Make your own floats ?

[Kevin Nicholson]

Does anyone know if there are still places where you can buy Balsa pieces, Quills and Reeds for float making. I fancy trying to make some floats like I used to when I was younger. All the tackle shops i've been into ask wht do you want to make em' when they are so cheap to buy. Any ideas ?
Thanks in anticipation. Kevin.

 

[Steve Baker]

I used to make my own floats when i was about 16 (25 now) but it used to end up costing me more than if i had to buy them. Set of eyes 1.50, balsa 2 quid and paint 1.30 + varnish. Was good fun thouhg and alot moere fun catching tench on them than the bought floats. For quills go to any town park and have a look where the duck live ypu will find plent of feathers there and just paint them.

 

[keith miller]

You cannot always buy what you need so I do make floats occasionally. My most recent have been chubber style carrying 6 swan for use in a fast deep eddy where I needed to have the bait dragging on the bottom and some big loaded wagglers carrying 2/3 swan for distance casting in choppy waters on a large Irish lake.
I obtained balsa from a model shop and sarcandas reed from a local tackle shop.

 

[Rob Brownfield]

I make my own peacock wagglers (Ala John Wilson) and used to make balsa floats by placine a balsa rod in a drill, and then using sandpaper to sand the shape. Onlt took seconds.

 

[Davy North]

I too used to make all my own peacock wagglers, and wouldn't entertain buying them. However we live in pre-packaged world now, and making floats seems to be a thing of the past. I recently went into a local tackle shop for a small tin of blaze orange to repair some sight tips. I was presented with a tipex type bottle, and "three pound sometheing sir" Yeah right oh!!!!!!!!

 

[Kevin Nicholson]

Thanks for the advice I''l have a go and maybe when all the major tackle companies stop making floats, there be a place for homemade floats again. Thanks again and good luck to you all.
Kevin.

 

[Chris Warren]

I like making floats. I get crow quills from walks, balsa from model shops, cane from craft suppliers (or kebab sticks!), and peacock quill from fly tying material stockists. I make the eyes from stainless wire (guitar strings, actually). It's good fun.

 

[keith miller]

Brass wire is easier to bend and shape.

 

[Robert Draper]

The beauty of floatmaking is making them out of unusual or found materials. My favourite float of yore was made from a parrot quill from Twycross Zoo with a body made from a cork floor tile wrapped round and pared to a bulb shape. Total cost - paint and varnish nicked from the garden shed plus 50p for a small tin of humbrol enamel for the tip (which went on to do about 50-60 more floats). Be unconventional and experiment with different materials. If you come accross anything good let us know...

 

[Chris Bishop]

I've been making pike floats for years. They cost a few pence, compared to ?3.50 a time.

The model/craft shop is the berst source of balsa, cork/polyballs etc.

Years ago, tackle shops used to sell peacock quills, sarcandas reed etc.