whats a good choice of trotting float for a fast flowing stretch

barbel liam · Sep 2, 2010

Im thinking of trotting meat on my local peg on the trent, iv never tried this method before and the river runs quite fast. I need a good, quite bulky trotting float to use, any tips ..... ?

POLO · Sep 2, 2010

Trotting meat could be quite difficult when fishing for Barbel but it does depend on the size of bait you are willing to use as it could drag down you float every time it passes a small stone or rock. (The bigger the bait the bigger the float). I regulary free line large lumps of meat so Why not try free lining or with a couple of swan shot on a paternoster rig. The bait will find its natural way around the flow. Make sure you have control though by feathering the line off as though you was trotting a float.

captain carrott · Sep 2, 2010

there's really only one choice for a large bit of meat.

loafer

The Sogster · Sep 2, 2010

captain carrott said:
there's really only one choice for a large bit of meat.

loafer

Hear Hear.

slime monster · Sep 2, 2010

second and third that

tigger · Sep 2, 2010

For a fast flowing run of water I like to use a bolo float, the Steve Maher floats are brilliant. The maver and the woodys bolo floats are great also. They all have long brightly painted tips so are easy to see in the riffles and some of the larger models will take quite a bit of weight.

johnnyfby · Sep 4, 2010

Speci wagglers are very good too, just gives you another option.

Jon

Paul Morley · Sep 7, 2010

There's a really good article by Mick Woods somewhere re trotting techniques, the 'trundling' and holding back under a big avon, overshotted. Some of this dictates what float to use, really you're just trundling meat with a float as indicator. As everyone said, a loafer is great, for deeper water if you want to hold back or stret peg, something longer like a swanquill is good. I take it your Trent bit is quite deep too? Mick states his float approach significantly outfished his legering..

Ian Morgan · Sep 8, 2010

I have found loafer/chubber type floats fine if you are fishing a river/swim where the surface is fairly smooth (even if flow is fast).

On some of the Scottish Rivers I fish for grayling, even the steadier swims often have quite significant riffles/boils in places, enough to submerge a loafer, giving false bites.

In this situation I have found Bolo floats (large body, long sight tip) much better for distinguishing true bites.

[Above may be totally irrelevant for the Trent?]

Ian

slime monster · Sep 8, 2010

If the water is shallow ish another alternative is a dumpy waggler , we used to make our own from balsa wood the float is only 50mm long shaped like the bottom of a spring onion 20mm at the bulb and 8mm at the dome top .a swivel is glued in the base to take the locking shot , a couple of no 8s down the line fished with 10mm showing it is a very good far bank float when allowed to go at the speed of the current and is also good in weedy swims with no shot down the line ,the given bouyancy is ideal for meat fishing.

Fairweather · Sep 10, 2010

Pellet waggler attached top and bottom - may not suffice in very fast stuff tho.

slime monster · Sep 10, 2010

Pellet waggler?? if you are referring to my post the dumpy bears no resemblence to those things and it will catch fish in a foot of fast water fished over depth..I am talking from experience here not guesswork.

Paul C · Sep 10, 2010

slime monster said:
Pellet waggler?? if you are referring to my post the dumpy bears no resemblence to those things and it will catch fish in a foot of fast water fished over depth..I am talking from experience here not guesswork.

Seems a bit harsh... I don't think his post was referring to yours?

Plenty of people are using pellet wagglers in shallow fast swims and very well, so not sure why it prompted that reaction?

slime monster · Sep 10, 2010

If it was not aimed at me I got hold of the wrong end of the stick and apologise ,
the post was not intended to be "harsh" but reading it I see what you mean.

Paul C · Sep 10, 2010

I just read it as another suggestion, albeit a bit late. But then it's his second post so finding his way around....... hope we've not scared him off.

whats a good choice of trotting float for a fast flowing stretch

barbel liam

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POLO

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captain carrott

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The Sogster

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slime monster

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tigger

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johnnyfby

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Paul Morley

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Ian Morgan

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slime monster

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Fairweather

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Paul C

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