Trotting shot options

[chrisjpainter]

Morning all. how are people shotting up their bulk shot these days? I've been giving trotting for grayling a go of late and have seen Drennan's inline olivettes in the shop. How do you secure them in place: Small shot? some kind of rubber stop...other?

Or is it just another fishing gimmick and bulked large shot is best?

Another question I've got is is it worth using a microswivel as a quick change for the hooklink?

For context, we're talking the middle sections of the Dorset Frome. Good pace and depth of around 3-7ft, but 4ft seems a good average.

 

[Ray Roberts]

I lock them in place with float stops which are cheap as chips from Ali Express. You can also use small shot. There is also a type of inline Olivetti that’s held in place by a tapered rubber insert. I don’t think olivettes are a gimmick at all, they are less prone to tangling and get the bait down quicker. I have used micro swivels, but now mostly use the quick change swivel links in the smallest size. Again these can be sourced from Ali Express for a fraction of the price of tackle shop ones.

 

[chrisjpainter]

@Ray Roberts that's really helpful; many thaank

 

[nottskev]

I use olivettes for bulks a lot. Either sandwiched between sliding rubber float stops, or between Stotz, which are also quite easy to slide if you want to move the weight up or down. I'd only use large shot if I didn't have a suitable olivette - all the advantages are with the olivette imo. As Ray says, quick change swivels are handy, but one advantage of connecting your hooklength loop to loop is that the bottom float stop can butt up against the knot.

A friend who has maybe confused French and Italian words - after all, France and Italy are homes of pole fishing inventions - always calls them Olivetti's. I haven't the heart to tell him they're typewriters.

 

[John Aston]

For grayling in my rivers - lightly fished, small-medium spate waters with , typically 12-18"visibility maximum and with worm the only bait allowed, I use a 12ft Harrison GTi with an Okuma pin , with 5-6lb main line. I use a hooklink of about 12 " of 0.13/0.15 Reflo with a small swivel and Loafer floats. Rarely less than 3 AAA and up to 4.5 Swan , always bulked about 10 "above hook . Olivettes fine but I don't see any advantage .

Works for me - after many errors, usually in size of float, and shotting

 

[nottskev]

Advantages of Olivettes over shot?

Don't crush the line as shot can, don't damage the line when moving and don't fall off. Many brands of non-toxic shot grip poorly, are clunky in size and require too much pressure to fix. It's getting increasingly common, for those reasons, to also avoid the shot by using loaded wagglers fixed with sliding float stops.
Tend to make a slimmer, neater bulk with less chance of hooklength looping over and hanging up if longer casting needed.

 

[Mark Wintle]

As a very long-time Frome angler, I've found lightly shotted floats best for the grayling unless it's for very fast or deep water, with the Drennan wire-stem Avons proving ideal in 5 no. 4, 3BB or 5BB sizes ideal with spread shotting.

 

[Alan Whitty]

I don't like online olivettes, I prefer the ones with stems and small pieces of silicon tube to fix em, the biggest thing with float shotting is nothing remains standard(unless you want it to be), that is why match anglers use strings of number eight shot, to be able to vary presentation infinitum ..

 

[ian g]

I prefer split shot for the reason Alan says . Must admit no8's is a bit much but having the ability to change presentation easily by moving split shots around is a bonus. When I do use olivettes I use the stem ones as they are easy to swap .I do use quick change connectors.

 

[nottskev]

I'm mainly referring to either slider fishing, when strung shot are not an option, or barbel in heavy water where it might need anything from 5 - 12g. If a no8 shot weighs 0.06 of a gram, that 16 to a gram and 160 to shot this float

 

[chrisjpainter]

I'm mainly referring to either slider fishing, when strung shot are not an option, or barbel in heavy water where it might need anything from 5 - 12g. If a no8 shot weighs 0.06 of a gram, that 16 to a gram and 160 to shot this float

160 shot for the float would be worth seeing!
Thanks for the advice. I'll have a gander in the local tackle shop and see what works. I need to get a few more floats, anyway, so it'll give me a chance to have a browse and a gander and a purchasing of more things I'll find a need for later down the line!

 

[Alan Whitty]

You'd be surprised how well it would work though Kev, looks totally wrong, but that bike chain effect really is effective...lol

Topper Haskins used to make his own 'toppers' Avon floats they were shotted with strings of BB shot, I've seen him with lengths of BB's three and a half inches long....

 

[markcw]

I have various sized olivettes , both peg ended and inline .
Like Alan says the peg end ones can be changed and shotting pattern adjusted .
Also in the larger sizes , an Olivette makes an ideal leger weight . Casts easily and doesn't create a large splash .I've had some good catches using this method .