Next up – Alloy stem sticks.

1) CARBON FIBRE STEMMED STICKS There are lots of different types of stick floats on the market today and they all have a common design in that the top half of the float is made from balsa wood. The main difference in design thereafter is the material from which the base of the float is constructed. The original stick floats were made with cane bases but nowadays my favourite base materials are carbon fibre, alloy and lignum. All three float bases are designed to do specific jobs in different situations. My stick floats with carbon stems are designed for fishing fairly close to the bank in slow flowing water. I normally shot these floats up with strung out number eight shots with a number ten shot on the hooklength. I’m often asked how do you decide what size float to use for a particular swim. As a general guide I like to work on one shot per foot of depth. So, in a slow moving swim six foot deep I would elect to use a carbon stemmed stick float taking six number eight shot. Don’t make the mistake of fishing too heavy a main line when using these light stick floats. Fine lines are easier to cast and will help you to present your bait to wary fish much better that a thick line. I would normally use either 1.5lb or 2.0lb Maxima as my main line with a hi-tech hooklength of 0.07mm up to 0.10mm. Before fishing always spray up your main line with M.A.P. floating line spray. This not only helps the line to float but also reduces rod ring friction. In turn this leads to less lost fish caused by the hook pulling out as you will play the fish much more smoothly than with an untreated line. I use three different designs of carbon fibre stemmed sticks. The shouldered versions are the most sensitive floats in the range and are very delicate for shy biting fish. Dome tops should be used when extra line is laid on the bottom.

Next up – Alloy stem sticks.