Dave Harrell Floats

[binka]

I've been having a good browse of Dave's website and I really like it and his floats, especially the accompanying information for each type.

I missed it the first time around but especially like the fact that on the buy it page you have a full set option and an individual float option for topping up in case you break or lose one.

Appreciating that the straight waggler will always be popular for its suitability for both river and stillwater is the unloaded bodied waggler gradually becoming a thing of the past?

I've found a handful of them by looking around but nowhere near as many as, say, straight wagglers or in the numbers and varieties that I seem to recall years ago

 

[bracket]

There is no doubt that professionally produced floats are things of beauty and a pleasure to own and fondle during the dark days of winter. I am convinced that fish do not have an artistic bent and all this beauty is totally lost on them and therefore unnecessary. I own several hundred very functional floats, some over 50 years old, and with the exception of a handful of Drennen Crystals, every one has been made by myself or by a friend. They work perfectly and have caught fish all over England, Scotland and Ireland. Making your own flaots is straight forward and there is an added satisfaction in taking fish on gear that you have made yourself. For me it is all part of the fishing ethic. So while manufactured floats are very desirable to have, when in use all you see is the tip and beauty of the remainder is lost on the fish. So wise up and make your own, it's a doddle. Pete.

 

[binka]

I have to admit Pete it's one of the things I had intended on doing this winter but somehow never got around to it and I know there's no chance once the clocks go forward, I started a thread about it a while ago after watching some YouTube clips of some cracking homemade floats and I think Tony (Tee-Cee) is an avid and very proficient float maker.

It's either Ebay for the old Ivan Marks listings that occasionally crop up or next winter and all "good intentions" for me.

 

[Keith M]

Appreciating that the straight waggler will always be popular for its suitability for both river and stillwater is the unloaded bodied waggler gradually becoming a thing of the past?

I've found a handful of them by looking around but nowhere near as many as, say, straight wagglers or in the numbers and varieties that I seem to recall years ago

Although we did use Poles in the past there are a lot more anglers using Poles today or fishing Commercials for Carp using pellet wagglers etc. so anglers have stopped buying as many different floats as we used to.

Because of this; a lot of tackleshops drastically reduced the number and different types of Wagglers that they stocked, and it became harder and harder to find a shop that stocked a full range of Wagglers.
Because Straight Wagglers were about the most versatile type of Waggler a lot shops tended to sell only them or maybe if you were lucky you might find a shop which also sold a few Drennan bodied Stillwater blues and that's probably all you'll find in most shops (other than a few stick floats for moving water and a range of pellet wagglers).

Normal traditional Bodied Wagglers (and 'Semi' loaded Wagglers like the Onion) are brilliant floats for casting a long way and excellent when you have a lot of surface tow when a wind comes up. Their low down bulbous body sits in the under tow which is usually moving in the opposite direction to the surface tow, which means that you can usually keep them from drifting along with the surface tow; plus they take more shot up under the float and can be cast further and fly through the air with much less of the characteristic waggle that gave the Waggler its name.

Keith

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Their low down bulbous body sits in the under tow which is usually moving in the opposite direction to the surface tow, which means that you can usually keep them from drifting along with the surface tow

Would a straight waggler do the same job if it had sufficient length? The additional depth takes more line below the surface which should reduce surface tow. I can see the advantages in casting, suppose the obvious thing is for me to try it and see for myself

 

[binka]

Would a straight waggler do the same job if it had sufficient length? The additional depth takes more line below the surface which should reduce surface tow. I can see the advantages in casting, suppose the obvious thing is for me to try it and see for myself

There's a clip somewhere on YouTube where Peter Drennan is using a homemade extra long straight waggler for tench fishing on a water that was prone to tow so I'm thinking yes they would work... given so many little niche products that you can buy for fishing these days I'm surprised no one is marketing such a thing.

Unless they are?

Edited to add: Found the clip but it looks like a very long bodied, not straight waggler...

http://youtu.be/HoD2HZqYgyY

 

[jimlad]

Don't know the answer to your question, however the Dave Harrell floats are really good, and like you say there is a very handy description for each one on the website


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[binka]

I’ve been undergoing a major restock and sort out of floats over the last few weeks and earlier this week I chose the Dave Harrell floats for one of my river boxes, direct from his website.

I think I only placed the order on Wednesday evening and they arrived this morning, all securely packaged and over fifty floats in total.

In my haste I had neglected to order any float rubbers and Dave threw in four packets of various lengths to do the whole lot three rubbers each with feet of silicone to spare free of charge.

I have to say that I think these are among the best if not the best mass produced floats I’ve ever seen with good sensible sized sight tips for trotting and seeing at a fair distance, the shorter bodied wire stem sticks in the top right hand corner are the shallow water sticks which I'm really impressed with and I can’t wait to get ‘em wet tomorrow.

