River Trent float rig.

[Tony Cookson]

Hi Richard.
Great read on your setup, I fish the Trent in the Newark area but never float fished for barbel.
But, as it happens yesterday I bought a new rod a Drennan Acolyte 15' Specimen Float, with the intention of doing exactly that.
I did a general Google search (as you do) to see what best float size and weight would be best to float fish for barbel.
Immediately your write up appeared, fabulous.
Been to the tackle shop at lunch (Matchman Supplies) bought the required floats and Drennan olivettes and just ordered some 1.5mm stainless rods on Amazon, next day delivery.
Sunday off to try it all out.
The couple of floats I bought are Dave Harrell and are shoulder type not hip n arse as you recommend, at short notice they'll do, but would like to get hold of some hip n arse type if you can point me in that direction. TIA Tony

 

[Richard Isaacs]

Hi Richard.
Great read on your setup, I fish the Trent in the Newark area but never float fished for barbel.
But, as it happens yesterday I bought a new rod a Drennan Acolyte 15' Specimen Float, with the intention of doing exactly that.
I did a general Google search (as you do) to see what best float size and weight would be best to float fish for barbel.
Immediately your write up appeared, fabulous.
Been to the tackle shop at lunch (Matchman Supplies) bought the required floats and Drennan olivettes and just ordered some 1.5mm stainless rods on Amazon, next day delivery.
Sunday off to try it all out.
The couple of floats I bought are Dave Harrell and are shoulder type not hip n arse as you recommend, at short notice they'll do, but would like to get hold of some hip n arse type if you can point me in that direction. TIA Tony

Hi Tony
@Andrew Burt is your man and his 11g “big float” is the daddy. It sits beautifully with a 10g Olivette and a big bait
You can see those tips for miles. Since doing that thread I’ve completely dropped the sensas float now as it’s just way too frail and difficult to see without modification.

 

[Jim Gregory]

I thought I’d share this having evolved a very basic common used rig to work a little better for me personally.

The rig in question is as old as the hills and any quick search on google will find it to 90% with individual changes to suit the user.

The mechanics are simple. Strong line, big float, bulk weight, strong hook.
Adopt this and you’ve got a float rig predominately designed for barbel on big powerful rivers…… but the devil is in the detail as often said and I’m going to put afew details up that may or may not improve it further for people. It certainly has for me.

Firstly I must confess that I hadn’t caught a barbel on the float by design until just 2 years ago. I’ve been float fishing pacy rivers since I was at school but targeting barbel has been relatively new to me. I now have way over 100 of them under my belt with 80 plus caught since June this year when most of my rig fettleing has taken place.

Floats …. It’s cost me a small fortune to find just 2 that I think are perfect. A float has got to be able to be held back hard and still sit relatively vertically in the most turbulent of water. At first I thought this was predominantly down to the weight applied but it’s not. It’s a combination of the float design and the amount of weight applied as I’ve found through trying out hundreds of them.
My choice of float shown here View attachment 24950
@Andrew Burt big floats or sensas Somme (modified) these are the best I’ve found for holding back hard in powerful water and still retaining a semi vertical presentation.
I think it’s due to the body bulk being down at the bottom rather than like most with them being tapered towards the top. They are my personal best 2 floats for the job.

You’ll also notice they are 11g and 12g. Big yes but through experience of trying smaller ones I’d now say your wasting your time putting anything smaller than 10g on for the Trent particularly. I’m trying to save you some money here so don’t waste it on 6 or 8g floats.

The sensas Somme’s usually come with very thin tips. I can’t see them after 30-40 yards so mine are modified with wider tops. Andy’s are perfect as they are.

Attached only with silicone rubbers I do not use float eyes or body holes. I never have I never will. I also use lots of rubbers on the stem a minimum 4 of because I don’t want my depth being altered even after a good scrap

There is nothing on my entire rig that I can’t change in seconds without tackling anything down. That is crucial to me.
Barbel give you feeding windows and the last thing you want to be doing is stripping your rig down for 5 minutes to change a broken float while they are on the munch.

