Hook links.

[Phil Arnott]

Interesting thread this.

The secret of trotting a float is given in books by Ivan Marks, On page 152 of "Ivan Marks on match fishing" Ivan describes how it is often necessary to vary the presentation - see below, In his book "Float fishing with Ivan Marks" on page 162 there is a section titled "Doing it daft" which again emphasises this point.

I was once lucky enough to have some time chatting to world champion Ian Heaps when we discussed trotting techniques. Ian summed it up very concisely "You've got to give the fish what they want." which he emphasised was on the particular day. This statement applies to so many aspects of fishing and always overrules what an angler thinks or theorises.

Further to what Ivan has written below I can add that I've taken quite a reasonable number of fish with the float moving sideways across the current and one day when fishing for perch which I could observe in the water, the only way I could get them to take the bait was to retrieve it slowly upstream against the current. I would never have discovered this If I had not been able to see the fish.

Incidently there is a guy with whom I have become friends, who fishes my local river regularly, he normally fishes with a float well over-shotted edging it down the swim at such a slow pace that if it were any slower it would be classed as laying on. He makes some terrific catches of roach and on it's day is a winning method. This is in a very fast water at times. It's a method I often try and have success with when other techniques fail.

Fairly recently I was trotting on my local river using an 24" hook length holding one small shot below my olivette. The swim was a bit snaggy and I kept losing hooks so my hook length gradually got shorter and shorter down to about 12" as the river is tidal I adjusted my float constantly but eventually stopped getting bites until I snagged loosing my hook and all my hook length, After rigging up again with an 24" hook length I instantly started catching again.

So I agree partly with what Dave says about hook lengths in that it is a personal thing however, it's always the fish that have the final say!

[Santiago]

I alter the hook link lenght depending on the mood of the fish. Start with about 12" and if they're biting well but I'm missing the bites then I go to 18". If I'm hitting most of the bites then I leave it as is. Also alter the way I'm holding back the float until I start to get more bites. Start off letting the float move at the same pace as the river, and then slow down until I get regular bites. One has to remember that most times the current near the river bed is often slower than what we perceive at the surface. Hence, slowing the pace of the float often works. I find this works especially well when just tripping the bottom.

[Coral Maestro]

I think this is why the centrepin reel works so well. The inherent friction in that type of reel causes the float to move through slightly slower than the surface current but at the same pace as the current near the bottom. This presents the bait in a natural way.
Regarding hooklinks, I don't put shot on fine Reflo because I find it weakens it too much. If I want to use a long hooklink I tend to favour a standard mono which I can put tell tale shot onto.

[Paul F]

10-14" hooklength for me when roach fishing, i use either 1 or 2 No6 on the hooklength, any thing from 2" to 10"" away from the hook.

I always fish a centrepin, i am constantly slowing the float down, and holding back hard where needed, and it works for me.

In the summer i float fish for barbel, and i pretty much do the same, except i use a larger shot bb or No1

[Aitch]

If I want to slow the float through the flow, I use a large float and hold it back... often just edging it through... using lighter floats will cause the bait to flutter upwards... if the fish are feeding in the bottom layers I'll tailor the hooklength down to just a few inches, as with a longer link the bait lifts up to the level of the bulk shot... I think nothing of having the bulk low a short hooklink and even placing a dropper on the link if need be... we all have different ways of doing things... there is no right or wrong

[Dave Burr]

We all have different go-to methods and all catch - typical fishing

One advantage I didn't mention about starting with a long hooklink is that lost hooks can be replaced without the need for retying a complete link. I've started with 20" and ended up with 6" but have kept catching throughout. I am a lazy so and so and try to keep everything easy with as little effort as possible

[DaceAce]

There are several reasons for using 22" hooklinks; I fish on the drop a lot on stillwaters (and on the rivers in summer) and this length gives me good presentation. I aim for consistency in my hooklinks so changing a hook doesn't change my depth. I can move the bottom shot a long way. I only use lead shot on the hooklink, doubling/trebling up as necessary with no. 8s or 10s. I suppose it's the 20 years on the open circuit where little details make a difference whereas pleasure anglers can and do get away with poor presentation.

Whilst a 'pin can slow the bait down if you watch very carefully on my trotting videos I carefully place the bait into the roach's mouth, gently varying the speed as I do so....

[Phil Arnott]

I love fishing a river with a centrepin but I often recount my experience of a day I had fishing in on the Yorkshire Derwent. The conditions were perfect and my centrepin controlled the float in the classic way. After an hour without a bite and thinking there were few fish about I eventually allowed my float to go the swim at the speed of the current. I got a bite and a fish and subsequent trots at the speed of the current produced more fish and I ended up with a good catch of fish. I was a little annoyed at not being able to use my centrepin as I wanted and would have been better using my closed-face reel. What the fish wanted on the day was not what I expected but their behaviour of course is what counts.

Like Mark I match fished at one time but not at the standard he did. Many anglers knock match fishing but I always defend it. Apart from the companionship and banter which goes on particularly in small clubs it is great way to learn how to fish. When you see the same anglers regularly making good catches, it highlights how much they know and how much your own skill is lacking. It's something that's almost impossible to find out fishing on your own or with a few fiends. The other thing which match fishing taught me was to make the most of the piece of water in front of me. You draw a peg and you are stuck in it for four or five hours. To make a catch of fish you search the swim trying different settings with your tackle, maybe different baits and methods trying to extract as many fish from your swim as possible. I've indulged in all types of fishing in both fresh and saltwater and it's very much up to the individual what they find pleasurable, I'm really glad that at one time I match fished, it taught me so much.

[Tengisgol]

Much of what I do is instinctive and I don't know how I could ever write it down just going from memory. On the Wensum I'll not go below 3lb Maxima straight through and am happy gently pinching an 8, 6 or 4 on the line. If I am bulk shotting then I put that over a piece of thin pole tube to avoid line damage (edit, of recent I have been using lengths of brass rod). On the local rivers for roach I will go down to a 2lb Maxima bottom. Whilst I rarely don't catch I suppose it is fair to say I don't know how many more I might get if I took it down to a finer bottom of Reflo or similar. As for shot, they are always on the move in tandem with where I am casting and how I am running the float at them.

Regarding holding back or going with the flow, again much of that I seem now to just do in the subconscious, as I get lost in the moment. Completely lost I must say. When I am trotting, I just blank out everything around me and my head works through what I am doing or going to do in a constant stream of computations. It isn't much of an answer really I guess, save that everything is always on the move, I hope responding to the river and the conditions.

[Olly]

I agree with comments above regarding match, (clubs or opens), or competition fishing between friends for a quid!
Also you can learn a hell of a lot just watching a successful match angler - but you may need binos to see exactly what he is doing with his shotting!