Shotting "Shirt Button Style".

[Ron The Hat Clay]

Is it really necessary?

Over the past 2 years I have done a great deal of long trotting on rivers. Most of the times I have been fishing swims up to 14 feet deep on the River Trent. I have least often shotted my line in the classic "Shirt Button" style, but more often I have used a bulk shot or a olivette weight about 18 inches from the hook, and a couple of number 6s or 8s shot as "telltales".

Having caught lots of fish using the bulk shotting method and not so many using the shirt button style, I have had a lot of food for thought.

Consider a flowing river with a consistant bottom and banks. The fastest flowing water will be in the centre of the stream and at the surface. At the bottom, where we are going to fish, the current will be very much slower than at the surface.

There is also another aspect to consider, and that is where the fish are likely to be. If you look carefully you will often see near the bank, a section where the fast flowing water changes to much slower water. This point of change is called a "crease". Fish of all kinds will lay close to the crease waiting for what food the current may bring.

Back to our trotting tackle.

I don't like shot to be on the line too high in the water. Shot has a much greater water resistance than line per unit of length, due to its thickness and the current will cause the line leading down from the float to the bulk shot to bow out under the water. Remove the shot and it will bow out a lot less.

Causing the float to be in more direct contact with the terminal shot and end tackle, which of course will give a much better indication of a bite. This also facilitates changing over to stret pegging or laying on.

Well this is what I think.

What about you?

Mark?

[Sean Meeghan]

I no longer use shirt button shotting unless I'm catching on the drop and want a slower fall of the bait. If I remember rightly this is why this form of shotting was developed (remember the stick float was developed on canals).

Using a bulk shot gives, I think, much better presentation when trotting over longer distances, again the stick float works best at shorter distances.

That's my opinion anyway.

[barbelboi]

I generally use bulk shotting.
Jerry

[Ron The Hat Clay]

Originally Posted by Sean Meeghan

That's my opinion anyway.

Thanks for your opinion Sean, it's always appreciated.

Maybe I can get you down on the Trent this year to float fish a couple of superb swims for big perch and good roach and dace.

[sam vimes]

Only if I were fishing for dace and roach, perhaps chub, would I bother with shirt button shotting. If targeting a bottom feeder like barbel, I'll be bulk shotting, probably with olivettes rather than shot.

[Peter Jacobs]

I got a real sense of deja vu on this one:

Shirt Button Shotting Patterns for Trotting

Shotting patterns

The techniques of shotting trotting floats

Stickfloat Trotting

That last link I think gives a more depth of meaning or understanding, IMHO

[Ron The Hat Clay]

What PJ fails to appreciate is that almost 5 years have passed since this subject was discussed. In that time a lot of new members have joined this site and many new ideas may have surfaced.

Long trotting is one of the most interesting ways of catching fish, and in my opinion there can never be too much said regarding the technique

[Peter Jacobs]

Originally Posted by Ron The Hat Clay

What PJ fails to appreciate is that almost 5 years have passed since this subject was discussed. In that time a lot of new members have joined this site and many new ideas may have surfaced.

Long trotting is one of the most interesting ways of catching fish, and in my opinion there can never be too much said regarding the technique

I don't fail to appreciate anything at all; I was simply giving those "newbies" the benefit of a simple search of the FM Forums.

That last link takes the debate to virtually exhaustive levels I'd say with the contributions from Graham Marsden, Nigel Connor, Mark Wintle, Graham Whatmore, John Ledger (RIP) Paul Williams, Mike Townsend, Beecy and both you and I; all of whom I would suggest are excellent stick float/waggler anglers, ableit most of whom are no longer on FM, so their views should be searched for and noted, and especially from a much nicer and dare I say more gentle era of FM.

[skullsat]

still use this pattern but as sean said earlier it was mainly used for canal stick style fishing.

[williams7383]

have only ever done that strung out lark for hemp fishing where the fish are up and about and chasing, generally if Im catching on the bottom, and well down the peg, Ill bulk it, get it down and run it at them