"Whatever rivers you fish, the versatile waggler is your best friend."
Whether you fish wide rivers, narrow rivers, fast rivers or slow rivers carry a selection of Waggler Floats with you every time you go.
No other float can cope with such a range of swims and conditions. 'Top-and-Bottom' Floats (Stick Floats, Balsa Floats and Avon Floats) are basically restricted to pacy water, not too far out, on days when the wind is favourable - preferably a gentle upstream breeze.
The only real limitation of the Waggler Float is that you can't use it to 'slow the bait' in running water the way you can with a Stick Float or pole. Winter Roach especially often want the bait held back hard at just half the speed of the flow.
With a full set of Waggler Floats you are equipped to fish very slow as well as fast water at any distance up to about 40m (44 yd) even on days when the wind is a wicked ‘down streamer’.
It has to be said, too, that the basics of Waggler Float fishing - Shotting and Casting but above all Float control - are easier to master than the basics of 'top-and-bottom' float fishing.
In summer it's worth moving some of the droppers up to the float to make the bait sink slower when fish are taking on the drop.
Use Straight Waggler Floats for river fishing. Those with inserts are mostly for slow water in summer. Those without inserts are mainly for fast water in winter. Some match anglers prefer unloaded floats - you might, however, like semi-loaded ones better.
You can buy Waggler Floats made from balsa, 'sarkandas' (Indian reed) or hollow plastic but most top anglers favour ones made from Peacock Quill. It's very much a subjective thing but Peacock Quill is an extremely light material and Waggler Floats made from it do seem to cast and to ride the water better - provided they have no more than one or two thin coats of paint.
Time was when you couldn't buy a decent Peacock Waggler Float for love or money but now there are many excellent ones on the market and you are almost spoilt for choice. For river fishing you need a range of Straight Waggler Floats - with and without Peacock Inserts - taking from 2-4AAAs. You can use Bodied Waggler Floats but they are really designed for distance fishing on still waters and drains.
Waggler Floats 'without' Inserts have thickish tips that don't show up bites on the drop very well but which make them excellent for fishing a bait on the bottom in pacy water. They don't drag under easily (except when you get a bite!) - even when fished over depth, if you under shot them.
Waggler Floats 'with' Inserts have thinner tips that clearly register bites on the drop but which make make them prone to pulling under if fished over depth in pacy water. Therefore, you mostly use them in summer, when rivers tend to be slower and fish are more likely to be caught up in the water.
Waggler Float Size depends on three things. The stronger the wind, the farther you
have to cast and the more shot you need down the line, the bigger the float you
need.
A good rule, however - and this
applies equally to still water fishing - is to err one BB on the heavy side.
Then, unless you are fishing tight to the far bank, you can overcast and draw the float back into your swim. This helps you to sink the line when necessary. Erring on the heavy side also gives you weight in reserve if the wind gets up or the fish move farther out - but never hesitate to change to a heavier float if the situation demands it.
Waggler Float Length is important. Generally, the stronger the wind, the longer the float when you need to sink the line - up to 30cm (12in) long.
A long float can hinder striking when fishing shallow, however, so you sometimes have to compromise.
The advantages of an Open-face Reel over a Closed-face Reel for Waggler Float fishing are that you can cast farther, and the line doesn't bed in on the spool after playing a big fish.
Some match anglers do, however, prefer a Closed-face Reel as it rarely tangles, even when it's very windy, and fewer fish are lost when engaging the pick-up pin than when closing a bale arm.
Feather the line before the float hits the water, so the float, droppers and hook don't all land in a tangled heap. When fishing tight to the far bank, feathering the line also stops the float from landing with a splash and plunging down into the water - a sure way to scare off fish.
Whether to fish a sinking or a floating line is
governed by wind conditions.
Use a Sinking Line on all but the calmest days on rivers with little or no flow, as even a slight breeze catches a floating line and moves the float.
Even a Sinking Line tends to form a
bow in a 'downgate' wind. To minimise this problem, cast downstream - the
stronger the wind, the farther
slightly downstream and let line peel off
the reel as before.
You can allow a slight bow to form but mend the line
regularly to stop the bow becoming so big that you can't pick up all the line
when you strike.
Mend the line to a point a metre or so above the float to
avoid moving the float and hence the bait.
On flowing wateronly usea Sinking Line when there's adownstreamwind. In a 'down streamer' a floating line bows in front of the float, dragging it through too fast.
Use a Floating Line on running water when
there's no wind or when there's any kind of upstream wind. Cast slightly
downstream and let line peel off the reel as before.
You can allow a slight bow
to form but mend the line regularly to stop the bow becoming so big that you
can't pick up all the line when you strike.
'Mend the line' to a point a metre or
so above the float to avoid moving the float and hence the bait.
Use simple but flexible shotting patterns. Always put 90% of a Waggler Float's total Shot Loading around the base as locking shot, leaving a small gap so the float collapses cleanly on the strike.
The faster the water, the more shot you want down the line. The four simple rig diagrams shown cover most situations.
Start by fishing the exact depth with the dropper shots spread evenly between float and hook, leaving around 40cm (15in) between the last shot and the hook. You can then vary the depth and move the droppers around according to how the fish are biting.
It can pay to go shallower, or move some of the dropper shot up to the base of the float so the bait sinks slower. If small fish such as Bleak prove a nuisance, smashing the bait near the surface or in midwater, try bulking most of the droppers just below halfway between float and hook.
It can pay to go over depth. In pacy water, use a Waggler Float without an Insert and remove one or two dropper shot so it is 'under shotted' and doesn't drag under.
A straight Peacock Waggler Float with a thin insert shows up a bite on the drop very well on slow rivers as the fish holds up the dropper shot.
Line Tips: To make a sinking line sink faster, soak the spool for a week in a solution of Fuller's earth and washing up liquid. To make a floating line float better, run it through cloth smeared with line grease or spray it with line/fly 'floatant'.
Fuller's earth is a term for various clays used as an absorbent, filter, or bleaching agent.
In summer, when rivers tend to be low, slow and clear, the fish can often only be caught way out from the bank in the fastest water. This is when the good Waggler Float angler can really score.
Always feed first, then cast. This way your hook bait sinks among the loose feed. This is particularly important in summer when fish feed up in the water. Use two rod rests so you can lay down your rod, feed the swim then pick up your rod again to cast without fumbling about. And take spare catapults so that if the elastic on the one you are using breaks you don't have to stop feeding to repair it.