front under the tip and to my right where the depth goes fron 4' to around 7' in no distance at all. Eventually, the bites dried up so I turned the chair slightly toward the left and after a very light sprinkle of maggots I made a cast toward the overhanging tree to my left, getting as close as possible to the leafless branches.

All went well as after ten minutes I had three smallish fish, followed by one of a pound and then the biggest mentioned above..................

What happened next; Well I got over excited, and in my haste to have the float in the water as quickly as possible, managed to catch the single overhanging twig found above the sight line of my hat, so instead of seeing the float land on water, I looked up and saw it draped over said twig. I gentle lift of the rod did nothing to free it and it quickly became apparent that 'draped' was the wrong word as it was fixed securely to the twig!

I didn't panic at all but instead gently laid the Matchpro in the rest and surveyed the scene. Firstly, I had no intention of losing the float (now hanging and swaying gently in the breeze some 8' away) and secondly, I thought it a simple matter to perhaps use the pan landing net as a method of retrieval.
This I attempted some half a dozen times with the twig (actually attached to a bigger and more substantial branch) bending enticingly toward me, only to ping straight at the last moment. On three occasions the float was within reach, but never quite close enough until I noticed a stiffer 'twig' further down the branch and this proved to be the way to go.....

With net hooked over the stiffer twig I bought it toward me; close and closer it came until I made a grab and secured the float - success at last!! I had to release the float so I let go of the landing net and with a lot of wiggling managed to break off the float carrying twig........all fine up to this point..

Unfortunately, the parting of the twig from main branch meant this whippy thing then straightened very quickly and shot back out to its original position..............and yes, taking my landing net handle with it!! Another survey of the situation now saw said net fixed to branch 8' out with handle hanging dead plumb into the water with its end some two feet under the water.
After some thought I headed back to the car and found an old collapsible landing net (always in the car for emergencies!) which has a 3m handle when fully extended. Back at the swim and with full extension in play, and with me kneeling over the water with arms outstretched I finally managed to bring the net up under the handle after several attempts and gradually bring it back to my waiting hands.

During this debacle the Matchpro tip had left the rest and was down in deep water and many metres of line had flowed from the 'pin due to the pinging action of the branch so all in all it was a bl88dy fine mess, BUT at least I had my float back!!

A quick glance at the watch told me it was noon and I thought to give it best and head off home, but after a cup of tea I reorganised and tackled up again. Amazingly, again casting (NOT) so close to the same overhanging tree/bush I managed another three fish in the next hour even after all the disruption and splashing about!!

Yes, it was some session and one to recall over a beer or two at a later date. All in all I was very pleased with my ingenuity, though and my 'never say die' attitude......

I went again on Friday but conditions had changed and I only managed eight roach to around 10ozs.............Loved being out, though!!

Have a good one, each!!

 

[barbelboi]

" I wanna tell you a story"..

'You need hands to guide it on it's way'..................