Float rig for big carp?

[Dicky123]

Wondering if a short stiff fluorocarbon or soft braid hooklink would be best. Bait would be a hard pellet mostly, size 14/18mm. Expect it would be on an ounce plus lead.

[framey]

14 minutes ago, Dicky123 said:

Wondering if a short stiff fluorocarbon or soft braid hooklink would be best. Bait would be a hard pellet mostly, size 14/18mm. Expect it would be on an ounce plus lead.

Why do you need an ounce of lead for a float 

that’s just legering with a float.

my go to has always been a peacock quill or waggler fitted bottom end only with a piece of putty near the hook and fished lift method

8lb line straight through to a size 6 hook 

and always fished as close in to the margin as I can and usually right in the reeds

Edited August 6, 2021 by framey

[bluelabel]

Size 4 hook.... big prawn.... no lead.... just fish overdepth some broken prawns and 8mm pellets... hang onto your hat... ( and the rod)

[finchey]

A waggler set up for me, size 8 with good old sweetcorn and 10lb line straight through, I was on 8lb last time I went and was getting snap off in the reeds.😁👍🎣 

[salokcinnodrog]

2 hours ago, Dicky123 said:

Wondering if a short stiff fluorocarbon or soft braid hooklink would be best. Bait would be a hard pellet mostly, size 14/18mm. Expect it would be on an ounce plus lead.

I'm the same, no need to use an ounce of lead. I use either putty or a couple of Swan shot and fish lift float style. 

 

Porcupine quill or a waggler fished with a float band, perfect. 

[Dicky123]

14 hours ago, framey said:

Why do you need an ounce of lead for a float 

that’s just legering with a float.

my go to has always been a peacock quill or waggler fitted bottom end only with a piece of putty near the hook and fished lift method

8lb line straight through to a size 6 hook 

and always fished as close in to the margin as I can and usually right in the reeds

Respectfully, that would be far too light for the fish I'm after. 12lb is my minimum float line on this water, with the weed and pads. I'm caught between a float ledger style, or a more free-line float set up, but I'll sort that out myself at the time depending on the distance I'm fishing. Its the hook-link I'm more looking for advice on, not the lead set up guys. See original post please?😁

[carpepecheur]

Float fishing has brought back a lot of enjoyment to my carp fishing. You have to actually fish all the time rather than waiting for something to happen (if that makes sense?)

I always go for the lift method with homemade porcupine quill and a single shot of the appropriate weight for conditions.

I usually fish in 5 to 7 metres of water so I leave the float free to slide up to a knot of marker line set at the relevant depth.

In answer to the op I think no hook link is needed and 30 grams is way over the top. I strike to set the hook rather than rely on a bolt effect.

[framey]

7 hours ago, Dicky123 said:

Respectfully, that would be far too light for the fish I'm after. 12lb is my minimum float line on this water, with the weed and pads. I'm caught between a float ledger style, or a more free-line float set up, but I'll sort that out myself at the time depending on the distance I'm fishing. Its the hook-link I'm more looking for advice on, not the lead set up guys. See original post please?😁

Ahh 

in that case that’s different then 12lb  it would be straight through 

Respectfully give the whole story and it’s easy to give a correct answer 

if you want to use a Fluoro or braided hooklength then go for it

personally I would still go straight through 

[salokcinnodrog]

23 hours ago, Dicky123 said:

Respectfully, that would be far too light for the fish I'm after. 12lb is my minimum float line on this water, with the weed and pads. I'm caught between a float ledger style, or a more free-line float set up, but I'll sort that out myself at the time depending on the distance I'm fishing. Its the hook-link I'm more looking for advice on, not the lead set up guys. See original post please?😁

I use 15lb line on the lift float; no point in fishing light and letting the fish get into the weed or snags. 

As for hooklinks, I find myself using shorter hooklinks than I do for sitting the rods on the buzzers, so for 15cm or so it is easy to use mono. 

In most cases, our hooklinks are more abrasion resistant than our mainline, but we don't necessarily recognise that. We have (or should have) chosen our hooklink material on its behaviour, suppleness, stiffness etc. 

No real need to complicate matters any more when float fishing. 

The only need for a swivel on a lift float setup, to be able to put a loop of line through to attach your Swan shot to. 

[Carpbell_ll]

hate to be a rod snob but unless you get something a bit special you will struggle to get twelve lb line to fish on most shop bought waggler rods the top eye ruins the line from friction goes fast as well, you would need to put a bigger tip ring on at least, a two piece carp rod would be useless as a float rod, not enough rings and you would need to let the fish hook itself or you will just bump the fish off most times, Harrison do a waggler rod made for low doubles up to twenties 

[Dicky123]

On 08/08/2021 at 12:33, Carpbell_ll said:

hate to be a rod snob but unless you get something a bit special you will struggle to get twelve lb line to fish on most shop bought waggler rods the top eye ruins the line from friction goes fast as well, you would need to put a bigger tip ring on at least, a two piece carp rod would be useless as a float rod, not enough rings and you would need to let the fish hook itself or you will just bump the fish off most times, Harrison do a waggler rod made for low doubles up to twenties 

I've been using 10 and 12lb lines for years with the float. Its a different technique and if you only fish the waggler in one style you're un-likely to know about it. 1/ use a waggler fitted bottom end only as normal, then use enough lead about four to six inches away form the hook, this is the lift. 2/ You can use the same float but with a lead, around an ounce (as i use) and the its enough to effect a bolt from the carp, but the lead is running on the line. 3/ The same waggler or peacock quill laying flat (as John Wilson use to use called the flat float) with just the bait like a boilie fished over depth and the float lays flat. There are a dozen ways of float fishing for carp, I was just asking about hook-links and if a soft or stiff one people found the best. The rods are normal carp rods with big eyes, but often a step down like 1.5 1.75 2.00. 2,25lb test curve depending on the carp size buddy.😉

[kevtaylor]

On 10/08/2021 at 12:51, Dicky123 said:

I was just asking about hook-links and if a soft or stiff one people found the best. 

