Out of interest?

dicky123 · Jul 3, 2018

Put aside just a moment the species your after in thinking about this please if you can?

Just watched a really nice video of James Robbins from Cadence fishing on the Wye float fishing for Roach, Chub, Dace and Barbel 2018 June. He stated how much difference between 4lb and 6lb line was when using a float. His thought were the 4lb (pro gold out of interest) gave him much better control over the float than 6lb line would. I take a lot of whats written these days as a pinch of salt, but he is a very good angler, match and river specialist.

What are your thoughts, in general do we fish too heavy a main line, and would coming down in size bring us more fish? We have a few match guys on the forums, whats your view?

I put up the first sentence because I didn't want the old debate above barbel trotting we have at times. More a concept, where a barbel is unlikely.

tigger · Jul 3, 2018

****y, i'd say take that with a very large dose of salt lol.

iain t · Jul 3, 2018

I personally think we do. I think the idea of using a higher poundage comes down from the Specimen Carp lads, where some like to haul a fish straight in.
For years I've used a 6lb line for float fishing/trotting. Then talking to a few chaps at my club i thought i would take their advice and started to use 3 and 4lb line. I was a bit worried about using a 3lb line cause it was so thin and i was concerned it would break as soon as i blew on it. A 3lb line to me was just a pole line meant for catching tiddlers. But since using it my catch rate has risen and i seemed to cast smoother and tad longer.
My concern about it breaking it went out the window when i caught a few large Roach and Bream on the river last week.
As for Barbel on a feeder cage, i always used 10 to 12lb line. On one session i mistakenly put the wrong spool on the reel loaded with only 8lb. On this line, i landed my PB Barbel weighing 15.3lb.
The line acted perfectly and had i feel more than enough strength to handle such fish.

silvers · Jul 3, 2018

As a match angler I'd say that James is correct - but the benefits are more pronounced if you want to fish with as light a shotting as you can. I can think of (all other things being equal):
a) cast further
b) less coil and weight means smoother pay out through rod rings
c) less affected by wind
d) lighter when mending the line - so less movement of float

obviously there are limitations where it becomes too fragile .... but have you actually tried to break even 2lb line with a match float rod?

Personally I mainly use 2.6 drennan floatfish / Bayer for majority of my float fishing on rivers. I'm happy to target chub to 6 pounds on that gear.

rob48 · Jul 3, 2018

I've used Pro Gold for years, since work used to take me near Terry Eustace's shop near Birmingham and he gave me a spool to try. Excellent running water line for stick and waggler fishing with an almost neutral density which will float and lift off the water cleanly or can be submerged with a drop of washing up liquid if required. It reminds me a bit of the Racine Tortue line we used to use a few years back.
As regards breaking strains I prefer the 2.0lb (wet knot strength) for stick float fishing and 2.5lb (wks) for waggler. Heavier lines would be wasted on the sort of tippy match type rods I use as the rods probably aren't capable of applying any greater force than these lines can impart and using thicker/heavier lines makes presenting a 4 no 4 stick float virtually impossible. I use the slightly stronger line for the waggler because the floats are likely to have greater shotting capacity, up to 3-4 AAA and slightly less tippy rods.
I sometimes use stronger line for thick wagglers on fast swims that you find on the Severn or Bolo style, but I haven't done much of that.

dicky123 · Jul 3, 2018

James suggested on a standard match rod, you would be hard pressed to break 4lb line on a fish. I agree after fishing lighter for some time now. Clearly there will always be given swims, or extra big fish, or just Barbel in fast water. But I'm sticking to my 4.4lb Pro Gold as a main line for Chub and other fish on the Trent. 8lb on the feeder rod, and 3.2lb on my Roach and Dace rod.

bracket · Jul 3, 2018

I have float fished big rivers all my life, Trent and the Severn, Welland Great Ouse and several Yorkshire rivers. My main line back in the old days was always 2.6lb Bayer. Nowadays I use 3lb Drennen float and fish the Frome for grayling. I have taken fish in excess of 3lb and the unintentional game fish to 8lb, no bother. I think the point to remember is that a fish does not weigh it's dead weight in water and with modern match rods plus care you can get them out. Pete

tigger · Jul 4, 2018

To say using a lighter line gives you more control over your float is total nonsense.
My go to mainlines are 4 and 6lb and float control is no different for the biggest part. If anything i'd say 6lb is better for float control.because it's heavier and thicker I can flick it about more, making mending etc easier. Lighter lines are blown about more in the wind.
Think about fly lines.....

silvers · Jul 4, 2018

Tigger - I disagree ..... thinner lines are blown about less as the effective surface are (ie the diameter) is less.
At least that's my experience ..... even makes a difference between 2.1 and 2.6 B.S lines.

