Lift Method

Tony Cummings · May 19, 2009

Had a right old fanny around trying to set up lift method the other day; can anyone explain stage by stage the procedure for setting up witha waggler for the lift method?

Ray Daywalker Clarke · May 19, 2009

Tony,

When I fish this method I use Peacock Quills, but a small waggler is OK.

First the float should only be attached at the bottom only with a float rubber, make sure this is nice and tight, or the float will slip up the line.

Plumb the depth of your swim as normal, so the float is just showing the tip by an inch, you then move the float up the linetwice thelength of the float, IE if the float is 4 inches move it8 inches.

I thenput one BB shot the same distance as the length of the float (ie 4 inches)from the hook.

When you cast out, the float should first lay flat on the top of the water, just tighten up on the reel a little, the float will start to cock, do this until the float tip is showing just an inch. It may take a few goes to get this right, if so just move the float back down towards the hook an inch, until you are happy setting the float.

When you get a bite, the float will lift and lay flat, just strike, but the float may also just go under, with this method you don't always get a lift bite.

Hope this helps you out, others may do it a different way, but this is the way i find works for me.

good luck.

Tony Cummings · May 19, 2009

Thanks a lot for that Ray; sounds really simple to set up so I'll give your way a go.

Do you have to amend this method if it's windy?

Some of the lads that fish the same stillwater as me use bodied wagglers attached using those silicone waggler attachments that negate the need for shot around the base of the waggler. They then have some kind of bulk shot (think they're called olivettes) at what looks like half depth, and instead of a 'lift' shot they use a swivel with tungsten putty moulded around it.

Rediscovering the joy of float fishing; what a truly wonderful way to fish/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

Ray Daywalker Clarke · May 20, 2009

Float fishing is the method I enjoy most, trotting a river is tops for me, but any float fishing is just fine by me.

Back to the method.

You can only fish the lift method with the shot on the bottom, and a bodied waggler is not the right float to use. Go for a straight waggler or a peacock quill, these you can get in mosttackle shops and cut to the size you want, but i am sure you know that.

If it's windy, you can amend it.

All you have to remember is to fish just ove depth so the float lays flat, then just tighten up the line a little so the float cocks as I said before.

Olivettes are used by pole anglers in the main, but I do use them for trotting or slider float fishing sometimes. If you are using a hook length with a swivel, then use putty around the swivel, you will not need the BB shot by the hook, as the putty will act as your holding shot.

Hope all goes well, and let us know how you get on.

Good luck

Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA) · May 20, 2009

Oh and by the way to fish the lift method successfully, it's best if your rod is in two rests.

And watch out if you are fishing for tench and the float dissappears quickly, you could get a breakage.

Graham Whatmore · May 20, 2009

The telltale shot i.e. the shot nearest the hook can be increased in weight to as much as a swanshot because drift will affect the way the float sits and this distance (4" is a good starting point) can be increased or decreased according to the bites. Basically the telltale shot needs to remain static otherwise the presentation is ruined.

Keith M · May 20, 2009

NB. As has Ray and the others have alreadysaid; The distance between the float and the tell-tale shot on the bottom isapproximately around twice the length of the float overdepth and the distance between the hook andtell-tale shot should befairly short (2" to 3" to start with).

Phillips Jerry · May 20, 2009

Depending on how far you are casting,for short range i use a lenth of peacock quill and a single swan shot for at distance I use a Drenman driftbeater it got a nice sight bob on top so you don't go cross eyed waiting for a bite. Most bites the float tends to go under rather than lift.

DZ · May 20, 2009

...as Ron says - two banksticks is vital, and if it is windy arrange the rod in the rests so that the rod tip is just under the water/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

DZ · May 20, 2009

and fish a centre pin for the ultimate in tench playing pleasure/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

Gary Dolman · May 20, 2009

Especially if it is really windy.

It is perfectly possible to fish lift style, i.e with a weight on the bottom, near the hook with a conventially shotted waggler.

If it is windy and you need to fish more than a rod or soout a Peter Drennan Driftbeater shotted in the normal way with 2/3rds locking shot and the other 1/3rd below half depth.

If it is really windy you can fish over depth and over load the float with the weight sitting on the bottom, sometimes a single large shot will do but on other occasions a short string of shot will hold bottom better. A drift beater seems to ride the waves better than a straight waggler, probably because of the smaller diameter of the stem providing less drag.

It goes without saying that you need to sink the line, and as Ron pointed out 2 rests, with the tip of the rod under the surface works best. Most of the bites will submerge the float

I realise this is not traditional lift float fishing, but it trys to achieve a similar result in windy weather.

Tee-Cee · May 20, 2009

Gary.......I agree with what you say-its not the Lift Method as such but the bite indication is the same-the float rises up in the water because the bottom shot has been dislodged by the fish.I think this method is excellent in deeper water,at distance and is perfect fortench among others.If it has one failing its that the line drops(more-or-less)vertically from the float to the bottom and sometimes this can be a problem with fishbrushing up against the line.

For this reason I try,when fishing fairly close in to use Ray's method described above.However, if I am suffering from line bites I have plumbed the depth and then increased this by 2 feet or more so that when I tighten up to the swan shot the line between float and shot is at a gentler(not so vertical)angle.The bite indication is the same though.

