Overview
If you learn one method, learn the float. It costs little, it catches everything from a roach to a double-figure carp, and it teaches you to watch the water and read a bite — which is the skill every other method borrows from. When the float slides away, you'll know why you came.
Which float
Don't drown in the choices; three cover almost everything to begin with.
- Waggler: attached at the bottom end only, cast out on stillwaters and canals.
- Stick float or pole float: for trotting a bait through flowing river water at the pace of the current.
- A simple pole or whip rig: for close-in canal and commercial work, where you ship the rig out rather than cast it.
Shotting and depth
A float only works when it's set to carry the right amount of weight and fished at the right depth. Pinch split shot down the line until just the tip of the float shows — too much and it drags under, too little and you'll miss shy bites. Then plumb the depth with a plummet so your bait sits where the fish are, usually just on or just off the bottom.
Feeding
Feeding is what turns the odd bite into a swim full of fish. Little and often is the rule — a few maggots or a small ball of groundbait at regular intervals holds a shoal and keeps them competing, where one big helping fills them up and ends the session.