The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Mea culpa, I am indeed the same 'Nobby' that posted on Pure Piscator as linked to.

You'll see why I posted here that the method causes so much discussion yesterday..........

Sorry if my use of the word 'cantilever' caused confusion...this was my word, not John Wilson's....I was simply attempting to explain simply, in words without the support of images, his description of the method.

Perhaps I should scan the page in his book for others to see? But if I do so can we please refrain from using words like 'nonsense' and 'ridiculous' ? Because believe me, you won't be posting any opinions I haven't heard before many times on forums. That's why I held off posting on this thread before...this subject, like so many about float design, does seem to get some people hot and bothered. Even in 1967 these arguments were raging in the press.

A shot weighs what it weighs in water. If a fish picks it up, that is the weight it will feel hanging from its lip. Doesn't matter what's above it - a fancy commercial float, a traditional quill finely whipped, or an oil drum.

The actual weight of the shot will, of course, remain constant. I am assuming, however, as does the commenter on the PurePiscator thread, that when the shot is lifted the rising float exerts an upward force on it which reduces the load on the fish, so it will feel lighter to the fish. This effect diminishes as the float rises. Physics was never my strong suit however so I may be wrong.

One important aspect of float design for lift methods is to exploit that effect: e.g. maximising the amount of upward movement by using a thin antenna of dense material with nearly all the actual buoyancy provided by the bulb below it.

I've used those Driftbeater floats since they first appeared 40 years ago when I was fishing Essex gravel pits where cross wind and surface drift are often found. They appear to me to work in the way described in the linked piece.

Firebird wrote:Just goes to show how much theorising anglers do and how most of it is wrong

I'd be grateful if you could point out exactly where I'm 'wrong' in what I posted. Seems to me your post 's discussion of the effect of lift replicated what I said.

And you don't answer the point about the use of thin dense material in an antenna.

I certainly agree with your last sentence.

A mate of mine challenged Walker, through the letters page of the Angling Times, over the physics of the lift method back in the seventies so we are going nowhere new here. DW claimed the float, rising at the same speed of the shot, negated it's weight but my learned friend said that inertia was involved..... and then I lost interest.

Its just another example of anglers over thinking where results invariably speak for themselves. I tend to use the 'lift' method or set up when float fishing for carp but most of the time strike when the float has buried as that is what tends to happen. After the early season munchies, tench can become very picky about bait size and a delicate method is called for, I suggest that when using small baits it is better to use a lighter, more sensitive arrangement than the lift method with a swan shot as an anchor.

Of course you can scale it down subject to conditions. Or, you can use a tell tale shot with an antenna float that will relay what is happening at the interesting end by raising maybe just an inch or so. You can still strike these indications and they are still lift bites but it would seem that some reckon they don't count! Er, a fish on the bank counts and if you strike because your float lifted.....

This thread is enough to put anyone off using the lift method.

I am so glad I don't think too deeply about rigs and fishing in general.

You are right Mark, and the way i fish it is what always catches me Tench when the rivers are closed, if others catch using a different method then so be it, as already said, its whats on the bank that counts.
I will be back on the river soon enough

I think it's possible that the occasionally disputatious RW might regard it as an appropriate birthday tribute.

Stathamender wrote:I think it's possible that the occasionally disputatious RW might regard it as an appropriate birthday tribute.

I bet he is looking down laughing his whatsits off.