Tony...Another method I have found very exciting to fish(very close in!)is exactly the same float etc as Ray's above but leaving the float flat on the surface.This needs just enough weight to cast with and get the bait down to the bottom-something less than a swan shot but it is very sensitive and can produce slamming bites as the float moves across the surface before standing up and sinking below the surface!!It works well when casting to fish that you can see on the bottom!!

Lots of different ways,lots of different variations and all work well-just depends on conditions-wind etc.

Definitely 2 rod rests for the Lift Method but if using the flat float method I generally hold the rod-its safer!!

Makes me want to go fishing tomorrow!!

Dicky (Angling Trust PAC) · May 20, 2009

A few questions for you chaps...

The lift is my favourite early summer method on stillwaters but readingthe posts above I am beginning to doubt that I've been doing itright?

As an example...

For tench, small carp and crucians close in...

I tend to use a 3bb Drennan crystal straight or insert waggler attached bottom only with a float rubber and fished overdepth. Cast past the baited area and draw the float back (with the line sunk). Carefully reel until float is cocked.

For a 3bb float, I will use a single swan between 2 and 5inches from the hook depending on the target species.

The principle being that the fish only has to displace 1bb of weight to register a bite, given the inherent buoyancy of the float.

Similarly a 3aaa float will require 2ssg.

Until this season I have used two rests but I find now that I am able to stay still enough to keep the rod in hand...

Is the method and my maths right?

This question comes up a lot on FM and there always seem to be a multitude of lift methods... I look forward to your thoughts /forum/smilies/nerd_smiley.gif

Mike Humphries · May 20, 2009

Tee-Cee - something I do to get an even more gentle angle of line away from the lift shot is toattach the float toa piece of line which is attached to the mainline via a sliding stop knot.I usually make this"extension" about 1/3 swim depth. It is also important thatthe extensionexits from the top of the stop knot to get some stand-off.

The other advantage of this is that you are in more direct contact with the bait which helps youstrike quickly and quickly apply pressure close to snags.

Actually I have also successfully used this with more standard float set ups in deep swims where I did not want to use a slider (helps get the line down out of any surface drift)

Tony Cummings · May 20, 2009

Thanks to everyone that's contributed to my learning.

I'm particularly impressed with ****y's spin on the lift method; the theory he describes stacks up to me.

Humbling to realise that despite having fished for 16 years or so, I know so little.

Ray Daywalker Clarke · May 20, 2009

****y,

I don't see anything wrong with your method mate. I don't use swan shot unless I am fishing a swim over 6 foot deep.

I fish close in, at times right under the rod tip, and use a small float with just a BB.I fish lightso I get the minimal amount of resistance, but if it's windy, then I would go to a bigger shot, but the same float.

I never use two rests, just one at the front, the rod butt resting on the chair between my legs, hand on the rod ready.

Tony,

I have been fishing for 46 years, and still learning, none of use know it all, rig's change, newmethod's, it's never ending. Thatswhat makes fishing so interesting.

Tee-Cee · May 21, 2009

****y.....a great set-up for my money-well thought out BUT only perfect if its fished in the conditions it was meant for!!

Tony............I'm 66 years old now and been fishing since I was 7 so that gives me 59 years on the bank and it never ceases to amaze me that new methods come to light or old ones re-surface.Its like Mike Humphries thread above-I have read about it in the distant past but never used it!!You use the word'humbling'but I would say its because you recognise the fact that you don't know everything that you are thinking about your fishing and prepared to try new methods-and thats a big,big plus!

Mike Humphries....can you enlarge on the method you describe...max depth of water,is line from float to main line the same bs as the main line,are some floats better than others(to aid the obvious problems(?)in casting and the type of cast that might help reduce tangles,why the 1/3 depth between float and main line??-in fact everything apart from having you on the bank!!/forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif

Ray...write a book my friend,write a book-its the only way forward!/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

Anyway,its been a good post-and I've learn't something new to try!!

Graham Whatmore · May 21, 2009

I have tried various presentations over the years but I have never seen or heard of Mike Humphries set up, this isn't a criticism in any way just a statement. I can appreciate the benefit of a direct line between hook and rod tip though, but doesn't it make casting out a bit of problem with the quill doing its own thing?

The size of telltale shot doesn't appear to make any difference to the fish and there are those that say the nearer the hook the better the bite, nearer being as little as two inches. I have caught bream and carp using a swan shot very close to the hook to counteract tow as well as the tench that it was originally devised for. Like all methods of fishing you have to be prepared to adjust and tune a setup to get the best results and what works once won't necessarily work every time.

Mike Humphries · May 21, 2009

Very quickly - can go in to more detail later if intersted.

I got the method from the Bob Church book - Big Tench. There is a section in there called master float fisheman (can't remember his name).

Themain requirements are to use an unweighted float witha reasonably think line (e.g. 6lb) for the extenstion. Also ensure that the float does not hang down as far as the bulk shot. Do this and it should not tangle.

Casting is not a problem. Use a small, unweighted float as you would for the normal lift method and you are casting from the bulk weight on a long drop so usually I cast with more of a lob than a punch if that makes sense.

One thing I plan to try is to use this method with no shot at all and the float cocked by a ball of paste but I am still looking for the ideal float for this (currently trying to source some self cocking paste pole floats to try).

Dicky (Angling Trust PAC) · May 21, 2009

Glad to hear I'm doing it right. Cheers chaps /forum/smilies/big_smile_smiley.gif

Lift Method

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