Whilst you are there you will also establish what baits are working best
Go into any good tackle shop these days and you will be confronted with a huge array of pole floats in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours. Some designs it has to be said leave a lot to be desired but several companies now produce really good quality floats designed specifically for today’s pole angler. When starting out the first important thing to identify is what type of venue are you going to be fishing? Sounds obvious I know but you will need a totally different pole float for fishing on a deep river or stillwater to what you will need on a shallow canal. I’ve always thought it to be a good idea to go and have a look at other anglers fishing on your chosen venue before you have a go yourself. In that way you will soon learn the type of floats that other anglers are using and what sizes. Whilst you are there you will also establish what baits are working best. Armed with all this knowledge you can go away and prepare accordingly for your own session.
I’m often asked “how do I know what size float to use?” Well, I have a general guide, which has served me well so far. Use 0.10gram per one foot of water you are fishing. For example a swim that is four foot deep would be tackled with a float taking 0.40grams. A swim of ten foot deep would be tackled with a float of a gram and so on. Remember, this is only a guide and quite often you will need to go heavier if it is windy or lighter if it is flat calm. Follow my guide though and you won’t go far wrong.