Selecting the correct pole float

Walk into any tackle shop and you will be bombarded by an array of different brightly coloured pole floats with many shapes. colours and sizes. How do you select the right pole float for which situation?

Here is a basic guide...

Most pole floats are split into 3 different designs; the teardrop, reverse teardrop and slimline. Each one is designed for a different purpose.

Teardrop

 

 This design of float is primarily for still waters were there is a little bit of 'chop' on the water. The dumpy design gives stability and is especially good when fishing a bulk shot down the line.

Reverse Teardrop

The shoulder on this design makes it perfect for rivers. It gives stability in the flow and aids holding back to make the bait rise up in the water. It can be used both on the drop and bulk shotted. A carbon stem aids 'on the drop' shotting as it sinks slower, while a wire stem gives more stability for bulk shotted rigs in heavy flow.

Slimline

Slimline floats are designed for catching on the drop because of their even fall through the water. These floats are usually made from  carbon stem as this aids the slow fall of the bait through the water. They are mainly used on still waters but can also be used on canals/rivers with little or no flow.

Although these are the main designs of floats you will see on the shelf, recently there has been a surge of specialist carp floats available. These floats are usually very buoyant with quite thick tips to avoid being pulled under by large, heavy baits. Some are designed for fishing near the surface while others are very rugged for fishing tight to marginal snags which could damage most traditional pole floats.

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The Hair Rig

The Hair Rig is one of the most common ways to attach a bait to your hook in modern angling. However, it is all too often tied wrong and this can lead to lost fish!

Step 1. Tie a small loop in the end of your hooklength material (this could be mono or braid). Thread a boilie or bait you are using onto a baiting needle. If you are making your rigs at home and do not wish to waist bait, make up some 20mil, 15mil and 10mil 'templates' using an old wine cork measured to the correct size with a hole drilled in the centre. This will enable you to get your bait the desired distance from the hook. 



 You will then need to add a hair stop through the loop to secure the bait in place.

Step 2. Now you are ready to tie the bait onto the hook. Position the line along the shank of the hook placing the boilie at the desired distance from the bend of the hook and pass the end of the hooklength down through the eye of the hook.

Step 3. This is the important bit and is where many anglers make a mistake! Start whipping the line back down the shank of the hook, making sure to start from the back of the hook as you look at it. This will stop the knot cutting into the join of the eye of the hook when tightened which could cause the knot to fail!

I usually do between 5 and 8 whips.

Step 4. Now, pass the line back through the eye of the hook and tighten down the knot forming a tight barrel.

Step 5. You may wish to add a piece of shrink tube depending on the rig you are tying. Use the steam from a kettle to shrink it down but BE CAREFUL not to burn yourself!

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Approaching a new venue

When fishing a new venue it can be difficult to know where to start, especially if the venue is very large or conditions are not favorable. However, there are a number things you can use to your advantage on any venue to get yourself closer to the fish.

'Get the info' Try and find out as much as you can about the venue before you fish. Check out the catch reports in the angling press or on-line and the local tackle shop can also be a good source of knowledge. If you can visit the lake, even better. However, if anglers are fishing don't be too pushy when trying to find out information, be polite and unassuming if they want to tell you something they will!

'Fish where the live' the leading factor in choosing a swim should always be where you can see the fish or even better, where you can see them feeding. This would seem obvious but I have often arrived at a lake to find most of the anglers setup in their favorite swim or nearest to the car park. A circuit of the lake or wander down the river has found the fish feeding in abundance! Never be in a hurry to setup, especially when fishing a venue for the first time and always do a lap of the lake or walk a length of the river/canal.

'Look for the signs' You may not always see the actual fish when looking especially if the water is deep or coloured. However, a decent pair of polarising glasses will certainly help to cut down surface glare from the water. Often you will be looking for signs of feeding fish such as bubbles/fizzing, colouring/clouding of the water, fish breaking the surface/jumping, weedbeds/lily pads moving and flat spots on the surface. All of these things are signs of active fish and are usually a good bet.

'Features' On some occasions you may not see many signs of fish especially in winter or if conditions are not favorable. It is in these times that you must 'think like a fish' and look at what features your venue has to offer. These may not always be obvious and may often be below the surface of the water. However, before you reach for the marker/plumbing rod there will always be a number of visual features on any venue. The biggest feature on any venue is the margins. Fish love to patrol the marginal shelf, look for swims with marginal cover such as overhanging bushes or reeds (especially on rivers). Islands are also very good features as the margins are likely to be less sensitive to bankside disturbance. Although not technically a feature, wind direction is also very important. In the summer months, look for bays where the wind is blowing into as a scum line will often form containing lots of natural food and on many venues the fish will follow the wind. Sometimes in winter you will want to avoid the windward bank as this will contain much colder water resulting in the fish hanging on the back of the wind.

'Under water' Most venues will also have a number of features under the water which are just as attractive to the fish if not more. However, how often have you setup and cast out without even plumbing the depth?... I know I have! Always try and gauge what you are fishing over and what depth it is as it will certainly enable you to identify any underwater features in your swim and lead to more fish on the bank. I always look for an area which is out of the norm on the lake/river bed, such as a sudden depth change or a silt pocket on an otherwise gravel bottom. These features are like magnets to the fish and can be located using a marker/plumbing rod setup (check out my up and coming youtube video on this topic).

'Never choose your swim before you arrive!' Even though this post is about approaching new venues, it is very easy to have earmarked a favorite swim or area of the lake before you arrive as it may be a swim from which you have caught well before or it may be a comfortable peg that you like. However, this will cost you fish in the long run.

Hope you find this useful! Please feel free to comment!
Check out my youtube page for more advice and videos!
http://www.youtube.com/user/FishingProTips

Welcome to Fishing Pro Tips

Fishing Pro Tips is a blogg offering advice about all aspects of course fishing in the UK. There will be advice on general course fishing, match fishing and specimen fishing. I also hope to create a detailed venue guide where you can contribute to share tips and advice.