Bull weight.
Like most I don’t use split shot. Not anywhere on my rig is there a single shot. I use olivettes and I like the drennan ones (to a degree)
Like my floats the line doesn’t pass through them. And no company has yet come out with one I can fit and change without part tackling down (unless it’s 6g or under then there is plenty)
My olivettes look like this View attachment 24951View attachment 24952
Stainless rod fitted inside them and attached to the line with 0.7 diameter silicone rubber is by a mile the best way to use them imo.

They are very tight gripping the line. They never slip out of position even after a good scrap all my tackle stays put… very important!
they can however be re positioned by hand where you want on the line, they can be changed in seconds if needed with heavier weights to suit different floats if conditions on the day change.
and no poxy float stops to bother with. Float stops are Again another item that doesn’t belong on my rig I hate the things.

If you are going to fit olivettes like this be sure to round off the ends of the stainless rod to prevent a sharp Edge cutting your tube or line. I use a file and get them perfectly rounded off.

Next item on my rig is one i begrudge a little because I don’t want to use it. That’s the swivel. I want to fish straight through for these powerful fish and while that may raise eyebrows I’m sure, I know that unless something cuts my mainline the weakest part of my rig is the hook knot. I don’t need a hook length it’s just adding a weak link further up the line.

However it’s there because I don’t want line twist permanently deforming my rig during the course of the day so I use a drennan size 14 quick link swivel and it’s spot on. I can replace hook length’s again very quickly with no changes to the rig.
View attachment 24953

My hook length is exactly the same Material and diameter as my main line I see no advantages to make this thinner or lighter, that would be daft in my opinion. I’m fishing for double figured barbel on fast rivers. The entire line set up on this rig is made up from Korum glide float line. Been using it this season and I absolutely love it. The properties in this line are exactly what I want. It’s the most buoyant line I’ve ever used, it’s strong, it’s clear and it pays off my reels so straight and controllable I’m definitely sold on it. It comes in 250m spools too which is very useful for filling up afew reels
I use 0.23 for both main line and hook length. (8lb approx) View attachment 24954
Lastly the hook. Size 10 or 8 Kamazan animal. Used them for more than 15 years and they are superb big fish match type hooks. Everyone has a pattern they like and I use these exclusively from size 18-8 for all manner of fish. It’s a great hook.
On this rig definitely barbless. I unhook 90% of my fish in the water while holding a rod and net etc so I don’t like faffing with barbs.

And that’s is. My float rig for barbel. Pretty much the same mechanics as everyone else’s but but with some tweaks to make it suit me.

It’s definitely tried and tested with the last 65-70 barbel I have caught being on this latest evolution.

Great post, and very informative, I started using 8lb mono when I first seriously targeted barbel on the float and pin, around 7yrs ago.
Imo 8lb is far to light, especially with a swivol.
I changed to 10lb almost immediately after loosing fish to line running through branches. Problem solved!.
Not at all, after trying 12lb synchro xt, and experiencing the same problems, all be it 95percent less.
I now use 25lb fox submerge braid.
Not had any breakages since, no need for rods through olivettes, no use for a swivol.
No problem.
Jim

 

[Jim Gregory]

Great post, and very informative, I started using 8lb mono when I first seriously targeted barbel on the float and pin, around 7yrs ago.
Imo 8lb is far to light, especially with a swivol.
I changed to 10lb almost immediately after loosing fish to line running through branches. Problem solved!.
Not at all, after trying 12lb synchro xt, and experiencing the same problems, all be it 95percent less.
I now use 25lb fox submerge braid.
Not had any breakages since, no need for rods through olivettes, no use for a swivol.
No problem.
Jim

 

[Neil Maidment]

Richard, there's so much about your original post and follow up posts to agree with.

I'm very much a trotter but have almost zero experience on the Trent, just a couple of days at Hazleford having had my full of barbel on the standard static methods and switching to the float rod to find some chub and roach (and barbel on the drop!).

