INTRODUCTION
How many times have you trotted a float down a river this Summer? If you are anything like me then the answer is surely not often enough. There is just such a simple, all engrossing pleasure in watching the orange dome of a float steadily making its way down stream before suddenly disappearing. The strike becomes almost instinctive, and before you are even aware of what has happened the pulse of another fish hooked is transmitted through thirteen feet of carbon.
Few experiences in fishing come even close to trotting float, but in a day and age dominated by catching more and bigger fish we seem to have lost touched with the art of fishing a float in moving water. Whilst few can doubt the aesthetic of trotting a float, any angler that considers this a second rate method for targeting bigger fish should consider that when the fish are playing hard to get the float is often the answer.
Apart from a handful of stalwarts though the accumulated knowledge of how to fish moving water effectively is quickly passing into history. I am just about old enough to remember the skills of the older London anglers with whom I match fished in my teens that had cut their teeth fishing the Southern rivers in their hey-day. From huge catches of dace on the Tidal Thames, to bags of two-pound roach from the Suffolk Stour, and chub and barbel on the Hampshire Avon, these were anglers who were masters of the float. Despite their gear often looking crude, their floats heavy and their centrepins outdated, the fish the numbers and sizes of the fish they caught often put us young pretenders to shame.
Ignore the float at your peril, because not only it fully engrossing in a way that ledgering can never be, but when the conditions are right it will catch you more fish too. Whilst no-where in the same league as those old gentlemen, or even today’s river masters, here is my guide to river float fishing.
THE GEAR REQUIRED
RODS
Most of us will already own most of the hardwear required to fish reasonably proficiently in running water, yet it is amazing how in just over a decade much of the nuances of river float fishing are already being lost. When I first began working in the fishing tackle trade the best selling rods were designed for river float fishing, and most of us would own several variations on the theme. My holdall would generally contain a thirteen foot spliced tip model for fishing at short range with delicate stick float presentations. A hollow tipped, more powerful twelve footer for fishing the waggler across the river and balsa floats in heavier flows and a fifteen-seventeen footer for trotting the middle of the Thames and for holding a float right across on tiny tributaries.
How times have changed. I would wager that if you went into most tackle shops these days you would struggle to find two out of three of these rods, as they have been superseded with carp waggler rods, mini rods and the like. Back in the day my match fishing was fairly typical of many club anglers as we fished a huge range of venues over a season, hence the need for a range of different tools, fortunately, if you are going to be fishing just your local rivers then you can get away with just one or two rods if you choose carefully.
As a starting point a float rod of between 12 and 14 feet in length with a medium to power action (but avoid anything with the word carp in the name as this will be too powerful) fits the bill nicely for the bulk of pleasure fishing for medium to larger fish. Most of us will already have a rod like this, but if you don’t then have a look at the Shimano SpeedMaster AX 13 footer or something similar.
I could go on for hours about the exact specifications of rods, but really a few key points are essential, the rest is just personal preference. Remember that you are going to be holding the rod all day, so weight and balance are very important. Generally speaking, the more you pay for a float rod the lighter it will be and the crisper the action (thanks to the use of higher modulus carbons with lower resin contents). Weight per-se though is less important than balance, and this is something that you can only appreciate when you have your reel fitted. I like to have a balance point about six inches in front of the reel, so the rod is very slightly tip heavy. The weight of the reel will have an influence on this, so each combination will vary slightly.
I really could go on about rods all day, but rather than bore you to death it is probably better to move on.
REELS
As with rods, reels should be chosen carefully to get the best out of your river float fishing. Once again, one tool won’t do for all situations, so it is important to think carefully about how you are likely to be fishing most of the time and pick your gear accordingly.
To trot a bait properly at short to medium range there really is nothing that comes close to a centrepin. As I will explain elsewhere, the flow of water is not constant, and so it is essential to slow the float down precisely to match the actual speed of the water close to the river bed. This is almost impossible to achieve with a fixed spool reel. Fortunately, John Bailey went into concise detail regarding the merits of centrepins in the August edition of CF, so rather than repeat his sage words, I will simply refer you to his article.
For those that do not own a ‘pin, or cannot get on with them, then a fix spool reel has certain benefits, particularly if you are fishing at any sort of range from the bank. The key point to bear in mind is to use a size that allows you to easily touch the lip of the reel. With constant casting, mending of the line and checking the progress of the float it is essential that you can touch the spool lip comfortably with your index finger. I prefer a 30 size reel, as I have relatively small hands, the excellent Simano Stradic FC being my weapon of choice.
LINE
There are loads of good float fishing lines on the market, and I am sure we all have our favoured brands. Limpness and buoyancy are key to allow you to mend the line properly. I carry a couple of spools, one loaded with 4lb for roach and grayling work, the other with 6lb for chub and barbel. Drennan Float Fish has been a long time favourite, although just recently I have been using Guru Dragline to good effect. The line most float well though to enable the float to run true, so that you can mend the line (straighten it) during the trot downstream and to enable a crisp strike to be made. There are a number of different spray on line floatants available, but over the last year I have been using Kryston’s Granite juice, which also adds extra abrasion resistance.
