I must admit that I really like watching a float. Last week I fished a lake with lots of other anglers there of all ages. I went for a walk and realised that there was only one other angler there who was float fishing, everyone else had leger rods on obligatory rod pods. The amount and choice of floats in tackle shops (luckily I make mine) is tiny now compared to years ago. Is the art of float fishing going to be lost and the pleasure of watching it disappear?
The Demise of Float Fishing??
- Thread starter peterjg
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The Sogster
Well-known member
I doubt that the art of float fishing will be lost, but the methods used may change eg pellet waggler. Also mainline strengths appear to have grown and the rods action changed accordingly. I can't imagine many anglers these days using 2lb or less mainline as a first choice in todays commercial fishery world.
As someone once said there is nothing as pleasing in its disappearance.
As someone once said there is nothing as pleasing in its disappearance.
@Clive
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In France I have only seen one person using a float on a running line. I get the impression that in the UK the quiver tip rules supreme and most anglers use static ledgering tactics rather than float fishing.
no-one in particular
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I like floats and float fishing, something just basic about it and still a great way to know what is happening to your bait but, it is not fashionable today, it has all become a bit gadgetry and more sophisticated. I can't be bothered with most of it, a 8 inch quill, two bb's and I am happy with that. cant really blame the youngsters though, it must look so dated and boring. You have the latest gold flash rod and reel with all the specs written all over them and your going to want something a bit more than a bit of something that fell off a bird to go with it. I would have probably been the same.
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mikench
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I like both methods and whilst I tend to use the feeder the most , I will use both at once where depth of water permits. I do enjoy using the Polaris float with a feeder and watching the float move, rise and go flat before the tip makes a move. Sometimes it’s the other way around or both at once. Having a float helps with accurate feeding too. Best of both worlds I reckon. Thanks to Hague01 I bought some of the original balsa Polaris which are better than the current incarnations in both our opinions. Cheers Alec. Email on its way.
It's float fishing for me 95% of the time. Even my barbel fishing is likely to be on the float these days. I fish a couple of carp lakes where I'm normally the only one holding a rod. And not in a tent. No other method is so endlessly variable and subtle. You can search the length and depth of your swim, mimic your feed falling or drifting through the water, adjust your rig and shotting minutely and read and hit bites that may only register by millimetres. The float you use and how you use it can vary with every swim you fish and the scope for learning is endless.
Float gear is light in the hand, sweet to play fish on and easy on the eye. Your rig doesn't go in like a brick. Nothing looks so good as the tip of a float on the surface. The more conditions allow you to dot it right down, the more it feels about to disappear any second. Fishing a float is imo the most absorbing method - you literally don't take your eyes off it - and it lives in the present. You don't cast a float in then look for something else to do, like scrolling through facebook or having a snooze, and you're anticipating a bite now, not sometime in the next few hours.
I do like legering and feedering. They're sometimes the best way to go for the bag or species or size of fish you're after. Water or weather conditions can wipe float fishing out. They have their own skills. Setting up both float and tip is ideal, if you can be bothered. But the older |I get, the more I choose to float fish. As for its demise, float fishing will persist amongst those who get it.
Float gear is light in the hand, sweet to play fish on and easy on the eye. Your rig doesn't go in like a brick. Nothing looks so good as the tip of a float on the surface. The more conditions allow you to dot it right down, the more it feels about to disappear any second. Fishing a float is imo the most absorbing method - you literally don't take your eyes off it - and it lives in the present. You don't cast a float in then look for something else to do, like scrolling through facebook or having a snooze, and you're anticipating a bite now, not sometime in the next few hours.
I do like legering and feedering. They're sometimes the best way to go for the bag or species or size of fish you're after. Water or weather conditions can wipe float fishing out. They have their own skills. Setting up both float and tip is ideal, if you can be bothered. But the older |I get, the more I choose to float fish. As for its demise, float fishing will persist amongst those who get it.
Alan Whitty
Well-known member
The biggest worry to me is anglers losing the ability to use the knowledge gained whilst floatfishing, ie feeding, fishes responses, understanding where the fish are in the swim, depths etc, , I watch a guy set up with two method feeders yesterday afternoon, you know the sort, giggling at float anglers when he catches a fish that dragged his rod in, he doesn't notices the fact that float anglers are catching, but most of all are getting more bites than him, as for float availability, I just got some new floats from Dave Harrell, stepped wagglers, made of balsa, first impressions are excellent, I bought 3BB, 2AA and 5BB, ideal for stillwater use up to medium range, say 20yds in the larger sizes, if float fishing lowers itself to the pellet waggler it is doomed, because that has no relationship to real floatfishing, its far too crude, but effective for lakes overstocked with carp, try fishing for a crucian carp with one
hague01
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Even better Mike are the original built polaris. Easily recognisable, shinny black 2 pac paint with peacock stem and largish bowl from late 1980's. They were supplied as prizes, in sets of 5 , by angling times in the 90's for good capture pics. Often come up new or mint on ebay. I have around a dozen plus. Sometimes the paint cracks but clear nail varnish works perfectly. My favourite shade too! If we ever meet, I will try to have some with me for you.
The Sogster
Well-known member
I only tend to use the polaris floats for piking, for which I find them excellent.
As for Dave Harrell floats I have plenty of his stick floats and wagglers and find them excellent. I also like the stillwater blues on the canal.