Down here on the Dorset Stour and Hants Avon my thoughts and processes are very similar. Although the target on the stretches I usually fish is big chub, I've had my fair share of barbel on the float. Also applied slightly scaled down for the Upper Dorset Frome big grayling. I call it "bossing the flow", there is no place in my methods for any type of stick float or similar (although I have a very fine collection of them!).

Big floats, 6gm through to 12gm, mainly chubber style floats with big fat tips and shoulders, Dave Harrell missiles or similar. Occasionally similar 10gm/12gm floats with the body profile you describe particularly for the rare times I'm fishing much deeper swims, a couple of which require a far bank trot with a big slider. Although I have hundreds of floats, some almost older than my 70 years, the majority are just "good friends" or just decorating the float boxes!

My major differences are in the shotting and hook sizes especially in winter. I use olivettes a lot but also shot. That is influenced by my long past match background, forever fiddling with shotting patterns and hook sizes. More recently (last 15 years or so) that's been reinforced by local experience. "Shot Shy" chub are a regular challenge, you can be catching quite well but they then shut up shop and disappear. Only they don't disappear, they just become very wary of a bulk shot or 10gm olivette continually going past them. That is particularly relevant if I'm just loose feeding maggot/caster/hemp, they'll also come up in the water. I've witnessed them just shift left or right far too many times not to try something different.

If I'm lazy and the swim isn't too deep, I'll just shift the shot around sometimes the whole lot goes up under the float leaving a single shot down below. When I'm a bit more organised I'll use a big pellet waggler and God forbid a fixed spool reel. I might even have a 2nd rod set up that way ready for the moment they "disappear".

There's no finer way to fish for barbel, chub & grayling!

 

[Richard Isaacs]

Richard, there's so much about your original post and follow up posts to agree with.

I'm very much a trotter but have almost zero experience on the Trent, just a couple of days at Hazleford having had my full of barbel on the standard static methods and switching to the float rod to find some chub and roach (and barbel on the drop!).

Down here on the Dorset Stour and Hants Avon my thoughts and processes are very similar. Although the target on the stretches I usually fish is big chub, I've had my fair share of barbel on the float. Also applied slightly scaled down for the Upper Dorset Frome big grayling. I call it "bossing the flow", there is no place in my methods for any type of stick float or similar (although I have a very fine collection of them!).

Big floats, 6gm through to 12gm, mainly chubber style floats with big fat tips and shoulders, Dave Harrell missiles or similar. Occasionally similar 10gm/12gm floats with the body profile you describe particularly for the rare times I'm fishing much deeper swims, a couple of which require a far bank trot with a big slider. Although I have hundreds of floats, some almost older than my 70 years, the majority are just "good friends" or just decorating the float boxes!

My major differences are in the shotting and hook sizes especially in winter. I use olivettes a lot but also shot. That is influenced by my long past match background, forever fiddling with shotting patterns and hook sizes. More recently (last 15 years or so) that's been reinforced by local experience. "Shot Shy" chub are a regular challenge, you can be catching quite well but they then shut up shop and disappear. Only they don't disappear, they just become very wary of a bulk shot or 10gm olivette continually going past them. That is particularly relevant if I'm just loose feeding maggot/caster/hemp, they'll also come up in the water. I've witnessed them just shift left or right far too many times not to try something different.

If I'm lazy and the swim isn't too deep, I'll just shift the shot around sometimes the whole lot goes up under the float leaving a single shot down below. When I'm a bit more organised I'll use a big pellet waggler and God forbid a fixed spool reel. I might even have a 2nd rod set up that way ready for the moment they "disappear".

There's no finer way to fish for barbel, chub & grayling!

View attachment 31240

Really great information Neil and I can very well imagine that those wise stour and HAvon chub can spot a rig from a mile away.
I also change my rig for the winter when I’m targeting chub and scale things right down too. I’ll even use a little dropper if the bait on the day is single or double maggot.