HOOKS
Whilst float fishing normally conjures up thoughts of fine wire hooks, I will be tending to be targeting larger fish where I want to land everything I hook. Rather than going finer, I will use a strong hook but in a smaller size, reasoning that this will be stronger with very little weight penalty.
For smaller baits such as maggots the Kamasan B983 is a good choice, and one that even grayling seem to have trouble ridding themselves of during the fight. For larger baits I have been using the Fox Series 2 match hook this year, which has proven very useful for anything up to chub. For barbel the only choice really is the Drennan Super Specialist in sizes smaller than a 12.
I am not a fan of spade-end hooks. Again, the tiny perceived weight saving is nothing compared to the occasional lost fish caused by the spade cutting through the knot. Give me an eye and the extra confidence it affords every time.
GET IN THE WATER
There are a few other items that are in my opinion essential if you are going to fish a float in moving water effectively. The first is a pair of decent waders. More often than not on my local rivers I will find myself standing in the water, not only because it is more comfortable, but because if I can get further out my float control is improved. On the middle Severn in Summer for instance this can often mean standing almost mid-river with the water only knee deep, allowing me to trot almost off the rod top into the narrow deeper channel.
If you are going to wade then you also need comfy bait apron. You can often find these forgotten, yet essential basics languishing in the back of your local tackle shop covered in a thick layer of dust. How times have changed! Look for an apron that has at least two separate bait compartments, allowing you to load up with hemp in one side and your hook bait on the other.
HOW TO FEED
Float fishing in a river is all about getting in to a rythmn. When you begin you will find that you are continually snagging bottom, getting dragged of course, trying to deal with gusty wind and hopefully, occasionally, playing a fish. With practice though you will find that all this becomes routine and you don’t have to consciously think about what you are doing.
The same applies to feeding. The simplest routine to get into is to feed ‘something’ every cast. I tend to wind in, feed, re-bait and then cast. This gives the feed a few seconds to travel downstream before it is joined by the hook bait, which because of the shotting on the float will generally get to the bottom much faster than the freebies.
If you feed every cast then you can simply alter the amount you feed as the conditions and bites dictate. Half a dozen maggots / casters / pellets every cast is normally about right, with perhaps double this quantity of hemp. I normally feed directly in front of me, or slightly upstream. You will often find that the fish will come right upstream following the trail of bait and you can catch them directly in front of you once they are really having it. The power of regular feeding cannot be overstated enough come Summer or Winter. Many is the time I have had fish approach right up to my waders when they are really competing for food, as they throw caution to the wind.
If bites dry up then the chances are that the fish have probably backed-of the feed. Whilst often you will hear anglers talking about cutting back on the feed this is often the kiss of death. If you think about it, if the fish have drifted off downstream then reducing the feed will give them little inducement to come back again. What I do in this situation is to put the rod down and rest the swim for anything up to an hour, but to keep feeding. With bait trundling continually through the swim the fish will soon re-gain some confidence and come back again and with no tackle in the swim, or fish being hooked in their midst their confidence will build.
HOW RIVERS FLOW
To become proficient at working a float down a river you have to be aware of how water actually flows in a river and how the conditions effect this. What you see happening on the surface bears little resemblance to what is happening close to the river bed, where the bulk of the fish will be found. The river bed creates friction that slows the water flowing above it. The rougher the river bed the more friction and the slower the water will be flowing. This means that the water close to the river bed will be moving much slower than what you see on the surface. Often when you get to within a few inches of the bottom the water will be only half the speed of that at the surface.
If the river is getting deeper or shallower down the swim will also effect water speed. Water that is shallowing up will get faster as you go downstream, whilst if it is getting deeper the reverse is true. Fish, particularly chub and dace, are incredibly adept at locating very slight variations in the speed of the current and will sit where they are using the minimum of energy. Often this will coincide with slight depressions in the river bed, boulders or strands of weed, anything in fact that will deflect the flow. This is why you will often find that one spot produces the majority of bites even in a swim that appears at first glance to be completely homogeneous.
If you want to present a bait at the same speed as the flow close to the river bed then it is essential to slow it down and really edge it through the swim. Running the float through at different speeds until you find what is most acceptable to the fish is important and can vary from session to session, depending upon the mood of the fish.
The wind can either be your best friend or worst enemy when trying to match the speed of the current. An upstream wind is by far the best as it will naturally hold the float and line back a little helping to slow it down. In contrast, a downstream wind will tend to speed the float up pushing it through the swim faster than you would wish.
FLOAT SIZE AND SHAPES
Buoyancy and shot loading are key to dealing with the effect of the varying current and depth. With the exception of catching on the drop, we will want to get the bait down quickly and keep it there, even when holding back hard to slow the float down. This requires some weight, and one of the most common mistakes I have made in the past is to try and fish with too dainty a float that makes presentation difficult if not impossible.
