This area of the Trent has a great history of match fishing. Although it’s not really match fished any more, it’s one of my favourite areas to pleasure fish and practice tactics for matches on other stretches of the Trent and methods that apply to many rivers.
Today I’m fishing on the Trent Embankment section outside the Nottingham Forest ground. It’s a free stretch and one that offers prolific sport, especially during the autumn and early winter, when shoals of fish like roach, perch, and dace migrate into the stretch.
Parking is convenient behind the pegs (apart from on football match days) and the concrete banks with steps are effortless and comfortable to fish from.
My aim during this practice session is to explain the different types of float methods and rigs I prefer to use on rivers like the Trent. Throughout my match fishing career, I’ve found practice sessions like this valuable. They allow you to improve skills, refine methods and ultimately grow in confidence, important factors when it comes to fishing a competition!
The peg I’ve selected is quite deep (12-14ft) and has a nice steady flow that increases with distance away from the bank. The level of the river is good with maybe just a few inches of extra water and the temperature is mild (10 degrees). As is often the case on the Trent, there is a strong downstream wind, and this can cause problems with float control and therefore presentation. I think it’s fair to say that if you can master float fishing on the Trent, you will find fishing on many other rivers easy in comparison.
Hopefully, I can help to explain a few tricks that have helped me overcome this challenging downstream prevailing wind.
So, let’s look at the different types of running line float methods I like to employ on rivers when I’m match fishing.
Generally, you can group them into three main methods:
- Stick Float
- Waggler
- Bolo / Avon
Recently, I’ve tried to simplify the types of float patterns and consolidate the number of floats I use. I think this has really helped me by making me fish far more efficiently and understand which float patterns are best for the conditions faced and how and when to use these floats.
Stick Floats
I really like the DH insert sticks and use them a lot, especially when targeting roach and dace on smaller baits like maggots and casters. I love the hollow insert as they make the floats visible in poor light conditions.
They are also sensitive, and I find the classic shape of the body enables good control when fishing out from the bank, without creating too much resistance on the strike. The thin wire stem also gives some weight to aid casting and stability in the water.
I carry them in sizes from 4no4 up to 14no4 and a great guide for selecting the size of float for the peg fished is: 1no4 for each foot of water.
So today I’m using a 12no4 version, I could use a heavier version if the flow were stronger, or the wind was stronger. Conversely, I may use a lighter version in calm conditions or when the water is less powerful.
I also like the DH domed top floats when I’m fishing stick floats at greater range out from the bank to aid visibility and when using bigger baits like bunches of maggots or meat, as they are more buoyant. To be honest, a good selection of sizes in these two patterns of floats will cover me for 90% of my stick float requirements.
I think one of the most important tips when stick float fishing is to make up the rigs with shot no bigger than a lead number 8. Using lead is a great advantage over non-toxic, and the fact we can’t use lead shot bigger than an 8 is a big influence on this decision. Lead shot is smaller and therefore more streamlined than the equivalent in no-toxic, also easier to move on the line.
Another major advantage of using lots of no8 shot over larger shot is it makes the rigs a lot more versatile. You can fish them strung out through the rig evenly, strung out in the bottom section, reverse shotted (shot get further apart as they get closer to the hook) or bulked. Basically, you can do everything in terms of varying presentation with the added advantage of creating fewer tangles when cast properly!
The cast needs to be smooth and deliberate with the rig feathered into the water, stopping the rig in the air just before it lands.
This controls the rig, making the shot land in a straight line and perfectly presented to control the float and rig instantly and without any tangles.
I think if conditions allow, stick float fishing must be the most effective way of fishing a river peg with a running line. The ability to control the float by holding it back and easing and teasing it through the peg makes the presentation perfect. Also, it’s easy to exploit a large area of the peg quickly and efficiently down the peg and out from the bank.
For me, stick floats start to fail when fishing at distances exceeding 15m and in increased depth, say 14ft. Furthermore, when it gets windy. This is when the waggler and bolo floats step in.
Wagglers
I’m a big fan of using peacock wagglers, and my favourites are made by Drake Floats. Typically, I like these semi-loaded wagglers as they don’t require big bulky locking shot that can be difficult to move and create tangles. I use both insert and straight versions to suit conditions and how the fish are feeding. Today I’ve selected a straight waggler with a total capacity around 3.5AAA. I can fish this float out past the stick float line if needed and when the downstream wind is making stick float presentation challenging.
Like the stick float rigs, I use plenty of no8 or no9 shot in the rig but ensure that the bulk is around 90% of the float capacity. The rig I’m using today has 6 no8 and 2 no9 shot down the line. It’s possible to vary the shot in the same way as with the stick float to change presentation.
One of the best tips I was given for waggler fishing on the Trent (or any river with a downstream wind) is to feed and fish down the peg. Often many anglers (including me in the past) feed in front of the peg and then cast straight out into the feed. This makes controlling the float and presentation almost impossible! Trust me and next time you fish a waggler on a river, feed down the peg, 5-10m down or more and see how much easier it is to fish a waggler! The line is automatically positioned behind the float, and it requires very little controlling and mending of the line.
In windy downstream conditions, I switch my waggler to a longer and slimmer straight peacock design and sink the line. To achieve this, overcast the float and sink the rod tip into the water and reel it back into position.
