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Fishing the Flat Float - Andy Johnstone [Shimano Team Wales]
I first got to grips with the flat float when fishing the European Championships in Slovakia; the River Vah Channel, close to Madunice. The match length was all taped off ready for the contest. The Slovakians had put on a pretty good show and seemed well organised; however, they couldn't control the weather - flat calm and bright sunshine… not the ideal fishing conditions. |
Large flat floats (40 and 50g) were required to keep the bait stationary in the strong flow of the River Vah. My top 5 rigs, connected to black hydro, were two 40g Cralusso’s on 0.22mm main line to a 0.20mm hooklength and a strong size 14 hook. The 40g Cralusso Torpedo’s were better than the standard disc shaped floats and sat so much better in the flow. In addition to these I also set up a 30g for tripping, a 20g for running through and a whip for the fry... if it became desperate! The photo below shows a selection of large flat floats. The plan was to fish a bunch of bloodworm, maggots, or worms, or any combination of them.
Selection of Flat Floats / Lollypops!
Our practise week was iffy to say the least. Most of us managed the odd bream each day and a total of 2 barbel. The only other fish caught were some bleak (but not enough to go at), golden ruffe and 1 roach and 1 chub.
Come match day, typically I drew an area we had not practised but it was the end peg! Unwittingly, I started by targeting bream and balling in groundbait laced with joker and fishing bunches of bloodworm. After an hour or so blanking, I grabbed my whip and caught a 3g sprat down the edge. Next I started feeding balls of stickymag with gravel. It seemed that the venue’s barbel, were more willing to feed than the elusive bream.
Anyway, back to the method. How do you put 40g of lead on the line? You get 10g split shot from Sensas! Top tip put 3 inch of float tubing on the line and squeeze the shot around the tubing (works well when fishing slider too). The bulk was set about 2½ to 3 ft from the hook and two AAA droppers a foot apart to keep the bait near the deck. Plumbing up required some home made plummets (lead folded around a foam earplug - approx 60g) and then setting the depth so that the bulk was just off bottom. The line from pole tip to float is set at around 2½ foot.
River Vah Channel, Madunice, Slovakia.
I am now in the habit of always setting up with a spreader bar (for which I get some stick) but when your holding the rig steady in that kind of flow it's a must. The trick was to hold in one place for a minute or so then lift and drop in another 3-4 inches down the peg and then repeat slowly moving down the peg almost trying to put the bait in front of a fish’s nose! This short line between float and pole tip is vital to getting that inch perfect control needed to move the float through the swim. Bites were easy to spot - most often half of the 40gm float would pop out of the water. Occasionally, the float would just slip away. As ever, feeding was important; as mentioned earlier, I should have had more maggot and gravel for sticky mag and less bloodworm and joker (as groundbait was wrong)!
About an hour after feeding stickymag, I hooked my first barbel (with only 30 mins to go); after a genuine 5 mins on the hook and the top 5 in my hand, and having seen the fish of about 5lb (2kg plus), it was gone. Several anglers lost fish over mussel beds which cut the line but I got my hook back. To say I was gutted is an understatement; that fish alone would have given me at least 4 points. Even the assembled crowd behind me let out a gasp of despair! Blow me, 20 mins later I hooked a second barbel on my 20g rig which I was running down the peg! In the event, I weighed 3g for last in the section of 25. Just one barbel would have given me mega points. Anyway, next day I donned my trainers and ran the bank only to watch my replacement catch 2 bream and a barbel for 2nd in section and 2 points (off the peg which would have been mine). If I’d have landed one barbel on day one who knows what may have happened over both days!
During a week’s practise I learned a lot, except how not to lose barbel. The photo below shows me on match day playing a barbel which shed the hook! I hooked another one and lost that too! I had landed a barbel during practise week on white hydro – I only stepped up to black because of fear of such a fish swimming outside my zone.
Andy Johnstone - Lost 2 Priceless Barbel in the last 30mins from Match End Peg
Since Slovakia, I have used the flat float (more modest sizes) to success on the tidal River Yare and River Avon at Evesham (in flood). I have found that the key is using the right size float for the river conditions on any one day and slowly searching the peg in small (3-4inch) steps down the peg. It is not about using a heavy float but more about the one that will do the job; you cannot get away with simply using a heavy float and parking it on the bottom simply because you know the bait will stay there.
There is no point in sitting with the pole wedged between your legs or on a rest. What a flat float lets you do is explore, very precisely, a section of your swim. I find the right float by choosing a float which I think will do the job and set it deliberately shallow. I then hold the float still in the flow using the spreader bar if needs be - to see what angle the sight tip makes. If the tip is vertical then everything is fine. The olivette will hold the bait in the flow. If the tip sits at an angle, then the float is too light.
When feeding groundbait it needs to be heavy and stay in the one place. The same tight area can also be gained by using a bait dropper when fishing over chopped worm and caster.
Andy Johnstone
Shimano Team Wales and Captain Fox Match RAF
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