Sticks, Avons and Balsas are all attached to the line at the top and bottom of the float with two float rubbers or silicone tube. A selection of tube will be needed to cater for the variety of float diameters.

Stick floats are used to trot a bait through medium-depth swims, which have a steady flow. Some sticks have a wire stem which provides more stability and control, making it a good choice for a newcomer to river float fishing.

Avon floats are designed for long trotting in streamy swims. The predominant sight tip shows up very well for this purpose. Some Avons , like Sticks have a wire stem to provide more stability.

Balsa floats take over from the Stick when the river has more depth and pace. Very large Balsas are needed to cope with deep, boily swims where heavy shotting is needed to keep the bait down in the water. Stret-Pegging can be used to hold the bait on the bottom.

Waggler floats are attached to the line by the bottom end of the float only. They are fixed in position by a pair of shot, places either side of the eye.

Insert Wagglers, with their sensitive sight tip, are ideal in calm conditions, when there is no wind or surface drift. They are perfect for fishing on-the-drop style at medium range. Shotting down needs to be done with precision to make the most of the responsive qualities of the tip.

Straight Wagglers, with their more buoyant tips, overcome drift problems and can even be used on very slow moving rivers and canals.

Bodied Wagglers with their larger shot-carrying capacities can be the answer when longer casts are needed, or when the surface of the water is effected by the wind.

STICK FLOAT FISHING

Unlike wagglers, which are attached to the line at the bottom of the float, stick floats are attached in what's called 'top and bottom' fashion, so that the line runs along the length of the float. They are designed only for fishing running water, and the way they are attached allows the angler to tease the float along, hold it back or run it through with the pace or the river, basically altering the bait presentation until the right one for the day is found. This is done most easily with the rod end in line with the float, making the method most suited to fishing close in. There are three main types of stick float, identifiable by what the stem is made out of.

Wire stemmed stick floats are good in turbulent, swirly water; cane stemmed sticks cock only under the weight of the shot and are therefore good in shallow swims and if you are looking to catch fish on-the-drop; and lignum stemmed sticks have a heavy wooden bottom half which makes them good for casting and also gives more stability in deeper swims as the float cocks under the weight of the wood. If I could only have one, it would a be lignum stemmed stick.

Over the next few pages I'll deal with choosing the right type and size of stick to use on different swims, plumbing up, shotting up correctly for different situations and casting and fishing with a stick. Stick float fishing is my favourite method of all. You are always doing something, you have to keep working and changing to keep catching, and as such it's and active and rewarding method of fishing.

Mainline choice is pretty important when fishing a stick float. You have to keep in contact with the float all the time, and as such a floating mainline such as Bayer or Drennan Floatfish is much better than a sinking line such as Maxima. However, you can buy sprays which will make your line float as well.

Red or orange tips stand out best on swims which have far bank cover making the surface dark. Black is best where the water appears white. The more of a shoulder the float has the better the float will be for holding back hard in a swiftish flow.

Choosing the right size of float is important and they are marked with the amount of split shot they take to cock them. A 6 No4 stick for instance will take six No4 shot to cock it so that the tip is just showing. However, this isn't just a case of adding six No4 shot, it's better to use more smaller shot like No8s, as shown in the diagram.

Stick floats are held in place with hollow silicone tubing which all tackle shops sell. You need various sizes to get a snug fit on the top, middle and bottom of the float. Cut off short lengths and thread them onto the line with the piece that fits the top of the float going on first, and then secure the float.

Next step is to start adding shot. I prefer to use all No8s, bulking them up in twos and threes rather than having say a No6 or a No4. It gives you far more leeway to play with the shotting patterns during the session. Shot should be added until only the very tip of the float shows above water.

