Float on...

Not being able to pursue any Saltwater Fly fishing has forced me to spend a lot more time Coarse fishing this year, and, to be honest it's been a bit of a revelation. I re joined my local freshwater fishing club because day tickets were getting to be an expensive hobby, thus allowing me more frequent access to the lakes and to some I wasn't able to fish before. It's also enabled me to take my children fishing more often and they are beginning to accompany me more frequently and practice the gentle art, developing their skills as anglers.

Just lately I have been doing quite a lot of Float fishing for various species, and have enjoyed some success of varying degrees. For a long time I didn't really practice float fishing to any great extent, preferring to take a more 'specialist' approach of sitting behind bite alarms. Re learning the art of float fishing has reminded me that it can be just as effective a way to fish for Specimen fish as the ledgering approach. On many waters these days you find most specimen anglers sitting behind pairs of rods positioned on bite alarms, and I think it's fair to say, their rods, Lines and other tackle are usually geared towards the heavier end of the scale due to the nature of the way they are fishing. Whilst this can be an effective method, and I have frequently used it myself, sometimes a more pro active approach and with lighter tackle can prove winning ways. You only have to watch how match anglers work their swims, building them up and fishing through the small fish, eventually hooking into better specimens by drawing all fish into their swim, thus building the confidence of the fish and creating competition between them. Also the match angler often uses tackle balanced toward the finer end of the scale, and sometimes changing to one or two sizes smaller a hook or using a lower diameter line can make all the difference to their catch rate. I have frequently used a similar ethos myself when applying myself to trying to catch the larger specimens of a species, and float fishing has proved it's worth, over the usual static bottom bait fishing. Not to mention, and the point of this piece, enjoy the overall experience more by using lighter more balanced tackle rather than gear that really the fish, once securely hooked, doesn't really stand a chance on. Yes the object is to land the fish, but it's also about getting the bite and enjoying the fight. Skill, patience and thought are all attributes of a good angler.

So often lately I have been happily catching smaller Roach, Bream and Tench on the float, when I have suddenly connected with a larger specimen of one of those, or the culprit has been a Carp that has been drawn in by the feeding activity of the smaller fish! Due to the fact that my tackle has been balanced as well as being on the lighter side, every fish has been landed, of all sizes, moreover I have been able to enjoy an exhilarating fight from the bigger fish rather than just winding them in on traditional heavy Carp gear.

Shakespeare Mach 3 Lite Match Rod.

Yesterday I took delivery of another new Rod. This one aimed firmly at the Specimens of the Silver fish category. I intend to do some River fishing for Roach and Grayling this winter, so to be able to make the most of the experience I invested in Shakespeare Mach 3 Lite Match Rod.

This Rod's primary designation is as a Silver fish Rod, with a line rating of 12oz up to six pound though really I can't see any need to gear up that heavy. I tackled up with 4lb line (in case of a rogue Carp!) and took it to My local water to test it out on the small Bream and Roach stocks. It became immediately apparent that I had chosen the right tool for the job and this Rod will be a joy to use for My intended purpose of trotting for Grayling and Roach, even six ounce fish required netting such was the gentleness of the tip. Not sloppy, crisp on the strike with a soft progressive playing action yet still with enough in reserve in the lower sections to cope with bonus fish up to say 4lb. Although I did land a couple of Bream around the 7lb mark, they didn't put up much resistance thankfully and I honestly wouldn't want to hook anything that size that did, as you really would have a task on your hands on this beautifully light Rod. I can't wait to use it for the Grayling and Roach because I had rediscovered the thrill of playing small to medium sizes fish on ultra light tackle. Any Grayling or Roach of a pound or over will be superb on 3lb mainline and ultra light hooklinks coupled with tiny hooks. Roll on winter!