stick floats

'Techs'

Fishing with Wagglers

"There is often confusion about what a Waggler Float is.Is it a specific kind of float? Should it have a body? Why is it so special? Here are the answers."

Strictly speaking, Waggler is a term that may be applied to any float attached bottom only. For this reason it comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials. It holds no mystery, but once you master Waggler Float fishing you have at your disposal an extremely versatile technique and one that produces results when all else fails.

Types of waggler float

There are basically two types: straight and bodied, both with or without inserts. The main stem of a Waggler Float is usually made from peacock quill, sarkandas reed or plastic, with the body made from balsa or cork, and the insert from thinner quill, reed, cane or plastic.

Some are fashioned entirely from one piece of balsa. Wagglers come in a range of sizes, from two BB (the lightest) to three SSG (the heaviest). Tackle shops stock these under different commercial names.

Why Wagglers?

Without exception, you want to get the bait to where the fish are and keep it there. If the fish are a long way out, you may have trouble casting to them. If the wind is strong, you may be unable to keep the float over the feed. A Waggler will help you to solve these problems.

■

Firstly, a float that is attached by its bottom, with the bulk of the shot around its base, acts like a dart as it flies through the air. It is possible to cast it a long way with great accuracy.
■

Secondly, because the line issues from the bottom of the float, you can keep the line (from float to rod) entirely beneath the water's surface, away from the wind.

However, there are times when you need to hold a bait back - when fishing medium and fast-flowing rivers, for example. If you use a Waggler it will dive under each time you pull on the float; a float attached top and bottom - a Stick Float, for example -would be better than a Waggler.

Which Waggler Float?

Four things should be considered when choosing which waggler to use: location of the fish, wind strength, depth of water, and shyness of fish.

■

The location of the fish: as a rough guide, if the fish are three or four rod lengths out, you will need a lightish float taking only two, three or four BB. If the fish are further out choose a heavier float taking from two AAA to several SSG. When in doubt, it is almost always best to choose a float on the heavy side; this makes casting less of a strain

■

Depth of water: the Waggler's dart like behaviour tends to make it pierce the water on entry. In shallow water a long float that dives too deeply may scare the fish away from the feed area. In this situation you can use a bodied float to good effect. With a body you can use a shorter float while retaining the shotting capacity of a straight Waggler.

■

Wind strength: a stronger wind demands a heavier float to get the bait out, especially if it is blowing in your face. On large, open expanses of water, where the wind is particularly strong, powerful surface drag and undertow tend to move the float out of position. Long Wagglers - up to 45cm (18in) - help to counteract these effects, and using a bodied Waggler increases stability.

■

Shyness of fish: if the fish are biting shyly you may need an insert. Inserts are particularly useful for detecting bites on the drop. But make sure it is thick enough to see.

Attaching a Waggler Float

The traditional method of attaching the Waggler Float by its bottom eye makes float changing inconvenient. It is better to use ready-made, quick-change adaptors, or for small Wagglers - a piece of silicone. Silicone rubber is available in several diameters. Choose one to suit your Wagglers. Keep a 15cm (6in) length in your tackle box and cut off pieces as you need them. Use scissors - this gives a cleaner cut and prevents the line from slicing through the rubber on the cast.

Float adaptors allow the float to swing more freely. When striking with a heavy Waggler this is an advantage: the float is free to 'collapse' and direct contact is made between the angler and fish. To use a float adaptor simply thread it on to the line and insert the Waggler.

Rods, Reels and Lines

To get the most from your Waggler Floats your tackle needs to be balanced.

Rods

The Rod should be powerful enough to pick up the line quickly when striking at distance but not so stiff that there is risk of snapping off, or bumping fish off on the strike. Ideally you should use two rods. A 12ft to 13ft (3.6 to 3.9m) through-actioned rod with a softish tip is perfect for handling pond and canal rigs.