Today the best rig was utilising the dropper shot spread out evenly between the float and hook. This allowed for a very natural fall of the bait through the water. If I had been pestered with small fish like bleak, I’ll often bulk most of the dropper shot around 4ft from the hook and just have a couple of dropper shot spread below the bulk, making the rig more positive.
Bolo Floats
As I mentioned, I like to use bolo floats when I’m fishing deeper pegs or when I need a positive form of presentation.
The pattern I use most is an old Superteam pattern that’s really a cross between a traditional Avon float and a bolo with a hollow plastic tip.
I’m confident using this pattern as they are easy to control without having an aggressive body shape that can cause problems with resistance on the strike and bumped fish. These floats have a carbon stem that’s light in weight and allows the float to follow the bulk during the cast. Heavier stemmed bolo floats can cause the rig to cartwheel out into the peg and cause tangles.
For me, I don’t like to use bolo floats with anything but a positive bulk like an olivette and positive dropper. Use fancier shotting patterns with spread shot below the bulk when casting a bolo out into the river, and you’ll experience plenty of tangles, very frustrating!
As you can see from the image, I like to incorporate an amount of dropper shot in a straight boom below the olivette.
This helps to reduce tangles, as does using a group of 4 smaller dropper shot to create the positive dropper.
I think one of the best tips to employ in Bolo rigs is to use a stiffer section of thicker line to create the rig. I really like using 0.18mm or 0.20mm Edge Tackle Fluorocarbon to achieve this. Fluorocarbon is stiffer than standard mono, and therefore helps to prevent tangles between the bulk and dropper shot. I like to tie the fluorocarbon section to the mainline below the float with a neat full blood knot. This prevents a knot or thicker line above the float, hampering float control and presentation. Also, if I’m unlucky enough to snag the mainline on the bottom, the line will break below the float, and I’ll get it back!
Today the fishing was a bit tricky, and the bolo was not as productive as the stick and waggler. However, it was there if needed and, on another day, could have been the best rig.
On all my float rigs, it’s important to emphasise the need to use balanced tackle.
The mainline I now use for all my river float fishing is Edge Tackle Float Mono. I typically use this reel line in 3lb (0.14mm) and 4lb (0.16mm) for most situations. The line is robust, floats very well and is also nice and smooth when casting and for controlling.
Also, it allows me to balance the main line to the hooklength perfectly. I don’t like a big jump in diameter between reel line and hooklength. Today I’ve had to fish a finer 0.08mm hooklength, Edge Tackle Premium Mono, and I like to use this with a 0.14mm mainline. If I could get away with a 0.10mm or 0.12mm hooklength, I would match with a 0.16mm to achieve the perfect balance.
It’s important to note that a lighter mainline allows lighter floats to be used. Try and experiment and use the same float on 0.14mm and 0.18mm line, then you’ll see the difference!
Feeding is obviously a key consideration when float fishing on rivers. The Match Fishing cameraman commented about how often I was feeding. Certainly, every cast, but typically more!
I remember watching the great Jan Porter fishing on the Avon at Evesham. He had an interesting technique of being able to feed with a catapult whilst still holding his rod. This is something I copied way back then, and I find it’s an efficient way of feeding.
Obviously, a main advantage is I don’t have to put the rod down and can strike at a bite if I get one when feeding. Here is the step-by-step process:
Step one: hold the catapult in spare hand and load some maggots into the cup
Swing the cup with maggots loaded around to the hand holding the rod
Fire out the maggots
I like to use an old type of catapult which only fires from one side. This helps present the cup around to the bait box easier. I also like to use a heavier diameter elastic, as it’s less prone to tangling. It’s a great way of feeding, and I’m sure It’s helped improve my catches in matches due to less missed bites and the opportunity to feed more regularly, give it a try on your next practice session.
Usually, I favour using longer rods when fishing on a bigger river like the Trent. I used our Cadence CR10 18ft #1 on the bolo, CR10 15ft #1 on the stick and CR10 15ft #0 on the waggler. Longer rods like this help to cope with deeper pegs and control the float easier out in the river, especially when faced with an awkward downstream wind.
During the practice session, I managed to catch on all three methods, but by far the best method was the stick float. I fed a general area from about 6m out to 15m. I like feeding a bigger area like this as it enables you to pick fish from different areas and rest some spots if needed. A great tip I find is to feed one area with a bigger quantity of bait less often, usually I do this on the closer line. Leave it alone and try it occasionally, you’ll often be rewarded by a bigger fish. On this session it worked well, tempting a good-sized bonus perch, the biggest fish of the day.
Just as the practice session was finishing, we had a guest appearance from Dean Barlow! Dean is a great friend and, as I’m sure you know, the son of Trent legend Frank Barlow. We had a laugh reminiscing about our times fishing against each other as juniors and remembering some funny stories about his dad. The following day was Frank’s annual memorial match at Burton. Unfortunately, I couldn’t fish it this year, but that is a match I would dearly love to win.
Dean had a go on my gear, and it was wonderful to watch him fishing a running line on the Trent again, he’s not lost it! There was no chance I was getting another cast!
Thanks to my mate Leigh Harrison who fished this practice session with me. He had a similar weight of fish on a peg upstream, mainly on the waggler. I think practice sessions like this are so valuable, especially when you fish together with friends, you never stop learning!
