The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

These suggestions are taken from "This Fishing, or Angling Arts and Artifices" by Capt. L. A. Parker (1948).

The first particularly appeals ... The Celluloid Ledger :-

A "very simple device for ledgering in still water is to obtain three celluloid discs about the size of a threepenny piece (about a 1p coin, though could be slightly smaller or larger) and through the centre of each drill a small hole. Now pass these down your cast and arrange them half an inch apart, each one resting on a shot.

This arrangement allows one to fish with the minimum of weight and at the same time gives you a perfect holding for the groundbait, so necessary when making a long cast.

If you are fishing only a very short distance from the bank, you can do away with the shots altogether, and the celluloid discs can rest on knots in your cast, thus eliminating all weight."



The second takes a little more preparation ... The Wooden Ledger :-

"My favourite method is as follows :- Make a wooden ledger, approximately 1/2in by 3/4in in length, drill a hole in the centre and then run it down your cast onto a shot, then place another shot the other end. Your so-called ledger is now a fixture.

Now bait your hook with lobworm or paste, or whatever bait you intend to use." (Now coil the cast around the ledger so that it cannot come undone.) "Now drop the whole lot into a pail of water and watch the action carefully. If the outfit rises to the surface, place one more shot near the ledger. This time you will probably find everything very gradually sink to the bottom. If this is the case, your laying-on equipment is perfect. If not, add one shot at a time till this state of affairs is reached."

The idea is that the weight of the bait is the deciding factor in making the ledger sink.

"Now try to imagine what happens when the fish moves off. Owing to the fact that the fish carries the weight of your bait, your ledger will have a tendency to rise, and by doing so all drag is eliminated."



I feel experimenting coming on !!!

Would you mind if I lived vicariously through you AC, I don't get to the bank enough to experiment. Looking forward to your findings; they must have really had inventive minds back in the day. I wonder what happens to all these ideas today? You should compile a book AC....

Not sure about the wooden leger Mal, if you were to snap off above the weight on a fish it would be tethered to the rig which could in turn snag up and cause the fish great harm or eventual death.

The celluloid discs are an early form of method feeder proving once again that there's nothing new in fishing. Enjoy your experimenting

Dave Burr wrote:Not sure about the wooden leger Mal, if you were to snap off above the weight on a fish it would be tethered to the rig which could in turn snag up and cause the fish great harm or eventual death.

The celluloid discs are an early form of method feeder proving once again that there's nothing new in fishing. Enjoy your experimenting

Something I'd already considered DB, Sir ... and part of the experimenting would be ways to mitigate against that.

Well done Mal, I'd expect nothing else from your ever active grey matter good Sir

Might I suggest a plug of plasticine, it stands up to gentle casting well enough yet will permit your weightless weight to move. My grandfather used to have a cork wrapped in lead strip to achieve a similar effect, it would also keep the weight out of the silt.

Interesting methods
Not sure about the first one but the second one looks promising, providing as you say you can avoid the problem of a fish becoming tethered.

There is a wood that sinks -Lignum vitae. A friend worked at a London Museum and was able to make weights from 'spare' bits!
Alternately it is lead wire in balsa/cork - or an inverted 'waggler' with the buoyancy at the top.

The current 'top anglers' from all disciplines sell their ideas to tackle companies - Korda, Gardener, Fox etc ---- then everyone else copies them!!

Firebird wrote:Can you get celluloid discs? They might rotate and twist the line if not dead centre.

I have a very old roll of 35mm camera film which has never been used which should supply enough for over 50 at least ... and carefully measured with a pin hole centre they should work well.

The first method is a simple old method of light feeder fishing, and the second is really a light ledger rig with a built in lift mechanism owing to the bulky yet low weight of the ledger! But I would be concerned about why these methods have not passed the test of time!

Could it be that both methods have a tendency to cause the hook to foul the bottom; by being so light the weight of the line from the tip of the rod to the rig combined with any underwater tow may well cause problems, so I would suggest a tad more weight in the rig may render these rigs more user friendly! Otherwise I would try to fish a snag free bottom if possible!

If sensitivity is what these methods are trying to achieve these methods may well work, but one has to equally consider that there will be lots of inherent drag in the line; and more importantly, how is the bite registered, by quiver tip or bobbin etc. Use of a bobbin, for example, may well cause an additional tendency for the rig to slowly drag along the bottom and subsequently foul it! And the deeper the water the more weight may be required to counteract any tow!!!

So I think your experimentation will be interesting, and prove to be all about evolving a balanced light weight ledger rig that will need to be tweeked from venue to venue, and from day to day depending on wind etc.

So I take my hat off to you Sir and wish you every success!

Another version is the Goose Quill fledger!

Wire ring on top - hollow filled with polystyrene/cork - base with lead shot glued in - painted what ever dull sandy/green/brownish colour to suit! A slow sinking ledger weight -- & yes it does work!