Drennan Dfift beater

[binka]

Excuse my ignorance Steve but are you fishing big shot on the deck for lift bites,or are you using the driftbeater to stop 'drift',if the latter it's more about the shotting,unless your driftbeaters are 15" long? Imo.

Where wind or more to the point, tow, are concerned I generally use them to counteract the conditions and not specifically for lift bites although the low bulk shotting often produces lift bites as an unintended result.

I say unintended... I don't mind lift bites but I don't really set up for them, I'm happy for the float to lift or disappear below the surface.

The thing with the thin carbon stem and relatively large, buoyant tip is that it is far more able to withstand a bulk of shot dragging on the bottom to anchor the float as opposed to something like a thinner tip on a wider stem which has a tendency to 'knock over' when anchored in strong undertow, if that makes any sense?

I have toyed with the idea of making some really long Driftbeaters, the carbon stems come in 2' lengths but I've not really found the need and my current longest is 11" (which was dictated by the size of the float box I thought I was going to house them in at the time of making but I could have gone an inch and a half more in the end) and I believe 11" is longer than the mass produced equivalents, not that I'm knocking them in any way.

 

[binka]

Don't want to be picky but there is no mention of how the float I locked, shot, float stop?

I've used both and also a slider knot and bead, which is my favourite.

My own shotting pattern is pretty basic but it works and I tend to use the bulk shot for plumming up, instead of a plummet... You'll know if you're under depth as the float will still tow through in the conditions I use them in if the bulk shot is not dragging the bottom.

Once the float is sitting nicely it's just a case of adding a hooklink and any small droppers which I tend to use to keep the line nice and straight along the bottom and by varying the length of the hooklink and what proportion of shot you use as a bulk, you can get bites which range from a relatively subtle lift of a couple of inches to bites where the whole float just zooms up and straight out of the water.

 

[Tee-Cee]

The crow.......Apologies. Both Peter Stone and **** Walker use a 'float attachment' with Peter using the Drennan 'Swinger Float Attachment' which, if you are old enough you'll remember them!

(Basically a short length of rubber tube into which went a small aluminium sleeve(this to secure the line). The aluminium sleeve contained a removable spring steel clip which held the float........An excellent little gizmo in the day and I still have some.)
Now superseded by other attachments.....................

 

[thecrow]

Peter using the Drennan 'Swinger Float Attachment' which, if you are old enough you'll remember them!

Unfortunately very much so