For Waggler Float fishing lakes and rivers a 13ft (3.9m) rod with a similar action but with a bit of extra power in the butt is ideal. If you only have one rod you will have to modify your striking and casting to suit the conditions.

Reels

An Open-face Fixed-spool reel allows you to cast further than a Closed-faced reel.

Line

Remember that your line strength depends upon the size of fish you expect to catch and the size of float you use.

■

Generally, for the size of float used on ponds and canals (2-4 BB) you can get away with a main line of about 1 1/2lb (0.7kg).
■

For the floats used on lakes and rivers (2 AAA-2 SSG) a heavier line is required; 2 to 2 1/2lb (0.9-1.2kg) is about right.

Shotting

Lakes and rivers 'on the bottom rig'. The no.4 makes the hookbait sink faster, getting it through to the better fish on the bottom. When feathering on the cast, the no.4 brings the hooklength over in a nice arc, preventing tangles.

It is important to use the correct shotting pattern down the line because this directly affects bait presentation. Bunching too much weight too close together leads to tangles when casting and makes the bait behave unnaturally.

Shop-bought Waggler Floats now come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The quality has been much better in recent years and it's no longer necessary to make your own.

Using most of the float's total shotting capacity to lock it in place is the simplest part of shotting a Waggler and yet many people get it wrong by putting too much shot down the line. This makes casting impossible.

More often than not you will want a Sinking Line. Some brands will sink of their own accord and it certainly helps to buy one of these, but you can treat a line to make it sink by soaking it in a solution of washing up liquid.

fishing the waggler float

When you cast, let the rod and reel do the work for you. Unless fishing at an exceptional range, a smooth cast is all that is needed. If you have to lash the float out to reach the fish it could be because your float is too light for the job.

'Feathering':

■

An important trick to learn when fishing a Waggler Float is feathering the line just as the float is about to land in the feed area. Do this by very gently increasing the pressure of your forefinger on the line as it spills over the spool's lip. Feathering gives you extra control over where the float lands and reduces the float's impact. It allows the hook and shot to precede the float into the water and so prevents tangles. It is essential to good Waggler fishing and takes a bit of practice to perfect.

Sinking the line:

■

A light breeze is often enough to pull the float off your feed. If you are fishing a still water you will probably want to sink your line. To do this, cast a couple of yards beyond your feed area, submerge the rod tip and give a couple of sharp turns on your reel while at the same time jerking the rod to one side. Make sure all the line is submerged; even half a metre (2ft) left floating is enough to tow the float.

Float colour:

■

Choosing the correct colour for your float tip is important — get it wrong and you won't see the bites. Your choice should be determined by the surface colour of the water. Orange shows up well in broken (choppy) water. Black shows up well in areas of calm water where the sky is reflected. White is best when fishing in the dark reflections of trees or under the far bank of canals or rivers. One transparent pattern of Waggler Float uses interchangeable inserts so that quick changes of tip colour can be made to suit the conditions. To use one, thread the line through the eye at the bottom, slide the adaptor up the line to the desired depth and push the bottom of the Waggler Float firmly into the adaptor. Lock the float with shot placed on either side of the adaptor.

Striking:

■

a hard, sharp strike may cause the fish to be bumped off or the hook hold to loosen - resulting in the fish being lost as you bring it in. A nice sweep to the side or a steady lift will set your hook sufficiently.

feathering your line for the pinpoint cast

Release the line from under your forefinger to send the float zooming towards a target slightly beyond the feed area. Your forefinger is kept close to the spool's lip, ready to start feathering. At this stage the hooklength lags behind the float.

As the float approaches the target area, slow the line by gently touching the spool's lip with your fingertip. Only with practice will you know just how much pressure to apply. The hooklength will begin to roll over and precede the float.

Slightly increase the pressure to land the float spot on target (just beyond the feed area) with minimum disturbance. The terminal rig should land in a straight line with hook in front of float. Wind the float backwards over your feed, sinking the line.