Polaris Floats?

Is there some major advantage using these over say touch ledgering or static/bolt rig?

Mate has bought one and his catch rate has shot up tremendously and I was wondering how much was owed to the float method being used.


cheers and beers

They are surprisingly sensitive, tiny movements show fairly large deflections of the float tip, and offer little resistance to a take. Whether they are the reasons for an improved catch rate is another matter. I'd speculate that it may be little more that it being a method that the fish haven't seen or had to deal with much.
Otherwise quite educated fish can be absolute mugs for a new method (or a very old one returned to).

Perhaps it's something to do with the line going much more vertically upwards away from the bait, presenting less of a 'trip hazard' than a standard leger/feeder where the line would be more parallel with the lake bottom and consequently in the zone the fish are swimming around in. Less tension in the line going away from the lead might also help I suppose. Can't say I've used a polaris float but I have found a similar method with a light normal waggler to a running leger to be very effective for tench, and sometimes use a slack float to a small bolt rigged stone lead for stalking carp that wont come to the surface - the slack roughly vertical line certainly seems to help there.

‘IF’ there is any advantage to them, then I would agree with Fin.
If you look at how they work they must be the most insensitive method of bite indication. There is no shot on the line so to cock the float you reel in to sink the float to say 1” of tip. i.e. you’re counteracting the floats buoyancy. As soon as a fish registers any sort bite it takes on the full buoyancy of a bloody great float above it and the initial momentum to move it. Additional friction being the line at a right angle through the bomb/swimfeeder. When they work, my money would be they act as a self hooking rig.
If you want sensitivity in deep water then use a properly shotted slider and stop knot. If its for distance then normal quiver, method or bolt. I don’t see many match men using Polaris.
Sensitivity is all to do with how little weight/force is needed to register a bite. Some of the Polaris floats I’ve seen would support an ounce or more.

They take a while to get the hang of. I'm no expert but they are 'different' and like nothing else. I enjoy watching a float so use them once in a while. They're more static than a slider. They sit on the deck and stay there. No undertow or wind etc to pull the float around.

They are a pain to get used to and cast out until you get the hang of them.

Definitely a 'love/hate' thing.

I sometimes fish a water with serious weed problems, where a ledger type rig would give poor bite registration.
A polaris float rig can be cast into a gap in the weed and give perfect presentation.