As for Dave Harrell floats I have plenty of his stick floats and wagglers and find them excellent. I also like the stillwater blues on the canal.
I dont think the art of float fishing has been lost, its just that the standard method today has changed. Back when I was a kid everyone floatfished with maggots. Nowadays the standard method is to fish a lead with a bolie or pellet.
In another 30 years float fishing might be the standard tactic again. Times change.
In another 30 years float fishing might be the standard tactic again. Times change.
Steve Arnold
Well-known member
I used to think of ledgering as "cheating", now it seems that is all I do!
There are two float rods in my garage, one has caught many roach, dace, bream, grayling and seatrout. But that was probably 20+ years ago and it's a bit light for my "new" river. I bought a new, heavier action float rod, but have not found the right swim in good conditions to give it a proper workout.
No sign of those conditions improving for some time yet........
There are two float rods in my garage, one has caught many roach, dace, bream, grayling and seatrout. But that was probably 20+ years ago and it's a bit light for my "new" river. I bought a new, heavier action float rod, but have not found the right swim in good conditions to give it a proper workout.
No sign of those conditions improving for some time yet........
@Clive
Well-known member
From what I have seen of the river in your area Steve, ledgering is the only way to guarantee a good chance of catching barbel, which is your target species. The deep, fast runs where the bigger barbel lurk are way beyond float fishing range. I am fortunate in that the Charente is much like a canal after Angouleme, 12 foot deep at the edges and I can more easily access the outside bends of the Charente and Vienne whereas those areas on the Lot would need mountaineering tackle. Your methods suit your venues as you have proved in your catches.
But I think that ledgering has become the easy option for many anglers who fish small venues where float fishing could produce better results. With the concepts of pellets and helicopter rigs for roach and tench you can buy a ready made rig and fish it along with a bite alarm, and you don't have the pfaff of plumbing the depth, shotting a float and watching the float for a bite.
Last year I had more barbel on the float than on the ledger / feeder methods. And I had some lovely carassins, roach, rudd, dace and bream too. Letting the bait trot, trip the bottom or stret-pegging it downstream brings those bonus sight-feeding species. In the lakes a big percentage of the roach I caught were taken on the drop, before the float had time to settle. A bait attached to a ledger or feeder rig descends too quickly for the roach to take it so you are relying on catching fish that are feeding in the last 10% or whatever of the water column when in many cases they are up in the mid depths.
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hague01
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Meant floats not nail varnish, ha.
It's the dominance of carp fishing, and the particular fishing culture associated with it.
The bite alarm ledger approach has seemed to spilled over into fishing for other species. I watched a perch fishing video where they bivvied up and put the rods on alarm. I guess if that's the fishing you are used to you just adapt it to other fish - though I worry about deep hooking perch if you aren't right next to the rods.
I have hope that eventually things will go full circle and anglers will see that there is more to life than carp and camping.
The bite alarm ledger approach has seemed to spilled over into fishing for other species. I watched a perch fishing video where they bivvied up and put the rods on alarm. I guess if that's the fishing you are used to you just adapt it to other fish - though I worry about deep hooking perch if you aren't right next to the rods.
I have hope that eventually things will go full circle and anglers will see that there is more to life than carp and camping.
The Sogster
Well-known member
Many years ago we used to utilise a jif lemon filled with melted candlewax for weight to aid casting distance either for shore fishing or piking on the big reservoirs locally. These were 'drilled' through with a hot darning needle end to end and held in place inline with a couple of stop knots.
They worked surprisingly well as I recall.
They worked surprisingly well as I recall.
i've noticed a lot of anglers legering only.i've nothing against legering but the waggler is my preferred method if i had to choose one.on stillwaters i use both methods so i have the best of both worlds and more chance of catching. 
Alan Whitty
Well-known member
No there isn't Philip, but roach fishing with a 2oz feeder and helicopter rig where mainline tend to be at least 8lb line and 1.5lb t.c. rods is ott for any roach that swims, even two tied together, lol, like chub fishing with over 8lb line, unnecessary as you would do well to be broken on 6lb and a 1.25lb t.c., people are frightened of putting pressure on their gear, strange that, as that is what it's for...
Alan Whitty
Well-known member
i've noticed a lot of anglers legering only.i've nothing against legering but the waggler is my preferred method if i had to choose one.on stillwaters i use both methods so i have the best of both worlds and more chance of catching.
Myself, I like all aspects of proper floatfishing, I'd go as far as to say I enjoy becoming as proficient as possible at it, I've posted this before but neither of my son's fish, one is incapable, the other isn't interested, my knowledge will pass with me, which saddens me a bit, as even though anglers may not use it to the full extent, even part of it would transform most... my way with the waggler is devastating on towing stillwaters... from where I'm looking.
It's lucky if that's all they do! I gave up one lake I used to love when the stocking tilted to carp and it became a magnet for casual carpers. They cast in every half an hour or so - it seems it's a two carp per hour kind of place at novice level - but in between they find they have nothing to do. Unlike the pole and float anglers who are casting, feeding, watching their floats ie actively fishing, they find other ways to fill the dead time. Congregating together, looming over the water, having noisy fun, rolling spliffs, having a couple of beers, running back and to if something bleeps or a mate (or bro) catches one. Probably not typical, but that's how it is on these places.