It was said that a float is one of the few things that is more
pleasing in its disappearance than its appearance !
Using a float is one of the most efficient and sensitive methods for
fishing for carp.With a float you get a real feel for what is going
on under water. The slightest knock is recorded sending your heart
racing. Choosing the right float for the job is most important.
Where i am at the moment you cant seem to get hold of light weight floats
very easily.
In fact the ones i have seen are about as sensitive as a baseball
bat !
In the uk there are lots of nice floats available but i tend to make
my own out of peacock and porcupine quills
I have several "lucky" floats which i always use :-)
The Floats i use have one thing in common , they are of a slim
design with small sensitive tips.They normally take between 2 BB shot
and 2 AA to sink them.
The method i use most of the time is "laying on"or the "lift method".
This involves attaching the float to the line with silicon rubber bands
so it is tight on the line but is free to move with some effort
Its important that you have no weight near the float.
You tie a hook on the line (with or without hair rig) You deliberately
set the depth(by sliding the float) well under the (approx) depth of the
water. You then add enough weight so the float just sinks!
You move all the weights to about six inches away from the hook.
You then keep increasing the depth by sliding the float up until
the float no longer sinks but has about 1 inch out of the water.
This means the weight (2 BB) are exactly on the bottom.
With the last six inches of line with the hook along the bottom.
When you get a bite the float will rise upwards !
This is because when the carp sucks in the bait he lifts the weights
so the float is not counterbalanced (simple physics)
The beauty of this method is that the carp feels no weight or resistance
as the float helps to lift the weight.
Also its easy to tell between a line bite (knock) and a real bite (lift)
This method is superb on stillwater and lakes but is difficult to set up
on fast moving rivers.
Float fishing is fun but can be hard work and is restricted to close
range fishing .
Tackle Needed
The type of rod needed is a through action rod of between 1.5 and 2 pound
test curve. You need a rod that has a nice action to flick a light weight
float out to at least 20 yds.If i am float fishing i normally only use
8 pound breaking strain line.
If i think the carp are very cautious or i need to fish a heavier line
(fishing near snags)I will substitute the last six inches of line for
braided type line (Rod Hutchinsons "The EDGE") .I feel that the braided
lines are a lot softer than 15 pound mono .Also its worth noting that many
of the braids on the market float! The Edge sits along the bottom
nicely so is my first choice .
The line and the braid are joined by a small swivel. This acts as part of
the weight so you dont need to add as many weights to the line .
You can float fish using boilies and hard particles by adding a hair to the
hook .
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