I wouldn't use a hook link, I would go mono straight through and just tie the hook on knotless style.  What makes you want a hooklink as per legering is it needed for some reason?

[Dicky123]

18 hours ago, kevtaylor said:

I wouldn't use a hook link, I would go mono straight through and just tie the hook on knotless style.  What makes you want a hooklink as per legering is it needed for some reason?

Its the same reason you would use a soft-hook link for any bottom bait fishing? Don't you use a soft braided hook link in your fishing then Kev?

[kevtaylor]

1 hour ago, Dicky123 said:

Its the same reason you would use a soft-hook link for any bottom bait fishing? Don't you use a soft braided hook link in your fishing then Kev?

Yes I do use a coated braid for most of my bottom bait ledgering.  I can see why you would just incorporate one of your made up rigs for convenience, but equally I can't see why you couldn't just go mono straight through.  I'm sure it wouldn't matter either way tbh.  Just the old school images in my head of float setups coming through I guess 🤷‍♂️👍

[elmoputney]

I would just go straight through with mono I think, keep it simple, I would probably just use hookable baits too, 

[Dicky123]

Yes mate, spot on. The idea of a soft hook link really works on most waters I've tried it. Short maybe 4'' on a cut down Korda safe clip with a ring at the business end. I can in turn use a light or heavy lead depending on the situation. You would be amazed Kev how often a big carp will take a float fished bait (line coming up in the water) rather than a normal ledgered bait, even when fishing a slack line. My water is slightly coloured and I fish the float slack, so any carp running into the line feels nothing. All too often I see guys sitting behind 2/3 rods when the fish are right in the margins or weed. The float is great in the weed as I can use a one 2/3 ounce lead, and have it running after the take. I got the idea from a Martin Bowler article some years ago, and its caught me some nice fish since. Its deadly in the margins as they think the float os a reed stem wafting about. Cheers Richard.

1 hour ago, kevtaylor said:

Yes I do use a coated braid for most of my bottom bait ledgering.  I can see why you would just incorporate one of your made up rigs for convenience, but equally I can't see why you couldn't just go mono straight through.  I'm sure it wouldn't matter either way tbh.  Just the old school images in my head of float setups coming through I guess 🤷‍♂️👍

 

[kevtaylor]

20 minutes ago, Dicky123 said:

Yes mate, spot on. The idea of a soft hook link really works on most waters I've tried it. Short maybe 4'' on a cut down Korda safe clip with a ring at the business end. I can in turn use a light or heavy lead depending on the situation. You would be amazed Kev how often a big carp will take a float fished bait (line coming up in the water) rather than a normal ledgered bait, even when fishing a slack line. My water is slightly coloured and I fish the float slack, so any carp running into the line feels nothing. All too often I see guys sitting behind 2/3 rods when the fish are right in the margins or weed. The float is great in the weed as I can use a one 2/3 ounce lead, and have it running after the take. I got the idea from a Martin Bowler article some years ago, and its caught me some nice fish since. Its deadly in the margins as they think the float os a reed stem wafting about. Cheers Richard.

 

Nice mate, I've always loved watching the float, who doesn't and they don't spook from a vertical line - seen lots of evidence of that.  If I was on the right type of water I would give it a go straight away, always have a couple of floats in the tackle box but my waters are gravel pits that mostly have shallow margins, gradually getting deeper and often have surface weed to 10-20 yards out.  Give me a farm pond, float and centrepin and I would be well happy 👍

[salokcinnodrog]

On 19/08/2021 at 13:36, kevtaylor said:

Nice mate, I've always loved watching the float, who doesn't and they don't spook from a vertical line - seen lots of evidence of that.  If I was on the right type of water I would give it a go straight away, always have a couple of floats in the tackle box but my waters are gravel pits that mostly have shallow margins, gradually getting deeper and often have surface weed to 10-20 yards out.  Give me a farm pond, float and centrepin and I would be well happy 👍

It is my 'goto' method on Bromeswell where the lake bank is a straight drop to the water and ledge. 

I tend to try to have the rod at 90 degrees to the float, usually fishing to the left of the rod tip, so the strike is natural to my right, although obviously some swims might mean you are the other way round striking left. 

I have tried different hooklink materials, braids or coated braids (same as my ledger rigs) and the honest answer is I found no difference to mono, although in relation to the post by @elmoputney I have found that the bait may need to be on a hair. This could be because the fish are used to inspecting baits. The only baits that do go on the hook are worms and bread.

I have tried maggots on the hook, but found that with large numbers on the hook, one often seems to spin round and cover the point, making  less chance of hooking the fish. I end up threading the darn things onto floss and tying them to a rig ring on the hair. 

[newmarket]

Thought I’d bump this one up to the top again as it’s how I’ll be approaching my reintroduction to Carping this coming spring .

seems appropriate as float fishing , like most of us , is how I fell in love with fishing in the first place .

it’ll be a quill or waggler straight through on the lift method , a couple of Swans 4-5” from the hook and Bob’s your Auntie’s , Rod dependant on what’s still in one piece once I’ve emptied the loft .

I used to use the Avon type one I floater fished with so if it’s in good nick I’ll probably start there .

looking forward to it .