When your swim is deeper than the length of your rod, it’s time to rely on this clever set-up so you can still fish accurately.
Originally developed for fishing in deep water, the slider float has proven to be more useful than just that one task and can be used in many situations. When tackling stillwaters where the water is close to or deeper than the length of the rod it can be quite tricky to cast a float. This is where the slider comes into its own.
With the float able to slide half-way down towards the hook the rig is much easier to cast. Yet, once in the water, the shot pulls the line through the eye on the float and sets it quickly at full depth. It is important to use a large buoyant float that has enough shot loading to pull the line quickly through the eye, otherwise it takes a long time to settle.
The slider is also useful when casting into small holes in the weed, where a normal rig might not fit, and when fishing a deep island margin or up against far bank trees. In each of these situations having the float much closer to the hook during the cast makes fishing very much easier than with a fixed float.
YOU WILL NEED…
- Large (minimum 4AA) bodied waggler float
- 3lb-4lb hooklength line
- Size 14-18 Guru MWG hook
- Non-toxic shot
- Fine bore 4mm bead
- Swivel float adaptor
1. Slide the fine bore 4mm bead and the float adaptor on to the mainline
2. Next, tie a small overhand loop in the end of the mainline
3. Tie the hook to a 40cm length of hooklength using a through-the-eye whipping knot
4. Make a small overhand loop in the end of the hooklength and attach it to the mainline loop
5. Place a No.6 shot about 15cm from the hook
6. Place two No.4 shot 35cm above the hook
7. Add the bulk of the shot, made up of BBs or an olivette, 120cm above the hook
8. Tie a stop knot above float at the approximate depth and use plummet to find exact depth
If you require any more tips or information on float fishing, please contact the Angling Active team. We are more than happy to help.
