Lily pads again deserve to be treated differently from other types of weed

Unfortunately though, long stay fishing means that many anglers miss out on the joys of watching a bite develop on a delicately weighted piece of quill or plastic. Make no mistake though, in the right hands float fishing can be one of the most effective ways of dealing with heavily weeded stillwaters. Like all methods, float fishing in weed takes practice and demands some slightly unusual techniques to reap the biggest rewards. Just as we found when ledgering, different types of weed demand a different approach from the angler. Lily pads again deserve to be treated differently from other types of weed. With their thick surface cover, it is not possible to sink the line between rod top and float, which is standard practice to avoid surface drift. Instead, we must adopt a different approach. Normally, when fishing amongst pads in shallow water I will use a dumpy float, something along the lines of the Drennan chubber floats are ideal. These small floats carry an awful lot of weight and when fished with a relatively large bait, such as a lump of bread, they cast extremely well. In water up to about six feet deep I will use a chubber with most of the shot bulked just off bottom. A number one shot will be used to anchor the bait in place. Generally the bait will be fished about eight inches over depth with the anchor shot just on the bottom. The position of the anchor shot is critical as it will stop the rig from being dragged out of position. This rig can be lowered into position or cast short distances into small holes in the weed. Once in position, the bait will fall straight down. Bites tend to be indicated by the float either sitting up in the water, or sinking positively away. Submerged weed needs to be treated quite differently. Once again, we are likely to be fishing to small holes in the weed, although we may wish to fish at longer range. This creates two problems. Firstly, if the hole in the weeds is not much bigger than the depth of the water then it becomes difficult to cast the tackle cleanly into the hole. The easiest way to overcome this is to use a sliding float set-up with the bulk shot only two feet from the hook and just a dropper shot six inches from the hook. This effectively means that you can cast to within two feet of the weed without the end tackle becoming snagged. The only problem with using a slider is that as the end tackle pulls line through the float, the inertia will tend to draw the float towards the angler. The movement of the float can mean that it is pulled into the near-side weed before the float has settled. To reduce this effect I tend to use large bodied wagglers, which are more stable in the water and are not dragged out of position so easily. My favourite float for this style of fishing is again a Drennan model, the Driftbeater. The long stem on this float requires relatively little shot to sink it, so it is easy to tell if the dropper shot becomes stuck in weed off bottom. Once the float has settled, the line is sunk and fishing can begin. Once again, bites can appear as either the float rising as the dropper shot is lifted clear of the bottom, or the float will sail away. Whatever happens, strike immediately, and play the fish hard to stop them gaining the sanctuary of the weed. Modern tackle means that it is possible to float fish in weed much more comfortably than was previously possible. I tend to use a Shimano fast action float rod coupled with a Shimano Sedona fixed spool reel. Several companies now produce stepped up rods which are ideal for playing big fish in tight swims. Go for the longest float rod that you can find, fifteen feet would be ideal as the extra length will enable you to keep the fish clear of near bank weed. I always play fish in weedy conditions off the clutch and there are few better than the Shimanos. By having a tightly set clutch I can concentrate on playing the fish, rather than having to give line. It goes without saying that hooks and line must be balanced to the tackle. My favourite float fishing line is Sufix Magic Touch, which although extremely tough is quite soft to the touch and casts easily. Hooks tend to be from the ever faithful Drennan stable.

So next time you see fish in the edge, don’t be afraid to leave the bolt rigs at home and sock it to em with the waggler.