Trotting advice

[Wayne Carroll]

Hi All,

I have recently tried to float fish rather than ledger due to crayfish attacking my bait as soon as I cast in.

Being relatively inexperienced at float fishing, I'm trying to learn and have had a little success recently using an avon float catching a number of silvers in a fast flow at a rod length out. The River i fish is the Derbyshire Derwent, so small to medium in places.

So, my question is, what are the limitations of using an avon or loafer float? I've enjoyed using these at 6g, and not particularly enjoyed the lighter finesse end. There are a lot of swims where the flow is maybe 4 rod lengths out, and using a 12ft rod, should I be switching to a waggler or will an avon float be OK at a number of rod lengths across a river?

I know trotting a stick float is normally under your rod tip, and further across a waggler is recommended, but if an avon will do the job do I need to switch? I also fish from the bank and don't wade at all.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Barry Peck]

Have a look at Dave Harrells speci waggler range Wayne . They might be ideal for your kind of fishing .

Failing that a big speci avon float with an Olivette below it and one dropper shot .
Dave Harrell does some great floats to cope with rivers like the Severn , Trent and Wye . You can even email him about your fishing situation and he will give you advice on what to use

 

[Chris Jones]

I usually fish Pennine rivers a bit more northerly than the Derbyshire Derwent. Plenty of the regulars seem to think I'm somewhere between heathen and heretic for not using proper stick floats. I gave up on them many years ago as I don't believe that they are much use on the fast, shallow and often broken water that I tend to fish. I'm generally fishing for grayling, dace, perch, the odd chub and the inevitable trout that turn up whether I like it or not.

Initially, I stuck to the Drennan Avons and Loafers that were freely available at the time. More recently, I looked at modern UK Bolo floats (mostly Dave Harrel's) and decided that they weren't that different to a modern Avon. I started using them and occasionally modifying (shortening) them to better fit my needs. I will sometimes use Drennan Avons and Long Loafers (long discontinued), but don't find the short, stubby, Loafers stable enough in turbulent or broken water. If I'm fishing really shallow water, I prefer to use Drennan Bobbers over the Loafers. I have been trying the new(ish) Drennan Titanium Trotters and Drennan Fluted Trotters on slower swims. Both are surprisingly sensitive, not much use if you are intending to trip/drag bottom. I'm not sold on the advertised benefits of fluted floats. However, at the very least, the fluting reduces the noise and resistance on the strike. I've also been using Dave Harrell Hybrid Bolo floats on the more benign water.

Part and parcel of the evolution of my float fishing approach has been the use of centrepins, increasingly short hooklinks (down to 5" now), micro swivels and olivettes rather than shot. Stick float enthusiasts are unimpressed, but it all works for me.

 

[Wayne Carroll]

I usually fish Pennine rivers a bit more northerly than the Derbyshire Derwent. Plenty of the regulars seem to think I'm somewhere between heathen and heretic for not using proper stick floats. I gave up on them many years ago as I don't believe that they are much use on the fast, shallow and often broken water that I tend to fish. I'm generally fishing for grayling, dace, perch, the odd chub and the inevitable trout that turn up whether I like it or not.

Initially, I stuck to the Drennan Avons and Loafers that were freely available at the time. More recently, I looked at modern UK Bolo floats (mostly Dave Harrel's) and decided that they weren't that different to a modern Avon. I started using them and occasionally modifying (shortening) them to better fit my needs. I will sometimes use Drennan Avons and Long Loafers (long discontinued), but don't find the short, stubby, Loafers stable enough in turbulent or broken water. If I'm fishing really shallow water, I prefer to use Drennan Bobbers over the Loafers. I have been trying the new(ish) Drennan Titanium Trotters and Drennan Fluted Trotters on slower swims. Both are surprisingly sensitive, not much use if you are intending to trip/drag bottom. I'm not sold on the advertised benefits of fluted floats. However, at the very least, the fluting reduces the noise and resistance on the strike. I've also been using Dave Harrell Hybrid Bolo floats on the more benign water.

Part and parcel of the evolution of my float fishing approach has been the use of centrepins, increasingly short hooklinks (down to 5" now), micro swivels and olivettes rather than shot. Stick float enthusiasts are unimpressed, but it all works for me.

Thanks Chris, good to hear your experience and how you apply the different types of floats. I actually have quite a selection of chubbers and avon but they've been used very little until now.

So how far out are you happy to float fish using these? Is it a case of give it a go and see until the float starts to drift off course? I fish a mix of faster and slower water normally between 3ft and 7ft.

 

[Wayne Carroll]

Have a look at Dave Harrells speci waggler range Wayne . They might be ideal for your kind of fishing .

