River float fishing

Hi Guys, I going to do a spot of early morning piking on my local stretch of the avon. I'm planning on keep as mobile as possible just taking 1 rod, net, unhooking mat and a small bag of bits.

I'm not sure how to tackle the river I am however told that lure fishing isn't great. My first thought is to trot a float under bankside trees and lay on in any slacks I can find.

I've never had much luck trotting for pike but I think its a method I should keep working at. Can I have some tips please?

Also when laying on how many casts should it take me to find the right depth and set the float so it cocks right? I hate casting lots as I think I've ruined the swim!

Cheers guys

Andrew

Don't worry - just give it a try!. If you are trotting a dead bait don't worry too much about depth as long as the water isn't too deep. Try trotting down to a feature and holding back at regular intervals to give the bait a bit of life.

When laying-on I don't worry about being too exact as long as I'm fishing over-depth. Just pull the line tight so the float half cocks. If you check the depth before putting a bait on you shouldn't cause too much disturbance.

Keep back from the edge and drop it in just over the marginal shelf.

When you're trotting try holding back from time to time so the bait flutters up towards the surface. They often nail it as it's sinking back down again.

How should the bait be hooked? I always hook tail up when ledgering and laying on but for trottin would it be better to go head up?

Difficult - head-up looks more natural if you hold back or retrieve the bait slowly.

Also better for lives in moving water, esp when zander are around.

Problem is you can end up hooking pike in the gill rakes if you delay the strike even by a few seconds - they swallow prey head-first so when you tighten down the hooks turn through 180 degrees and one or the other often catches in the gill rakers.

You can get around this to a degree by hooking lives through the dorsal/pectoral.


Tail-up is better for laying on and float legering methods.