The Lift Method

[alanmurphy2013]

Hi all

Not sure if im posting this in the correct place or not, Sorry if i am

Just wanted to ask something, Im fairly down to grips when it comes to this method of float fishing, But the way im doing it seems to be different to other ways i have seen, The way im doing it goes like this and please correct me if im doing anything wrong

Use a suitable float, for this thread lets say a 6 BB Drennan Onion

Lock the float in place with two no 4s also using a float adapter

Seeing as 6 BB equals 2.4 G i would simply put an LG (3g) 2 inches from the hook and that's all the shot on the whole rig.

The LG acts as a plummet and is heavy enough to sink the float completely under, This means no messing about with a plummet

If you're under depth or over depth adjust until the desired amount of tip is showing, Bait your hook and bobs your uncle

Fish comes along picks up your bait in turn lifting the LG and causing the float to act as if it had no shotting

Is this a suitable way of fishing the lift method?

 

[nicepix]

If that works then fine, but it seems to be very depth critical. If the depth is uneven then you would need to be 100% accurate every time.

The way I do it is to plumb using no weight other than the plummet with the float stopped with a float stop. Once I'm sure that the float is at the right depth I will add typically 6" to 12" dependent on species and wind strength. It might be double that if necessary. Then I'll shot the float with the bulk just below half depth and a string of smaller shot, the first 3" from the hook and the other two spread 3" apart. The reason I use three shot rather than one is that it grips the bottom better and acts like an anchor chain in that it tensions the rig causing the float to shoot up when the bait is taken. The weight of these three shot varied dependent on species and wind drift, but typically for bream I'd use #1's or #4's and for roach a size lighter or mixture of these sizes.

By putting the bulk shot below half way the bait gets to the fishing zone quicker and stabilises the rig in windy weather. As the lower shot hit bottom the float drops to show just the tip. Then as it drifts it sits slightly lower. When a fish disturbs the lower shot pattern it is like a spring going off and the float rockets up 3" to 4" before going under. Even on calm days the weight of the line between float and rod (assuming that you've sunk your line) will cause the float to drift towards you until the shot anchors it.

Using sliding rig rather than a fixed rig is also better for connection with the fish on the strike.

 

[guest61]

As Nicepix says, if what you're describing works for you why worry? I saw this the other day.

[ame=http://youtu.be/xTpajTBBog4]lift method for tench - YouTube[/ame]

My personal preference though is more like this.

The Lift Method & Driftbeaters

 

[Keith M]

The following is the more traditional way of using the lift method which I often use succesfully when I am fishing for Tench and other fish that feed in a similar way to the Tench.

To understand why the lift method works so well; you need to look at why it works and where to use it best; and not just use it willy nilly in all conditions:

The Lift Method

The lift method works best on slightly harder bottoms which only have a small amount of silt or clean gravely bottoms.

It works well for Tench because of the way the Tench often feed on these firmer bottoms; ie. By picking up the bait then moving to the upright position to swallow the bait.

When the Tench moves to the upright position with the bait in its mouth the single shot is lifted off the bottom and the hook starts to catch on the inside of the mouth, meanwhile the float will have lifted and started to lie flat.

NB. This doesn’t always happen as sometimes the float will just sink out of sight especially if the Tench feels the weight of the shot; but by then he is usually hooked anyway.

Other advantages of just having the one single shot on your line instead of having other shot on your line further up; are:

1. The second that the single shot is moved off the bottom the float will rise clearly and start to lie flat; wheras if there were other shot on the line further up then this movement would be subdued and not show the bite half as well.
2. A good proportion of the weight of the single shot rising off the bottom is shared by the float rising and starting to lie flat.

See picture below.

You should use a shortish 3 to 5 inch length of quill or sealed sarkandas reed (or similar material) usually attached to the line with a single float rubber or short length of silicone tubing and have the single large shot (which would be just heavy enough to sink the float if suspended higher) only 2 or 3 inches from the hook and fished at around 7 inches to a foot overdepth.

After casting (not too far) the rod is paced in its rests and the line is wound in until the float starts to cock with only the tip showing above the water.

This is a good method because once the fish picks up the bait; the tension between the hanging shot and the hook thats in the tench’s mouth means that the hook hardly ever gets successfully ejected cleanly from the mouth and usually the hook gets caught in the lower lip before the Tench fully realises something is wrong.

tight lines
Keith (BoldBear)

 

[sagalout]

I ain't saying anything above isn't right or isn't better than what I do, but what I do is put the bulk of the shot up by the float and the remainder 3" from the hook.

I fish the rig about 6" over depth and wind the float down to the desiterd amount of tip showing. I find the drennan glow tips good for this (I thought they where driftbeaters when I bought them). The total shotting is enough to just sink the float and the amount by the hook is just enough to hold bottom as I wind the float down.

If I am fishing the margin then I tend to use a pole float and shot it so the the body is submerged but the tip is still showing, then add 2 number 8s three inches from the hook (this should be enough to sink the tip) and fish this with the 2 number 8s at dead depth. I find this is very sensitive and even helps to prevent deep hooking of small perch.

 

[barbelboi]

I'm pretty much with Keith on this. The lift method was popularized by the Taylor brothers in the 50’s primarily for catching tench and goes pretty much like this according to FJT in his 1958 book Angling in earnest. As he admits himself he 'borrowed' the method from the Lee roach fishermen.

