River Floats

[Teefy Fings]

What sort of floats would you recommend for trotting a deadbait on a river? I wouldn't be fishing more than 3 rod lengths out with a maximum depth of 8 foot at that range.

I've heard that it can be better to use a waggler type set-up as the float folds over on the strike so you connect with more fish rather than having to pull through an inline type float, less resistance also to a taking fish. Saying that, a waggler float is harder to keep on line (bad presentation) when mending the line so both seem to have their benefits.

I'm sure this is only the start of many more very confused posts to come!

Trevor

[suffolkzander]

hhhmm, trotting deadbaits!!! i find that a tricky method, ie to get to balance just right... the bait ( if its frozen still ) will float up, or it could trip the bottom and snag resulting in a crack off which you dont want and if you have to recast often it could destroy the bait after a few casts, ..... perhaps u could consider using a float patenoster deadbait with the bait a few inches / feet off the bottom and a lead that just holds the bottom and a float overdepth, cast it out slightly upstream, let is settle and every so often lift the rod so the lead lifts and settles again so the bait drifts down stream a few feet each time, repeat this at different distances from the bank to work the section in front of you!!

you need a slider float - i tend to avoid the new fox clear plastic ones as they can crack and shatter, a balsa type pike slider is better

well thats my view, i am sure others will have different ways to tackle this method and most pike books will have drawings , i think the zander site might even have a few drawings

tight lines
Tony

[Lman]

I have caught a lot of Pike from my local river by trotting or rather searching the slack areas, with a simple sliding float with a few swan shot too keep the bait at the depth i want. I very the depth from just of the bottom to a few feet under the surface in fact i had one of 24 lbs 3ft under the surface in about 9ft of water down the main flow in the middle of the river.
good method for fishing the slack water around wier pools.
However not sure if this method would be any good for zander as they hunt in differant ways to pike mainly by scent and feed better in poor light or at night ........ not much good for trotting a float lol

[Teefy Fings]

The people that i know that have caught Zander off the Trent
(all 2 of them!) have all said that the Zander feed better during the day as the waters tends to be coloured. I'll be fishing short afternoon sessions into dusk so want a method where i can cover some water (not lure fishing) and hopefully see a float go under a few times.............. i'm an old romantic at heart (just don't tell the wife!)

Might just try a simple float ledger set-up with a heavy(ish) lead and a run ring and see how i get on.

Trevor