 

SHOTTING, FEEDING

Next step is to work out the depth and get the float running through the swim without it dragging under. Some anglers don't plumb up, instead just adding depth until the float does drag under and then sliding the float down a couple of inches. I prefer to plumb up, so I can get a clear picture of any changes in depth in the swim both out from me and downstream. Swims which shallow up downstream are usually 'flyers' because food naturally accumulates on the slope, and that attracts fish. Selecting the right size of float depends on depth and flow, but as a rule of thumb, in slow-moving swims I would want about one No8 shot for every foot of water, in medium paced swims one No6 shot per foot, and in swift swims I'd go for one No4 shot per foot. So in a swift-moving swim which was about six feet deep I'd be looking to use a 6 No4 stick float etc. If the swim is going through at a medium pace and is about ten feet deep, so based on this equation I would want a 10 No6 float. A No6 shot is just over half the weight of a No4 shot, so my 5 No4 stick float should be about right. I think that makes sense!

Some anglers prefer to plumb up before adding a fragile hooklength, as you can crack off on the cast if you're clumsy, but I prefer to add the hook first. The bell-shaped plummets with the cork at the bottom are my favourite. Take a guess at the depth and cast in until you can see the float tip just under the water. Also cast downstream to see if there is any variation.

Depth sorted, next step is to sort the shotting pattern out. This float takes stack of No8 shot and the swim is about ten feet deep. I've strung them out shirt button fashion in groups of 3 No8s, then groups of 2 No8s, then four single No8s with the nearest about 10 inches from the hook, above the hooklength knot.

That done, run the float through the swim several times. Add depth two inches at a time until the float drags under, and then take two inches off. It should now run through without snagging and dragging under, and you know that the bait will be bouncing along the bottom mimicking the loosefeed.

Once you have the float running through just right, slide one shot right under the base of the float to mark the depth. We are now ready to start fishing with single maggot hook bait.

Casting with a stick is best done underarm. If you are right handed, open the reel's bale arm and trap the line at the spool with the right index finger. Now hold the bottom shot between finger and thumb of the left hand.

So now we are set up with the right hook, line and float, shotted up correctly and we know the float runs through the swim without dragging under. We've also marked the depth by placing a small shot right under the float. Time for a fish I think and be assured the marking of the depth is important before you actually put a bait on the hook, because now, if the float goes under, we know it's not going to be a snag and that means it's a bite. Mind you, bites don't always drag the float. Chub and perch may well pull the float out of sight in suicidal fashion, but fish like roach and skimmers are a little more subtle and many's the time I've struck at little more than a 'tremble' of the float tip, only to connect with a decent roach. It's all about reading the float..., teasing it through the swim, making the bait run along the bottom, flutter just off the bottom, hold still for a second, basically anything that makes it irresistible to any fish you trundle the bait past. You must experiment on the day to get bites, and that's what makes the method so rewarding.

I prefer to stand up when stick float fishing, because I'm that sort of bloke really. It makes casting and feeding by hand easier, the latter especially so if you have a bait apron so that you can store the loosefeed on a pouch at your waist. Don't forget to feed the hemp downstream of the maggots.

It's vital to keep the line on the surface of the water and tight behind the float. Hence the use of the 2.1lb floating Drennan Floatfish mainline. When you run the float through it should be just tight enough so line can't move downstream of the float tip. If there's a downstream wind it pays to place a No6 shot just above the float though.

Some anglers hold the rod with one hand and peel line gradually off the spool with the other, a foot at a time. This is very controlled but not always necessary. I often just let the float run through by lifting the index finger.

I'll then check the float or hold it back every now and then by trapping it against the spool again. This will make the hook bait lift off the bottom and flutter enticingly and is often the best way of enducing bites.

We're set up so that he bait is just touching bottom as the float runs through. However, when it's hard sometimes you need to go further overdepth to slow the bait down a little more. A good tip if you need to do this is to bury the hook in a caster so the hook point can't catch on weeds.

Match rods are so good these days you don't need a specialist spliced tip stick float rod unless you are fishing really light, like 0.08mm (1.4lb) or less. Look for a match rod with plenty of give in the top two feet, but with some backbone so you are sure to set the hook.

Striking on the stick is about positive and instant reaction and with a rod that's not got enough give in the tip you will constantly crack off on the strike. The floating mainline makes this more direct than if you were using a sinking line which you'd have to pick up through the surface film. Strikes should be low and horizontal to the water's surface.

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