Waggler Fishing

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Waggler FloatFishing

www.how2begin.com

Written & compiled

by

I. de la Haye

Copyright how2begin.com2007. All rights reserved



CONTENTS

Chapter 1 - First steps

Chapter 2 - Equipment

Chapter 3 - Before you start

Chapter 4 - What you will need

Chapter 5 - Let’s go fishing



Chapter One - First Steps

The very first thing that you will require if in the UK, (unless under the age of 12 years), isa Rod Licence available on line at;

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/fish/.

A Standard licence will permit the use of 2 rods

Do you intend to fish all year, just for a couple of weeks or just for 1 or 2 days, you can

purchase a licence accordingly.

Where do you want to fish:

Unless you have a particular water in mind, you will need to find out what’s available in

you region. These are often listed in various magazines, but usually only one or two per



week. Yellow pages may have details of large commercial waters, but by far the best

source of information is a tackle shop in your chosen area, their details can be found in

yellow pages, or if going away on holiday www.Yell.co.uk

Day Ticket Still Water VenueOpen to General Public & available to fish often with no close season. Day Ticket charges

vary. The venues Rules & Regulations will also vary double check before you commence

fishing

River

Fishing on ANY river is NOT allowed between 15 March to 15 June inclusive. The coarse

fish Close Season applies to all rivers, streams and drains in England & Wales, but does

not apply to some still waters. There are, however, some exceptions that retain the Close

Season - the Broads always check first.

Large proportions of rivers are governed by Private clubs and non-members are not

allowed to fish, unless the club operates a day ticket scheme.

Club Water

12 month Annual Subscription will be required. Club waters often incorporate a Close

Season, however there are exceptions ALWAYS check dates with the Club Secretary if

there is a Close Season.



Chapter - Two Equipment

If you have not fished before then I strongly recommend you do not go mad in your local

angling shop and spend lots of money. Choose from the very basics you will need as

mentioned later from the listed below: -

RODS

WAGGLER FLOAT ROD

Waggler - sometimes known as a Float Rod. This does not need to be an expensive

item, there are some great deals available, even now in supermarkets.

TELESCOPIC ROD

If going away on holiday you might consider a Telescopic Rod, easily packed away in

a rucksack.



JUNIOR ROD & REEL

For an extremely cheap solution you can even purchase a Small Rod & Reel for as

little as £10.00.

FIXED SPOOL REEL

A good general purpose Fixed Spool Reel with spare spools incorporating a linehook-up clip, will be adequate to begin with. This enables you to use different main

line strengths.

MAIN LINE

A. 2 -3lb - Silver Fish, Bream, Roach etc. Tench/Carp up to 4lb.

B. 4 - 6lb - All fish up to 10lb.

When fishing the Waggler this really is the maximum strength line to use.

Hook Length Line - this will usually be of a smaller diameter than the main line andusually slightly lighter in strength. This being for two reasons. A. The thickness of the line

does not spook the fish & B. If you unfortunately get snagged on the bottom, it will snap

and therefore you will only lose your hook. In other words

2 - 3lb main line use 1 – 2lb Hook Length

4 – 6lb main line use 3 – 5lb Hook Length.



HOOKS

There are basically two types of hook –

EYED HOOK

SPADE END HOOK

All are available Barbed or Barbless and in different size

Eyed & Barbless - This is by far the easiest hook to tie for beginners and as more &

more fisheries are banning Barbed hooks now Barbless are very popular.

Eyed & Barbed - Easy to tie on, but please check if they are allowed where you want to

go fishing

Spade end & Barbless - You will need to purchase and learn to use a Hook Tie (a tricky,

but clever device)

Spade end & Barbed - As above & again check if allowed.

These hooks will need to be tied to your hook length, this can be done either by hand

or with a hook tie.



HOOK TIE

If unsure about using a Hook Tie, pre-tied hooks are available from your local tackle

shop.

The size of hooks again vary greatly, I would suggest as a beginner No.14 for larger baits,

i.e. Luncheon Meat / Pellets/Bread. No.16 for Sweetcorn and a No.18 for Maggot /

Worm.

I have never found barbed hooks to be any better, in fact the contrary, a Barbless hook

is streamlined & sharper. If you always keep your mainline tight when playing a fish

you will never allow a fish to become unhooked. The tying of your line to the hook is

purely preference, I tend to use eyed for heavier line and spade when fishing 2 -3lb

line.

FLOATS

Any Floats you purchase will have details inscribed regarding the amount of split shot

weights you need to use.

Straight Peacock Waggler (heavier), suitable for casting out at distance and in rough

weather.

Medium Float for most waters

Stick float for river fishing. This float is NOT designed to remain static, but to run with

the flow of the river.



WEIGHTS

SHOT DISPENSER

The simplest solution to begin with is to purchase a Shot Dispenser. This holds

difference split shot weights.

LANDING NET & HANDLE

Absolutely Vital........... No one should even attempt to land a fish without one.