If we look at the range of ‘top and bottom’ attached floats available then we can see that the basic shape, with a slim base widening towards the shoulder, before ending in a narrower tip, is similar but variations in the thickness and the materials used effect the overall buoyancy. You don’t need to carry every float in every size. Generally each float will only be useful in a relatively small range of sizes and unless you are a real stickler for detail, then you can skip intermediate sizes. So let us look at some of the common floats available and where and how to use them.
CHUBBER
Fish in shallow to medium depth water where the current is fast and you need maximum weight down the line to present big baits.
Although the name rather pigeon-holes this float, it is equally useful for barbel fishing with baits like pellets, corn, meat and bread. With a bulk of AAA or BB shot eighteen inches above the hook and a single no.4 shot six inches from the sharp end this rig is designed to get the bait down fast and keep it there even when the water is very fast or boiling. I use chubbers early in the season on the Wye where the fish can often be found in 2-3 feet of water on the riffles where the water is absolutely ripping through, and for getting a bait down fast on weedy runs during the Summer months.
Carry sizes from 2 to 8 swan to cover depths from 2 to 8 feet.
BALSA
Fish in fast and deep water where you need to get the bait down and know it is staying down, best for larger species.
For long trotting in deep fast flowing rivers for chub and barbel the balsa is the first choice. The bulk shot can be made up of a group of BB shot or alternatively an olivette to create a more slim-line rig two feet above the hook, with just a single no.4 shot six inches from the hook. Fished six inches over-depth and slowed down hard the bait will just trip bottom right in the path of the fish. Best fished in water from 4 to 12 feet deep, the balsa would be my first choice for presenting cubes of meat, corn or pellets on the middle Severn, Teme and on clear runs surrounded by weed on the Hampshire Avon.
Carry sizes from 3AAA to 10AAA to cover depths from 4 to 12 feet.
AVON
Although still extremely buoyant, the finer tip of the Avon makes it more suitable for smaller species, particularly roach that will not tolerate the resistance created by a thick tipped float.
For trotting powerful rivers with small baits such as maggot and caster the Avon really comes into its own. For grayling fishing in the larger chalk streams that are often swollen with extra Winter water the Avon is perfect. With it’s bulbous body the float still carries enough weight down the line to keep the bait where you want it – tripping bottom, but the finer tip is more sensitive to the bites from smaller species.
I normally fish the Avon just on depth with the bulk shot two feet from the hook and a no.6 and two no.6 droppers evenly spaced below this and the hook.
Carry sizes from 3BB to 6AAA to handle depths from 4 to 10 feet.
STICK
For fishing on the drop, or tripping bottom in steadily flowing water the stick is the float to use. Ideal for smaller species, such as roach and dace
Coming in a whole host of different permutations, all variations of the stick float have a slim balsa upper body combined with a heavier wood or wire stem below to give stability. The result is a float that rides well and can be slowed down without leaning over unduly in a moderate flow.
Although you can bulk the shot as with other top and bottom floats, the stick is best fished with a strung out shotting pattern with small no.6 or no.4 shot spread evenly with just a small tell-tale shot close to the hook. This gives a predictable rate of fall through the water, giving the chance of catching on the drop as well as at full depth when held back. This makes the stick ideal for dace and roach using maggot, caster and hemp baits.
Carry sizes from 4 no.4 to 10 no.4 to handle depths from 4 to 8 feet.
DUMPY WAGGLER
A useful float for fishing at range for chub and barbel in shallow water at range. Thick shape allows the float to be dragged through over depth keeping the bait tripping bottom.
A relatively new technique on many rivers, but one that can in the right hands be very effective is to use a dumpy waggler originally designed for fishing shallow on commercial fisheries on fast flowing shallow glides frequented by chub, big dace and barbel, particularly early in the season.
Use an unloaded dumpy waggler with most of the shot locked around the base of the float. Add a no.6 dropper six inches from the hook and then a no.4 shot for every foot of depth bulked eighteen inches from the hook to get the bait down.
Carry sizes from2 to 5 grams depending upon the range fished.
STRAIGHT WAGGLER
For deeper swims at range a thick-topped waggler can be the best option when fishing too far out to cast a top and bottom float effectively. Dragging through slightly over-depth to slow the float down is one of the most difficult of all float fishing techniques to master, but were there is a smooth river bed it can prove very effective for whole range of fish. Use a no.6 tell-tale shot that will drag just over-depth six to twelve inches from the hook. The bulk of the shot goes around the base of the float with one no.4 shot for every foot of depth down the line.
Carry sizes from 4BB to 6AAA to cover all depths and distances.
There can be few more absorbing methods of catching fish than by running a float down a river carefully guiding its progress and almost teasing the fish into biting. A day on the river absolutely flies by as float fishing takes a great deal of concentration, making it a great release from the modern world. If, like me, float fishing is something that you have neglected over the last few seasons then this Winter is the perfect time to get down your local river and discover one of the real joys of fishing.