Failing that a big speci avon float with an Olivette below it and one dropper shot .
Dave Harrell does some great floats to cope with rivers like the Severn , Trent and Wye . You can even email him about your fishing situation and he will give you advice on what to use

Thanks Barry,I actually have a Dave Harrell speci waggler but I never used it. The nuisance crays have now nudged me into float fishing and I really enjoyed what I've done so far. I might email Dave Harrell and see which he advises in the range

 

[Chris Jones]

So how far out are you happy to float fish using these? Is it a case of give it a go and see until the float starts to drift off course? I fish a mix of faster and slower water normally between 3ft and 7ft.

Much depends on how exactly the river flows, wind speed/direction, float type/capacity and the rod/reel you are using. With every factor in my favour, fishing about thirty yards across a river is possible. If maximum distance is a requirement, I'd probably choose to use a fixed spool reel and a waggler. However, I invariably choose to use a top and bottom float and a centrepin for no better reason than I enjoy it more.

 

[Richard Isaacs]

I have a rather large collection of stuck floats that i haven’t used for a very long time.
I generally go for larger body stemmed bolo float and more often than not it’s between 3-12g depending on the conditions and the river in front of me.

It’s about control more than anything else and I’ve never felt the need or want to sacrifice that for more finesse. There’s also the fact I use a centrepin reel 80% of the time and a 0.8g stick isn’t ideal for keeping pins rolling let alone blooming casting the thing.

It’s rare I fish directly off the tip of the rod tip as much as that is the absolute perfect scenario for trotting, if I was to limit myself to the swims where I just lower the float off the rod only, I’d be missing out on a lot of opportunities to catch fish. So it’s essential you learn to mend lines correctly without pulling your floats off and remain in constant contact with your float because the better you drive it down the river the more fish you will catch.

My float fishing varies between several rivers and streams across the country and they vary from very shallow and turbulent to very deep and slow and most stuff Inbetween. Large Barbel and chub make up for 80% of what I catch with afew winter grayling occasionally

 

[Etienne Harvey]

Best floats I've used of late are the 'Big Floats' available from Andrew Burt they are very well made and available in an assortment of size's. Great for trotting large baits, cast like a dart, hold back perfectly without any wobble and are visible at such a distance. He also has another design 'The All-round' which has interchangeable tip inserts that you can even fit a star lite into if fishing into darkness. Both are well worth getting.

 

[John Newman]

Another vote for Andrew Burt's floats. The "All Round" float is what I use most and comes in 4.5, 6.5 ans 8.5 gram sizes. The "Big Float" has a larger option at 11.5 gram. These floats are very visible at distance (catalogue attached but may be out of date so check with Andy for current pricing). I soon gave up on loafer floats as I could not see them well enough.

I rarely get the luxury of trotting off the rod tip so I use a 14 or 15 ft rod to assist in mending the line. Whether you use a centrepin or fixed spool is down to personal preference but a centrepin does let the line roll off freely rather than the jerky delivery of a fixed spool.

I always use an olivette rather than shot and this can be made adjustable either by using in line olivettes and float stops or the online type.

Experiment with the distance the olivette is from the hook as this can sometimes be critical. Many times I have fished for some time then made a change either up or down the line and the next trot yields a bite. Holding back is also your friend and the big floats mentioned will help with that. Try holding back a waggler and it will disappear under the surface. Wagglers, I feel are more suited to chub fishing when they are up in the water or slow moving water.

From opening day until the cooler weather arrives I only take a float rod (or two) as it is such a successful and satisfying method of catching barbel. It is now mid-September and probably the time has come with the shorter days, colder nights and colder water from recent rainfall that float fishing will become less productive so if you are just starting out don't get disappointed if your results are not what you hope. File away what you do learn for next season.

 

[Wayne Carroll]

Thanks everyone, those Andrew Burt floats look ideal so I'll send an order tonight. It sounds like the specimen heavy style floats will allow me to fish a good way out without the need of a waggler or wading, so now I just need to get out there a bit more. I can't imagine the fight from a barbel on a float, fingers crossed it'll happen sooner or later.

I also have an Okuma Aventa cetrepin gathering dust, I've never used it so maybe now's the time!

 

[Chris Jones]

I also have an Okuma Aventa cetrepin gathering dust, I've never used it so maybe now's the time!

Learn to cast properly with a centrepin first. Without doing so, you'll limit the distance you can fish. I'd suggest you learn to trot and catch a few fish with a fixed spool reel before you make things more difficult by introducing a centrepin to the equation.

 

[Richard Isaacs]

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