Hi peeps

When your float fishing, do you use the same kind of shotting pattern? I get so confused with this, i look at the magazines each month and see the shotting is different. I know how to shot my float, however i would like to know why some shot is spread out, i know that if you want the fish to catch on the drop you would shot it all around the float. I've seen some floats were they are shotted in little clumps down the line, why is that?

Can anyone throw some light my way on this?

It's a tough one Wend!

It all depends where they're having it and how you feed them, hemp, maggots, casters?

Different baits fall at differents speeds, depth, flow, shelves, colour of water, your shotting pattern has to make it natural.  i.e. your bait should fall the same as loose feed controlled by your shot, or nail it fast to the bottom to get through the tiddlers as we have to do (13 foot deep).

Do you start down and come up, or start up and come down, or do you fish on the drop?

Many small shot means you can change and that's what it's about, combine that with your feeding pattern and you can judge where the fish are and how they want it.  If you feed it right you can almost tell them where they will have it.

Good luck Wend

Alan can you pm me if you've got the answer

Alan, i'll ring you today

Cheers Ste, it is very confusing and find i just shot it any old way i lock my float with shot and then i normally have so many No8's at the end of my line and then a few no10's obviously depending on float size. I've fished on the drop before and obviously that is the easy one.

Wendy, different floats require different shotting patterns and these have to be learned, there is no short cut, study the basic shotting patterns for the floats that you use i.e. wagglers, sticks etc.  Once you have learned the basic shotting patterns you can adjust these individually to suit the conditions  such as the depth the fish are feeding  (fishing on the drop) whether they want it hard on the bottom, whether they want it running at them at the speed of the current or slower. 

As with all fishing it is practice practice practice and it can't be learned any other way I'm afraid, some matchmen always made a note of the set up they used and the condition of the river, even the different pegs, this was used as a basis for their approach the next time they fished.  You of course would only need to remember the basics you wouldn't want to go that far but it is essential that you learn these to give yourself confidence and of course increase your catch rate.

Mark Wintle has written some very instructive articles on shotting the various floats and this is one example but he covers most floats in different articles.

Fishing hemp is a difficult art Wendy because the competing roach can mistake your shot for a grain of hemp and it isn't helped by the fact that they usually need it on the drop therefore requiring the No. 8's to be spread evenly down the line.  One remedy is to use giant hemp on the hook though this is a bit more expensive it is a partial solution as is using tares but mostly you have to accept that you won't hit every bite no matter how experienced you are, the fish have to have some chance don't they?

Stick to a slow falling bait when you use hemp and you won't go far wrong luv.

I've been using Tares Graham, and i have been catching lots of them feeding hemp as you told me in another post about roach, so i must be doing that right

I'm sure i'll get there eventually, it's so difficult when you fish on your own to know if you are doing things right? I wonder if there is a book about shotting patterns?

Considering conditions change every time we go fishing........

..................is there a right way?

Try Billy Lanes "Encylopedia of Float Fishing", Wendy.

An old book but it deals with the principles of shotting  the various types of float and the reasoning behind those principles.

This one?

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=925962947&searchurl=an%3Dbilly%2Blane%26sortby%3D3%26sts%3Dt%26x%3D72%26y%3D11

Shotting patterns are largley cobblers based on a misundrstanding  of how tackle behaves underwater.

For over 90% of float fishing situations th bulk shot at 2/3 depth and a tell tale nearer the hook will work fine.  Other patterns just add complexity and lead to tangles.

The only exceptions I can think of are where you want to fish on the drop in still or slow moving water.

Don't believe any diagram that shows a 'shirt button' style shotting pattern in alovely catenary curve down to the bait.

Sean Meeghan Bsc (Hons) C Eng M IEE

hahahhhahahah sean you make me laugh mate

I've ordered the book guys thank you, and Sean when we going fishing?

I another brilliant book by Billy Lane which describes the right float tackle and techniques including shotting patterns for all situations, and is a classic if you can get hold of a copy.

The book is:

Float Fishing by Billy Lane - Modern Angling Series - ISBN 0 304 29466 7

Personally, 99% of my float fishing would be covered by:

Stillwater:

• Bulk around float,  no. 3 at half to two thirds depth, and one no 8 as a dropper (default).
• Bulk moved to 2/3 depth if trying to avoid small fish
• 1-3 no. 8s on bottom if drift/tow is a problem.

Rivers:

• 'Shirt button' style.
• Bulk at 2/3 to 3/4 depth with no.3 - 6 dropper in faster/more turbulent water.

And all else is overcomplicated (and near pointless) tinkering.

Pehaps that's why I've been catching so little recently!

Ian

two shotting patterns in stillwater (on the drop), (three if you add lift method, which I rarely use) and two in

Personally, 99% of my float fishing would be covered by:

Stillwater:

• Bulk around float,  no. 3 at half to two thirds depth, and one no 8 as a dropper (default).
• Bulk moved to 2/3 depth if trying to avoid small fish
• 1-3 no. 8s on bottom if drift/tow is a problem.

Rivers:

• 'Shirt button' style.
• Bulk at 2/3 to 3/4 depth with no.3 - 6 dropper in faster/more turbulent water.

And all else is overcomplicated (and near pointless) tinkering.

Pehaps that's why I've been catching so little recently!

Ian

A lot of sensible stuff in these replies Wendy.

But, there is also the "confidence factor" to take into account.  Many times I've tinkered with the shotting of a float (waggler or balsa/stick) and had more bites/fish.  Maybe it's just coincidence but moving the shot around a bit, bigger/smaller shot in slightly different positions sometimes works.

Same applies (for me anyway) to ledgering/feeder fishing.  Long/short tail, long/short hair, little changes can often work!

But there again, I like "tinkering", I kid myself that I'm thinking about a way to catch more fish!

I use very similar shotting patterns as Ian 90% of the time; except for when using the lift method or Fishing on the drop (especially in deeper swims), or Trent Trotting with a back shot dragging on the bed in very shallow streams, or stret pegging.

If Im using Hemp then I will use Style shot to help prevent fish from mistaking the shot for hemp and giving false bites.

I also occasionally use small Style shot when using the pole or whip.

But 90% of the time I use the bulk shot round the float and a couple of smaller shot at 1/2 to 3/4 depth and a No8 a foot from the hook (or a couple of  no.8s spread out if deeper), and if I am missing bites I try moving the bottom shot closer to the hook.

Also If I am using several shot spread out then I gradually reduce the distance between each shot as I get nearer the hook to reduce tangles on the cast. 

If Im not getting bites then I start to tinker, especially in a match.