Lift floats

[Frenchman]

I've always fished the lift with a straight peacock float set to pretty much dead depth fixed bottom end only with a float rubber. Ideally a single shot or the minimum number of shot to actually sink the float but only just. Hit the bites that lift the float and ignore everything else unless the float goes under and stays under for a few seconds in which case hit it.

I'm about to start making some reed floats for fishing the lift with the fancy banded tips. Before I start I thought I better check, it all makes complete sense to me but then I've been barking up the wrong tree before!

If the shot just sinks the float then the shot doesn't really govern the sensitivity of the rig, doesn't it? The weight of the shot can be forgotten about since the weight is supported by the float, it's only the overshotted weight that the fish which actually pick up and feel. So, a 2 swan shot float overshotted with a single bb will feel the same weight to the fish as a 2bb float overshotted with a single bb. I'm I correct or way off?

As far as the bite goes and indication.
If the float is set to dead depth, the movement of the shot will translate directly to movement of the float tip. In which case the thickness of the tip matters not, more the length of the float or indeed the thickness of the bands of colour. Again I'm I correct or way off?

I know some people recommend fishing overdepth and tightening up to cock the float. Whenever I've tried this I rarely get lift bites, I have to hit dips on the float which isn't the easiest as the float often dances before the bite.

[Bumble]

Hi I use this method a lot and not only for Tench ,see my recent post, to me the key is to plumb the depth and decide exactly where you want to fish in the swim and always cast to the same spot if possible.
Plumb the depth as exact as you can so only about 1/2 inch is out the water once done attach a weight no more than 4 inches from the hook , the weight should be heavy enough to sink the float if left at the same depth as you found when plumbing. Finally move the the float up the line exactly the same distance as the shot is from hook no more or less, less and the float will sink more and the lift will not register correctly.
If you follow this the float will upon a bite shoot out of the water and lay flat and in most situations before you can grab the rod disappear under the surface.
Bumble

[JerryC]

I have enjoyed using it since before it was popularized by Fred J in the late 50's. A method used by the pre-war Lea big roach anglers that Fred noticed also caught tench - the rest is history as they say. Quite a lot of coverage in an earlier thread.

[Greentura]

One of my favorite methods, just came back from a weekend fishing it but unfortunately the tench didn't show, 14 bream over 5lb with many over 6lb, six of them came to that method though using My Fred J Taylor roach rod and 1956 300 with one of my home made floats, a goose quill and balsa body slider with a brass weight in the bottom so it only needs one SSG to fully cock it. it only needs the weight of 1bb to lift it past the black and white bands so a lift bite is easy to spot even if the float doesnt fall over. i would normaly use something lighter but the wind was right in my facemaking anything less difficult to use and the short line of a slider kept all the rig together as well

[Tru-Cru]

I use the lift method whenever it is possible, probably 80% of my bottom fishing.
I use an insert waggler shotted so that the 2 or 3 no 4s near the hook will just sink the float.
I usually rely on the tightening down method and fish 2 or 3 inches over depth.
This allows me to misscast a little or if the bottom is not perfectly flat (is it ever) to still fish without repositioning my rig.
I like to use 2 or 3 smaller shot near the hook instead of one larger as this tends to grip the bottom better and wont get dislodged too easily by chop, tow or fish brushing the line.
Like frenchman I find hitting only lifts being the most reliable but big sailaways just have to be tried but are nearly allways line bites.
I find my method works great when fish are very shy biting.
In the winter I will often get good results tightening the float right down to a dot and hitting as little as 2mm lift.
I find I have learnt to read pretty well a true lift as opposed to smaller fish playing keepy uppy with the bait.
Had a good bag of crucians and a few tench and skimmers on Saturday using this method, probably 50 or 60 fish.

Just wanted to add that using a pin while holding the rod allows constant adjustment using just your thumb to keep the float submerged just right.