Pike floats

Ive just had a good sort through some of my bags again down in the lock up,
I was looking for some pike floats that i bought last year Anyway ive found them
Most of them are slider floats with the odd couple of drifter floats thrown in, I just need to find the sails
Now chewy got me thinking the other day when we was chatting down at poo city about an idea that was spinning around in his hollow nut about using a polaris pike float set up,
Would,nt the slider float do something of the same job, Yes/NO
Only one way to find out.... FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Any help would be gratefully received....

Nidge... going to try this one first...



This rig is ideal for both pike and zander, close in or at long range. It is very simple to create and can be used in water of all depths as the float is not locked at a specific depth - it slides along the line until it hits a stop knot.

A Use a powergum stop knot followed by a bead to prevent the float from sliding all the way up the line. This rig works best when the float's depth is set deeper than the water, eg set the rig to 12ft deep when fishing in 8-10ft of water.

B Mainline needs to be at least 12lb breaking strain. This rig is best used with mono rather than braid.

C Use a bead here to prevent the sliding float from hitting the knot and the wire trace, potentially damaging it upon the cast or when playing the fish.

D Place enough large split shot upon the wire trace to anchor the rig. You may need 3SSG shot at least.

E Mount the deadbait tail first and cut off the fish's head to ensure that the juices escape, adding attraction to the bait.

F The best float to use when fishing with this rig is a straight balsa, often referred to as a pencil float. Avoid using loaded pencil floats as they simply are not sensitive enough to provide instant bite detection.

The unloaded pencil float above are great for still water fishing because you can set them over depth and tighten down until they are semi cocked, if the float lays flat or sits bolt upright you have a take.
I have used used polaris floats for Pike and they are ok but not great with braid.

Just found the sails for my drifter float, so i,m going to try that out again...

I don,t know where my heads been lately...

https://ukfishingforums.darkbb.com/t4768-helpfull-pike-rigs

use slider floats for all my piking nidge, have thought i might experiment using polaris floats on rivers with very varied depths, its a pain in the arse constantly adjusting the stopknot when roving a river!

I used to be into my piking float set ups,
Chewys re ignited my thoguhts for giving them ago again, I can,t wait to use my drifter float down at pc,
Ive seen some good results down there on it....

Use the same setup detailed above for 90% of my dead baiting. I like to use one of them quick change egg sinkers on an uptrace. 18 to 24 grams seems to be about right for me. I make my own floats from balsa dowel, loads better than the bought ones, mick brown or what!
PS. The uptrace comment was just to detail my rig, not to spark the whole uptrace debate

CraigBeverley wrote:
PS. The uptrace comment was just to detail my rig, not to spark the whole uptrace debate

don't worry craig your comment is safe here, pike and preds it ain't!

NIDGE MAC wrote:I used to be into my piking float set ups,
Chewys re ignited my thoguhts for giving them ago again, I can,t wait to use my drifter float down at pc,
Ive seen some good results down there on it....

fished a paternostered roach on pc the other day and it got me my only take

its mad but i've had a drifter float for over a year and never used it!

love using floats though, tells you a lot more about the features under the water than if you were to ledger all the time

and which way the pike is moving

ive seen the drifter float bag 4 pike down there, not to me though

Quite favour a float rig for the river,allows me to cover more water during a day roving.
Don't even go there with the uptrace thing,think a few of saw that one

whats the bit about?

Not aimed at you. was a general sign for some of the replies the thread on p&p got.
A bit like the "monster scottish carp" thread I replied to today.

I guess I'm just not use to nice people on forums and had the P+P guard up. Sorry mate. bedlum on there, no matter what the subject.

Not a problem mate, this forum sure aint the bear pit

nixon wrote:Quite favour a float rig for the river,allows me to cover more water during a day roving.
Don't even go there with the uptrace thing,think a few of saw that one

keeps the mainline out of the water too, shown the light on river float fishing and never ledgered since!

I do still on the odd occasion ledger,but the majority of the time I'll go with the float,gives me something to watch,and is primarily a far more sensitive method of fishing.
I know the scream of an alarm is great,but who doesn't love watching the float slide away

couldn't agree more. Save the screaming alarms for the tenching.

nixon wrote:I do still on the odd occasion ledger,but the majority of the time I'll go with the float,gives me something to watch,and is primarily a far more sensitive method of fishing.
I know the scream of an alarm is great,but who doesn't love watching the float slide away

i ledger a lot on stillwaters but thats often because i need distance or theres a chop on the water

At this very moment in time,I think I'd take an alarm,a float,an,an,an, anything

I primarily fish the river,but have recently dropped onto a still water,which after marking up last visit,will definitely require the ledgered approach,distance is key, as the water at its deepest part is 6ft (a bowl where boats launch) and on average 2-4ft right across. (I've not tried wading yet,at the mo I could Ice skate)

You just know the Pike will be all over that bowl pal if its the deepest hole, can you not use a drifter float?

At the moment...no
We made some casts last time and were able to hit the spots just with a plain lead,but Im yet to give wading a go so I dont yet know how firm the bottom is,could gain me some vital distance,and allow me to keep a bait in one piece.
But at this rate,I wont get on there till bloody april