Fishing

Also on both lake and river my float after casting was at the correct height then 30 seconds later would very gradually sink down

On the river this is probably caused by the current pushing your float to the side and your sweetcorn catching on the bottom, slowly pulling the float under.

If you have a waggler set up (line only going through bottom of float) on the lake then it could be wind pushing the slack line (between rod and float) which pulls the float under. Your sweet corn will be sat on the bottom of the lake anchoring everything in place.

Sweet corn sinks so you have to take this into account when adding your shot and setting the depth. Sometimes the weight of the corn is enough to sink the float. On a lake you can normally get away with being a little over-depth as the corn will just sit there but on a river you need to be a bit under-depth to stop it from catching on the river bed as it is carried along by the current.

The fish you caught was a roach btw.

I lack finnese, do i lob out 1/4lb of lead or 1/2lb of lead weight :)

Quick youtube guide to float fishing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPqRHgW6J1U

And another to waste some time while at work........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUMeQyB8avc

Thanks a lot for the reply. Already I like the fact fishing isn’t something you can master overnight, it takes years, or better decades, so will try and soak up all the advice. Especially on the river, the gap between float and hook was far greater than I imagined the depth of the water was so thought something was off.

Thanks also for the simplified explanation – much appreciated, e.g. I’ve heard the term ‘waggler’ a lot but nice to know what it actually means. Good point regarding the weight of the sweetcorn, will take bait weight into account when setting up my float before leaving the house, great point. Quite fortunate there’s a few fishing spots my way and the bait shop is friendly, sure I’ll be annoying them more. Here’s to weeks/years of getting it wrong and learning along the way!

@853Superfly will watch, ta!

It's better to set up your float at the water, find the depth first and then add the shot as shown on the 'how to' videos. I have been fishing for 50 years, have written in the fishing press and still realise that I know next to nothing!

In other news, got the kayak out last week, end result BBQd mackerel and breaded plaice. Back on the big lake for some carp fishing tonight.

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Glad it's not just me who has a lot to learn. I haven't watched those videos yet, so feel free to say 'just watch the videos' but... How do you set depth 1st before setting the float weight? Doesn't the float need to be the marker.

That photo looks bliss. Can't wait till I can eat what I catch, or even give it to the cat.

How do you set depth 1st before setting the float weight?

On still water (a lake) you can just use your plumb weight with no other weights on the line to get the depth. It doesn't matter if you're a little over depth as the float will drift and take up the slack line. You then want at least one shot a few inches away from the hook, this will anchor the line and stop the bait from getting dragged around the lake bed of it's windy. The position of the rest of the shot is up to you. Some people like then all bunched together, some space them out, but so long as they set the float to the level you want your probably ok!

In flowing water you tend to space the shot out to make the bait sink evenly. You generally want the bait a little off the bottom as the current carries it down.

There's no right or wrong way though tbh. Sometimes just a bit of logical thinking can help if you think about what's going on under the water with line and bait.

I've plugged them before but look up Totally Awesome Fishing on YouTube. Chap knows his stuff and mostly uses bog standard kit to fish (and catch).

A masterly description, all I would add is pinch the bulk of your shot either side of the float when waggler fishing, it will cast much better.

Most fishing gear catches more anglers than fish, all that really matters is the last few feet of the line which is nearest the fish. My current favourite item is a motorised barrow to carry your carp gear, a snip at £934.

The carp fishing on the big lake is going rather well, two of 20lbs plus so far.

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A masterly description

Ha, I am certainly no master!

Those fish look like monsters compared to what I normally catch.

Fishing has one similarity to cycling: vast amounts can be spent on equipment, usually by talentless twats. Unless you are in the top 5% in either sport/hobby the spend will really not improve your performance.

The vast difference is that if you cycle competitively for 35 years you get slower (worse); if you fish for 50 years you get better and sometimes even catch something.

Thanks for this, really useful to read in plain English. It seems like there's several ways to skin a cat with line set-up but want to start from the most common method.

Due to not knowing what I'm doing on Saturday (first ever time fishing) I fished with the plumb weight still attached, which might explain my gradually sinking float in a fast flowing river... Just to confirm with float fishing you don't normally have a weight/shot below the hook?

@ColinTheBald very impressive. I'd be chuffed to fill 1/16th of that landing mat!

Also current reading...

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Moving house soon so packed all books away.

Did get a recent one from waterstones, best stories of fishing from last 200years (or something like that) The hook for me (epuh) was the back cover about a bet about casting from a hotel to the Thames...... this involved an employee from Hardys being lashed to the chimney of a hotel and making a fly cast to the Thames. :)

If it's not windy shall attempt to not catch fish off Dungeness in the morning :)

Shedloads of mackerel and bass around at the moment.....

Catch Tally.
Fish 0
Hat 1
Back of head 1
Left arm 1

Concluded that a fly set up was not working with the gentle gusting sea breeze and maybe the distraction of a insta model who I thought was in the buff trying to selfie as waves broke over her. (no I didn't take pictures of that)

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Not much seemed to be going on fish wise, no gulls dive bombing, no seals or dolphins, no sharks etc etc so blanking on fish was expected.

Clear skies and costal equals extra rad's and nothing to do with the nuclear power station at Dungeness. UV rad's where at quick and crispy setting, after an hour of battling the wind I gave up to return to a fridge of peppery cheese, smoked salmon and chardonnay.

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Being school holidays a fair few fishing today, mid week.

The container caff was open and doing a roaring trade...…. scene of a forum ride out last year for lobster sandwich's.

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Desert's are harsh, but 2 pubs and 2 caffs make things bareable down there :)

Just have to trudge across and find my car or get stranded at a pub and call wife for rescue :)

(I escaped)

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assuming everyone's already see this, but if not it's fucking brilliant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EuGOl7btyg

I reckon a spinning rod would have been better, but i opted to go fly over spinning for when i move as Fly will be more viable inland.

Didn't see the beach caster's catching anything. Need a dead still day and try again, i had to fight the wind today which was collapsing my cast as i tried to launch forwards causing the hook to contact me. Gave up before it became asking someone to use my pliers to extract a hook from the back of my head :)

@fredtc hopefully series 2 coming soon.

I think this might be my favourite thread. Keep it coming @853Superfly!

Just looked up the scrap value of lead as i am clearing things before moving house.

Cherry picked a stack of lead weights to keep, bundled 20 more up with a rod and reel and still have 30+ kilos of weights and pipe to make weights :) the crap you accumalte over time.

£0.90 a kilo at the moment at the scrappie.

This….
plus

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This...

Equals... I can hide a body in the Thames :)

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