Richard Isaacs
Senior Member & Supporter
I’ve wanted for ages to make some floats. As 80% of my fishing is done with trotting floats on rivers, Ive used a lot of different floats and it’s nice to eventually put some together like I want them.
Theres not really a long list of things that I look for in a float for long trotting, just afew very simple things that make big impacts.
So my floats are classical Avon type bodies in 6/8g that I buy in and modify to suit my heavy duty stems and big tips. These are balsa wood bodies that I varnish up to make them harder and suitable to be in the water.
The tips are 5&6mm diameter and nice and tall so you have the option to run it down a long way with a long stick out or dot it down shorter for closer fishing.
The stems are slightly thicker than you see on other bolo floats being 3mm diameter 5*** series aluminum.
This is something I like a lot particularly if I’m holding a float back hard the additional weight in the stem helps prevent the float from pulling back horizontally yet it’s still more than thin enough for the river to cut through it
I changed quite afew of my bolo floats over to 3mm stems and I’ve found on faster pace rivers you do see an improvement in the floats stability particularly when holding back.
I noticed the other day when Alan’s son was using one to catch chub on the far bank of the nene he was lifting the unmended line up off the water and putting it nicely back behind the float which didn’t budge off the line. This again is a nice trait that goes with a slightly heavier stemmed float.
There’s the durability also. We’ve mentioned the thicker wire stem which goes more than half way into the float body, the body has several coats of durable varnish and the tips are quite tough being large diameter plastic.
I think these make the near perfect float for long trots, pacy rivers and they are brilliant for holding back.
I need to do more testing on the Trent
first before I can offer them but please share your interest if you would like to try some and I’ll know what sort of numbers I’m making up.
Theres not really a long list of things that I look for in a float for long trotting, just afew very simple things that make big impacts.
So my floats are classical Avon type bodies in 6/8g that I buy in and modify to suit my heavy duty stems and big tips. These are balsa wood bodies that I varnish up to make them harder and suitable to be in the water.
The tips are 5&6mm diameter and nice and tall so you have the option to run it down a long way with a long stick out or dot it down shorter for closer fishing.
The stems are slightly thicker than you see on other bolo floats being 3mm diameter 5*** series aluminum.
This is something I like a lot particularly if I’m holding a float back hard the additional weight in the stem helps prevent the float from pulling back horizontally yet it’s still more than thin enough for the river to cut through it
I changed quite afew of my bolo floats over to 3mm stems and I’ve found on faster pace rivers you do see an improvement in the floats stability particularly when holding back.
I noticed the other day when Alan’s son was using one to catch chub on the far bank of the nene he was lifting the unmended line up off the water and putting it nicely back behind the float which didn’t budge off the line. This again is a nice trait that goes with a slightly heavier stemmed float.
There’s the durability also. We’ve mentioned the thicker wire stem which goes more than half way into the float body, the body has several coats of durable varnish and the tips are quite tough being large diameter plastic.
I think these make the near perfect float for long trots, pacy rivers and they are brilliant for holding back.
I need to do more testing on the Trent
.