The black tips were painted over myself with Sensas Noir float paint…



A first class service and lovely quality floats... Cheers Dave :thumbs:

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Binka, if that's "one" of your river float boxes you're a bigger tackle tart than PJ

 

[tigger]

Nice collection of floats Steve .
I reckon i'd have held back a little before painting out the coloured tops though.

 

[binka]

Binka, if that's "one" of your river float boxes you're a bigger tackle tart than PJ

You ain't seen the wagglers yet Ian

Nice collection of floats Steve .
I reckon i'd have held back a little before painting out the coloured tops though.

Cheers Ian

I've been on a bit of a mission truth be known, the painted out floats are an identical set to the orange tipped and on the wides of the Trent with no far bank reflection on the water I probably use black as much if not more than the orange.

I had a set of floats pretty much the same back in my late teens, most were John Dean and I had to sell them along with a lot of gear to put towards my first car and I don't think I ever really got over it as they were my pride and joy.

Anyway I've patched along for a number of years now with two of this, six of that, four of those etc and decided to take the bull by the horns, I also had a similar number of wagglers delivered today along with spending half the week staining up the new oak boxes which were ordered last week and arrived on Wednesday.

I think I've finally buried those demons now

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Anyway I've patched along for a number of years now with two of this, six of that, four of those etc and decided to take the bull by the horns, I also had a similar number of wagglers delivered today along with spending half the week staining up the new oak boxes which were ordered last week and arrived on Wednesday.

Boxes look very good, where from and how much?

Have you tried the DH "sensitip" wagglers Sam Vimes suggested? I'm hooked

 

[binka]

Boxes look very good, where from and how much?

Have you tried the DH "sensitip" wagglers Sam Vimes suggested? I'm hooked

The boxes really are spot on, solid oak no plywood and even the tops and bottoms look to be about 4mm thich… Hard to measure accurately as they’re even bevelled off all the way around both top and bottom.

I think you might be surprised on the prices too, very reasonable imo…

My Hand Made Float Boxes - FISHERMANS PARADISE

I asked for mine without a finish to the wood as I wanted to stain them up myself and when they arrived I could see they were worth making a job of…



After three coats of satin stain and two ultra-light sandings in between…



And loaded with a mix of existing and new wagglers including straight, straight insert, bodied, zoomers, driftbeaters, lake antennas and canal specials…





I’ve still got a few wagglers to get along with another box for the river (Avons, Bolo’s, Chubbers etc) but hey what a week I’ve had

Not tried the Sensitip yet but have every intention of doing...

 

[tigger]

Steve, you'll need to forgive me bud, but I liked the colour and look of your boxes as they where.

 

[binka]

Steve, you'll need to forgive me bud, but I liked the colour and look of your boxes as they where.

Lol, no worries mate it's a personal choice... Doesn't show the muck up too much

Anyone wanna buy a tin of Ronseal? :wh

 

[tigger]

Lol, no worries mate it's a personal choice... Doesn't show the muck up too much

Anyone wanna buy a tin of Ronseal? :wh

Don't get me wrong Steve, they still look nice bud, I just liked the look of the grain in the wood. I think i'd have waxed 'em as it would have enhanced the grain and waterproofed em' n'all . Too late now though...ya plonker .

 

[mark brailsford 2]

DH floats are superb, that man knows what he wants when it comes to floats, especially running water floats!

---------- Post added at 23:07 ---------- Previous post was at 23:03 ----------

The boxes really are spot on, solid oak no plywood and even the tops and bottoms look to be about 4mm thich… Hard to measure accurately as they’re even bevelled off all the way around both top and bottom.

I think you might be surprised on the prices too, very reasonable imo…

My Hand Made Float Boxes - FISHERMANS PARADISE

I asked for mine without a finish to the wood as I wanted to stain them up myself and when they arrived I could see they were worth making a job of…



After three coats of satin stain and two ultra-light sandings in between…



And loaded with a mix of existing and new wagglers including straight, straight insert, bodied, zoomers, driftbeaters, lake antennas and canal specials…





I’ve still got a few wagglers to get along with another box for the river (Avons, Bolo’s, Chubbers etc) but hey what a week I’ve had

Not tried the Sensitip yet but have every intention of doing...

Steve, you could be what they call a dyed in the wood tackle tart...BOOM, BOOM!

 

[binka]

Steve, you could be what they call a dyed in the wood tackle tart...BOOM, BOOM!

Guilty as charged

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Thanks for the link Steve, found something for the kids to buy for my Birthday

Are the bodied wagglers DH floats? I don't remember seeing them anywhere.

 

[tincatim]

Love the look of those boxes Binka, they look great all lined up neat and tidy!

Mine are all just shoved into tubes. Think I'll be purchasing some DH wagglers soon, not that I really need any but they do look nice