Line strength can be fairly substantial, but hooks will have to be smaller of course. The tackle is arranged as follows. A small length of peacock quill (a small Drennan crystal waggler, or similar, works just as well) is fixed to the line by the bottom end only and by means of a tight fitting rubber band. One shot is fixed one inch only from the hook which may be a size 12 or 14. The whole is then set slightly deeper that the water and is drawn tight. The float will register the quickest of bites by rising in the water and falling over flat. If you wait until the float has laid flat you will be too late. The time to strike is when the float begins to lift.

I prefer to have the rod set in two rests and my hand by the butt ready to strike. I really enjoy using this method, especially for tench. in my opinion it can be absolutely deadly, especially if you understand the reason you are using it.
Jerry

 

[jacksharp]

I caught bagfuls of bream in the canal below Beeston Castle, in Cheshire, in the 70's using the lift method. Tried it in Gresford Flash and the locals laughed at me as it was too crude a method and I caught sweet FA.

My main method of fishing back then was "laying on" which was similar to the lift method. Nowadays a self-locking float with a pierced bullet leger is a good method and plumbing-up is totally unnecessary.

 

[guest61]

My main method of fishing back then was "laying on" which was similar to the lift method. Nowadays a self-locking float with a pierced bullet leger is a good method and plumbing-up is totally unnecessary.

Could you take me through the 'laying on' set up that you used?

 

[nicepix]

Keith, Could you please explain how you come to this conclusion?

Other advantages of just having the one single shot on your line instead of having other shot on your line further up; are:

The second that the single shot is moved off the bottom the float will rise clearly and start to lie flat; wheras if there were other shot on the line further up then this movement would be subdued and not show the bite half as well.

In my view the shot down the line have no effect on the bite registration as their weight is countered by the buoyancy of the float.

 

[jacksharp]

Could you take me through the 'laying on' set up that you used?

The line, float and weight setup looked exactly like this but in my younger days it was just the reel line straight through to the hook and normal shot. The float would be about a 6" peacock quill and the hook a 12 or 14 with maggots or a piece of lobworm as bait. I don't seem to remember overweighting the float either, just the weight required to cock it but all together a foot or 18" from the hook. I always used this method when tench fishing and it was very effective with the float sometimes lying flat, or cocking or just sliding away altogether.

 

[guest61]

The line, float and weight setup looked exactly like this but in my younger days it was just the reel line straight through to the hook and normal shot. The float would be about a 6" peacock quill and the hook a 12 or 14 with maggots or a piece of lobworm as bait. I don't seem to remember overweighting the float either, just the weight required to cock it but all together a foot or 18" from the hook. I always used this method when tench fishing and it was very effective with the float sometimes lying flat, or cocking or just sliding away altogether.

Sadly I couldn't open the image beyond thumbnail.

I asked as I can remember seeing blokes fishing this way on the local canal many years ago - was it fished overdepth?

 

[jacksharp]

Sadly I couldn't open the image beyond thumbnail.

I asked as I can remember seeing blokes fishing this way on the local canal many years ago - was it fished overdepth?

I will try to post the image properly when I can get access to Photobucket on my laptop later. Yes it is fished overdepth and you wind down until the float is at half-cock.

 

[aebitim]

I can see 3 methods here so far, the traditional lift, laying on and the float leger rig.

 

[guest61]

I can see 3 methods here so far, the traditional lift, laying on and the float leger rig.

I thought that there was a fourth - Driftbeater and the Lift Methods (I have their first Album)

Variations on a theme

 

[aebitim]

Didnt know they made an album, only got the single,
Yes I know I am splitting hairs all these work as lift methods.
Does anybody use the flat float method?

 

[guest61]

Does anybody use the flat float method?

Do you mean a flat float as in laying flat on the surface or as a float for running water - lollipop style? - My confusion

 

[jacksharp]

You can fish a flat float in running water, it's called stret-pegging, just to further muddy the waters! mg:

 

[aebitim]

A quill laid flat on the water, I sometimes use this with a no 6 shot 4 inch from the hook, with the float acting as a controller, often resting against or even on lilly pads.

 

[Keith M]

Keith, Could you please explain how you come to this conclusion?

Other advantages of just having the one single shot on your line instead of having other shot on your line further up; are:

(1) The second that the single shot is moved off the bottom the float will rise clearly and start to lie flat; wheras if there were other shot on the line further up then this movement would be subdued and not show the bite half as well.

In my view the shot down the line have no effect on the bite registration as their weight is countered by the buoyancy of the float.

Hi nicepix,

Consider the following diagrams:

The diagram on the right has a shot further up the line; so when the bottom shot comes up off the bed the higher shot will still be having a stabilizing effect on the float which will be preventing the float from rising quite as far; wheras in the diagram on the left their are no further restrictions on the rising float once the bottom shot comes up off the bottom.

Also; the less upward pull from the rising float than the less weight will be being supported from the bottom shot after it lifts off the bottom.

simples; ( well that's the theory anyway, I think )
.

Keith

 

[barbelboi]

Yes,if used in the right circumstances, the big advantage of the ‘lift’ is to indicate that the bait has been taken sooner than most other methods. Bearing in mind that you are attempting to catch fish that will probably take in and eject the bait in an instance you need to be quick on the strike – therefore it follows that the weight will be more effective if kept in one place, close to the hook, when using compact baits (for that is the main use of this method – a bait that the fish can get in it’s mouth with one suck). If using the ‘lift’ for large baits, lobs, flake, crust, etc., (which I rarely do) it appears easier to use a much longer gap between the hook and weight, in excess of 1’.
Jerry