I suspectthat your findings are more related to the fact that you use much heavier shotting that me though. A 4 no. 4 stick as mentioned earlier is at the top end of what I use on the Warks Avon and Great Ouse in the summer. Wagglers are often 3bb.

tigger · Jul 4, 2018

Mmm, so a piece of tissue doesn't blow along easier than a piece of paper.....your theory is flawed.
I think your getting mixed up with lighter / lower diameter lines not catching the flow as much when legering....?

I was using a 3grm float the other day and it was attatched to 5lb mainline which was quite a thick heavy line (bayer perlon) and the weight of the line helped me keep control of it and avoid tangles as there was a gusty downstream wind.
Float fishing has been my main form of fishing for many years and if a lower diameter line gave me more float control then i'm sure I would have found that out by now

.
At the end of the day the lighter the line the less control you have over it, imo you cannot mend a lighter line as effectively as a heavier line unless your trotting off the rod tip and in perfect conditions, it's a no brainer :wh.

rob48 · Jul 4, 2018

A light object such as a 6 no.4 stick float will exhibit the same resistance to any line, or indeed any matter. However, when energy is applied to move or correct the line the thicker line (of greater mass) will exert a stronger force on the float than a thinner line (of less mass) if the movement is transmitted far enough down the line such that its effect comes into contact with the float itself, assuming the energy is the same in both cases.
Due to the greater mass, and implied increased density, of the thicker line a comparatively greater amount of energy would need to be induced into the thicker line in order to achieve the same amount of movement/correction experienced by the thinner line. The subsequent difference in impact should the energy and movement reach the float is obvious.
Basic physics really.

silvers · Jul 4, 2018

tigger said:
Mmm, so a piece of tissue doesn't blow along easier than a piece of paper.....your theory is flawed.
I think your getting mixed up with lighter / lower diameter lines not catching the flow as much when legering....?

Nope- and it is slightly counter-intuitive - but I don't think I've changed the laws of physics. As the mass increases in line with pi*r*r ..... as line thickness increases the weight increases at a higher rate. So in theory should be less affected by the wind (ignoring inertia).

However - in real life the line is (semi) tethered at both ends (float and rod tip) so a sail is a closer analogy - where a spinnaker is more affected by the wind than a storm jib - despite weighing more.

I'm genuinly surprised by your experience - as I find even 4.4 Bayer fairly hard to use for floatfishing. 6 pound is rope .... I used it for feeder fishing for Barbel.:wh

tigger · Jul 4, 2018

silvers said:
Nope- and it is slightly counter-intuitive - but I don't think I've changed the laws of physics. As the mass increases in line with pi*r*r ..... as line thickness increases the weight increases at a higher rate. So in theory should be less affected by the wind (ignoring inertia).

However - in real life the line is (semi) tethered at both ends (float and rod tip) so a sail is a closer analogy - where a spinnaker is more affected by the wind than a storm jib - despite weighing more.

I'm genuinly surprised by your experience - as I find even 4.4 Bayer fairly hard to use for floatfishing. 6 pound is rope .... I used it for feeder fishing for Barbel.:wh

Imo your wrong on all points and so we'll have to agree to dissagre.....although I could prove my point on the bank.

silvers · Jul 4, 2018

I would suggest that most of the match anglers fishing rivers in Britain would agree with me ... If 6 pound sensor was better then we'd be using it. I would however agree that there are many other things that contribute more to good presentation than the mainline thickness.

tigger · Jul 4, 2018

silvers said:
I would suggest that most of the match anglers fishing rivers in Britain would agree with me ... If 6 pound sensor was better then we'd be using it. I would however agree that there are many other things that contribute more to good presentation than the mainline thickness.

You obviously havent even read what I posted, if you go back and read it you'll see I was using 5lb bayer and not 6lb sensor.
By the way silvers, I couldn't give a rats ass what match anglers use, unlike you I ain't a sheep and follow my own inclinations.

silvers · Jul 4, 2018

I certainly did read what you posted ... I was just correlating my reply to your oft stated preference for the Daiwa product and your earlier post saying your go to line was 6 pound.
I may be luddite, but i’m not a sheep .... i’m well aware that accepted wisdom is often anything but, and that the fish don’t read our rule books!
I actually think our different ways of floatfishing are behind a lot of our different experiences.

Out of interest?

dicky123

Well-known member

tigger

Banned

iain t

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silvers

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rob48

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dicky123

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bracket

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tigger

Banned

silvers

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tigger

Banned

rob48

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silvers

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tigger

Banned

silvers

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tigger

Banned

silvers

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