Is the art of float fishing slowly diminshing?

Y

yoggy

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Just a thought really,as i was fishing earlier today.[trotting for Roach].when i was approached by a nice bloke,who said he hadn"t float fished for years,i love my float fishing,but he made me feel really old fashioned!!!!Am i now in a small minority of anglers or is the way forward changed?.Will the reign of modern bite alarms rule forever or will it be just like fashion,and go full circle until the float returns??!!.
 
Neneman Nick

Neneman Nick

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On the road to rack & ruin !!!
yoggy,i was fishing earlier today with an old milbro trophy mark one fibre glass rod,pin reel and porcupine quill floats.
i use an old lindop rapide fibre glass rod for stalking/free lining for carp occasionly as well.its great to use the old fashioned stuff every so often.
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay

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In any year of fishing I use virtually all the techniques of angling you can name.

Float fishing is one of them. The name of the game is being versatile.

I often meet anglers who say that they can't fish under these conditions because it doesn't suit their style of fishing. These anglers are limited in their skills as they can only fish a certain way which is a pity. They are denying themselves a great deal of enjoyment.

Become an all-rounder is what I say.
 
Y

yoggy

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I totally agree Ron,i use all sorts of methods myself,its just a shame that some anglers havn"t even used a float!!.
 
B

Baz

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Totaly agree with you Yoggy and Ron.
I am as guilty as anybody for not useing the float more often.
I have taken young lads on the river for the odd sesion, and these are match lads (juniors) soon to become seniors. They are brainwashed into useing the pole, but when it comes to floatfishing with a rod they don't have a clue.
But once they have caught a couple of decent chub, they have all said the same thing.
I will have to do this more often.
 
Graham Whatmore

Graham Whatmore

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Yoggy, why would you feel old fashioned for doing something that is probably one of the most efficient methods of fishing. Until recent years I very rarely used a feeder much preferring to watch a float and feeling confident in my ability to catch fish. Only being lazy and yes, probably age has made me use the feeder/ledger more in recent years.

You stick to something that you know is right and let the inefficient anglers worry about their lack of skill.
 
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Steve Spiller

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I was fishing my local river a couple of weeks ago, it's very popular with youngster as it's free.
Two young lads were fishing down from me, both ledgering, rod tips in the air.
After a while they were obviously bored and came up chatting to me.
Anyway, I reeled in and went to see what they had in their tackle boxes.
Leads, feeders and method feeders, oh and a couple of large bodied wagglers also five pound line!
I ended up giving them a stick float each (old ones) and set them up properly with 1.7 bottoms, size 18's and a bit of hemp to go with their maggots.
I showed them how to plumb the depth and how to cast properly.
Hey presto! small roach, dace and perch.
I gave up about an hour and a half of my time, but it was worth it!
I was brought up on the stick, crowquill and wagler, it seems to me that education is the key.
The A.T give great advice on barbel, carp and pole rigs, but little on river float rigs and the fun that can be had using them.
I think the problem is due to commercials and what they have to offer compared to rivers.
Anyway, lets hope the lads enjoyed it and carry on float fishing rivers, you can't beat it!
 
E

ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)

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Years ago when I first started fishing, feeder fishing or ledgering always used to be a 'last resort' method to be used if you weren't catching on the float......
 
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Clikfire

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Float fishing is still the nicest way to fish, you can't beat the moment that orange tip slides away beneath the water.
 
P

Paul Christie 3

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Yoggy, I know exactly what you mean by feeling out of date on the float. Yes, we are a minority these days.

I stick fish the Ribble more than I tip fish it and I always have people saying how nice it is to see someone float fishing for a change and they've not fished the float for years, but how much they used to like it or they'll have to try it again someday. I usually doubt that they ever will mind you...

It can feel like you are fishing an inferior method because it's often smaller fish that you are targeting, but 15lb of roach and dace are more rewarding for me than one or two barbel of chub from a session, anyday.
 
J

john ledger

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Yoggy
If i can shove a stickfloat through a swim i will do and i own hundreds of floats of all types.The feeder or straight lead is my last resort and always will be apart from odd time i go barbel fishing or the line freezes.
Carp puddles have been one of the reasons and some of the old float makers are no longer around,go into some tackle shops and they wont even know what a stickfloat is which is a crying shame.
I would rather catch 10lb of river roach on the float than 100lb of carp anyday but there again not everyone is like me
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay

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I don't even consider a 100 lb of carp John.

Don't want to mess up my landing net with ratfish slime!!

Whhoo steady on Clay - OTT again!!
 
I

Ian Cloke

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Tha art of fishing a stick float is dying! The commercial fisheries have seen to that, they provide what the majority of younger anglers want, plenty of fish which are easy to catch! If a youngster has to work for his/her fish, they soon get bored and miss out on the fulfilment of a days PROPER fishing.


Perhaps I was hasty saying it's commercials fault, it could also be that the youth of today have everything to hand. They don't have to wait for anything, playstations, computers, takeaways etc... could all have there place in the decline of float fishing. The youth of today don't (perhaps) have the concentration/dedication that is needed.
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay

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Quite right Ian.

When I came back to UK in 1994, all I wanted to do was float fish. This was a method of fishing that in many situations was not particularly productive in most SA waters.

During the 60s I reckon I was a half decent river float fisher, but in 27 years I had lost a lot of the skills.

Then I met a few people like John Ledger and even **** Clegg, who gave me a few tips and shortly afterwords I was able to pick up on my long lost skills and was back into it again.

Make no mistake, the art of trotting a float down a roach swim is one of the most skillful forms of angling.

A few decent roach is worth all the effort in learning these skills. Not only that, but there are days when you can catch a real pile of fish, including some big ones.
 
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fishface

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when i started fishing i didnt know what a ledger was! nearly all of my better fish have been caught whilst float fishing its great watching that tip sliding under its what comes straight into my head when i close my eyes after a days fishing!
 
M

madpiker

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just as ron says,being an all rounder is the true art of angling.i`ve never fished a commercial ratfish hole in the ground and never will!trotting a stick float or fishing the waggler on a natural water,catching wild fish has got to be more rewarding than sitting on the banks of a muddy pool catching small carp one after the other.put most of these "anglers" on a river and they`d probably blank.
well done steve,for taking the time to teach those young uns.
 
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Steve Spiller

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I enjoyed it MadP.
I've seen young uns turn up every time I go there who chuck out leads and feeders and wait! With no success!
In the summer hemp and tares is awesome, in autumn and winter the chub get hungry and just love bronze and red maggots.

Fishface, you get on the river mate and put a float through, don't be afraid to ask the old boys! I am sure they will offer good advice to you. Take a bit of time to sit behind an old boy on the float and watch what he is doing. You will get so much more satisfaction guaranteed, I promise. It's not just about how to fish the float, it's getting your feeding pattern right, getting the stick to travel through the swim just right. It's a skill Fishface, when you get it right you will have the biggest smile on the river bank!(even bigger than the one with that tench! nice fish mate). Tell your friends, they will love it too.

I'm filling up now, guess where I'm going Saturday?
 
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