The story of the Fluted Float

[Santiago]

I essentially agree with you Firebird. The advantages really depends on how the person actually trots and how much they like to mend the line. Those that tend to keep the line fairy tight to the float will benefit the most. If you're like me and trot with a fair amount of slack then a normal avon will be just as good, providing it's big enough for the conditions. But I don't tend to trot much in exposed windy places so cannot comment on wind. Ultimately, whatever float one uses should be one that gives one confidence, and that's all that matters!

[Nobby]

Actually, they were designed to trot against an upstream wind.
The wind in this direction held the water at the surface near static and the trot failed. By using a deeply vaned float those vanes made contact with the deeper more-readily flowing current and carried the float and end tackle downstream once more.
The majority were made in a denser wood than balsa, possibly beech, and don't carry as much shot as a replica made of balsa which by the time it is big enough to catch the flow is carrying rather too much shot.

There are two alternatives, firstly to source a denser wood that will be harder to work or secondly, to make them from thinner balsa to redress the over-buoyancy issue. I took the latter option and they work OK, remaining sensitive and catching the flow, but they are surely more fragile.

My fishing pal JAA came up with a method of construction that makes them far stronger......two slotted double vanes that go together but also have a small slot top and bottom to take the tip and stem.....so far I haven't broken one....touch wood!




These all take 5 or 6 BB. In thicker balsa they took twice that!

[Santiago]

So fluted duckers should work even better against an upstream wind?

[TrentFisher]

Another very interesting post and a fine example of sharing hidden treasures,I for one have learnt a bit more about this wonderful sport .Yes we all go fishing and catching fish is fantastic,but there is so much more going on and I love it all.

Many thanks for taking the time to share this little gem.You have inspired me to have a go during the winter.

[Nobby]

So fluted duckers should work even better against an upstream wind?

I think not...the stem would cause them to lay flat, I think.

[Nobby]

It's true that wind affects the flow of the surface layer but vanes will make no difference whatsoever to the movement of the float - they don't 'catch' the flow. Any float will move with the average speed of the current. If there is a differential flow, it's the average flow across its surface that the float follows. If you really wanted to capture that sliver of retarded surface water, a pancake shaped float would be a good choice, though not so good for fishing.

But they don't want to capture the retarded flow, they want to avoid it. The idea is that the bait is trotted down at the faster lower current speed without being 'held back' which would cause the bait to rise in the water.

I'd suggest, if I may, that members return to the first few paragraphs of this thread and re-read them. There's also Richard Walkers observation that these floats 'anchor' themselves in the water when mending the line and it's this trait that I find them particularly good for.

It's true Billy Lane didn't have any time for them, but that might perhaps be influenced by his son having bought into a company that didn't offer them? A feller as skilled as he probably didn't need them, but for us mere mortals......?

[Nobby]

It may well be that they were another 'angling fashion'. We've all seen them come and go.

From the early days of Tom Watson selling them..even in 'cammo' form I read in an advert! They seem quickly to have been offered by other makers around 1966 with both Belglow and even Allcocks offering them. Those from Allcocks might well be 'unwritten' Belglows actually.

But within a few years they were gone it seems, certainly I can find no adverts for them even if Dick Walker liked them and Peter Drennan wrote so enthusiastically about them.

Interestingly, despite searching very hard, I can find no reference to Peter Drennan actually offering them for sale which might just tell you all you really need to know about them. Peter did however make a few: these are his own personal floats......



OK, not all actually fluted avons, but they are fluted.....and the fifth from the right IS an avon and looks particularly like current home-made offerings.

[Match Aerial]

Seen a post of those Drennan floats before Nobby
Was there any advice or information regarding what some of those floats were used for ?

The fifth one from the right is very similar to the ones I use and make I found they work well, but like I have said its difficult to say if they offer any advantages over a standard wire stem avon equivalent.
Perhaps it does not matter really if they catch fish" its all good fun".

[Nobby]

Well, with PD writing so enthusiastically several times I bet there was a demand, even if only temporarily.

I know nothing about the intended use of Peter's floats MA, but I did read that the twin bodied ones were for use on the Thames.

[Santiago]

"No nothing about the use of the floats....... " Nobby 18/10/2015

I don't believe you!!!!