TACKLE BOX

In the beginning you could survive with a carrier bag and a tin box, but there are nowmany inexpensive Tackle Boxes available approx. £20.00. Sturdy enough to use as a

seat waterproof to store away all your equipment & complete with a shoulder strap for

easy carrying.



MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

Catapult

Scissors

Disgorger - Used to take out the hook from the fish, if not hooked in the lip.

TowelBait Boxes

Hook Tie if using spade hooks

Can Opener

It is important to note the above equipment is for general-purpose coarse fishing. All

waters are different and it is recommended that you learn in clear open water and avoid

snags. Lilies etc. Which will require knowledge and skill to negotiate the safe landing of a

fish.

As with all sporting equipment there will be choices galore, however this is a beginner’s

list as you progress and become more confident so will your choice of tackle.

BAIT

The list for bait could be endless. There are no hard and fast rules, what will work one

day, the next day will not. If you hate maggots, don't worry there's plenty of other baits,

marshmallows are great in the summer for carp & angler or try some smelly cheese.

Basically almost anything goes! You could spend a small fortune on bait, yet the best

bread to use is supermarket value @ 20p! It is a rare thing to go fishing and run out of

bait, usually at the end of the day it gets thrown in the bin, a bit of a costly waste when

you think about it, so don't load up your box with too much bait. Even more important

don't over feed your swim especially in the winter. Carp are about the only fish that will

take a fair amount of bait, but even then usually only in the summer months if you’refishing waters where you know there is an abundance of fish.

The BEST bit of advice regarding Bait I would offer is to take a walk around the water

you want to fish & TALK to other anglers. Anglers LOVE to talk fishing. (a small word

of warning here, NEVER attempt this if there is a competition taking place).

ALL waters are different and you need knowledge of what works where you want to go

fishing. Books and Magazines are great sources of information, but an article on a specific

way to fish, when applied, just may not bring results where you want to go.



Chapter Three - Before You Start

ROD REEL & LINE SET UP

Unless you have purchased a rod already set-up with reel & line, you will need to firstly

purchase mainline. I have chosen for now 4lb Main Line. Take your reel and attach to a

fully extended rod. With the Main Line feed it through the eyes on your rod working from

the top of the rod down to the reel. Lift back the bale arm, make a loop in the line large &

fit over the spool on the reel. Tighten this loop and trim off any excess line, return the bale

arm back into position. To wind the line on to your reel ask a friend to hold the spool,

with the line slightly taught, (little tip, place a pen through the spool, this helps the line

come off more smoothly) whilst you slowly reel in the line onto the spool. Now all that is

required it to attach a weight to the end of your line.

CASTING

OK here goes, lets assume you have NEVER held a fishing rod before, the first thing you

will need to learn is to cast.

Do you have a large garden or QUIET open area near you? There is no need to pay to go

on a lake to practise your casting. Having got your rod, reel and line, you will need to

attach a small weight about 1oz.(NEVER put on a hook). Then away you go.

It is VITAL before you swing the rod behind you to ALWAYS look behind to double

check there is no one standing there, or a bush you could snag on.

Pick a target feature in front of you at some distance and use this as your marker for

direction not your distance. For the moment don't worry too much about how far you can

cast, more important is to keep your cast in a straight line out in front of you. If you

imagine a 180-degree arc, you are aiming for 90-degrees. This does not happen overnight

and can take many months to fine tune, all you are doing at the moment is learning how

the rod, line & weight react when you cast. After an hour or so you should feel confident

to start fishing.



Chapter Four - What You Will Need

CONTAINER WITH THE FOLLOWING

Hook length x 3lb.

Packet of Eyed Barbless Hooks x size 16

Split Shot Weight Dispenser

Disgorger

Scissors

Can Opener (if tins of bait have no ring pull)

Floats

Catapult

HOOK BAIT

Tin of Sweetcorn

Tin of Plain Luncheon Meat

¼ loaf of white sliced bread

The above are cheaper from your local supermarket

PARTICLE BAIT TO FIRE OUT

Maggots

Sweetcorn

Chopped Luncheon Meat

5ml Sinking PelletThe following is not essential, but useful:-

Bait Box for ½ pint Maggots Red & White

Small tub of worms & 4ml pellets

CLOTHING

Be sensible, check out the weather, even in the middle of summer, if your sitting in the

shade (which could happen at some point during the day) it gets COLD. I always

say the best way to warm up is to catch fish. Why? Because you are moving. Sitting or

standing for long periods in one-place stops your circulation and you will feel cold. So

take that extra jumper/coat/socks/ hat, chances are you may need them. Likewise on hotsunny days take plenty of water and Sun Cream, it’s easy to get badly burnt from the sun

& the reflection off the water.

I have not mentioned umbrellas yet, as they are a little expensive, but do protect you from

the rain/sun and wind, again it’s possible to pick one up second hand if you feel you will

need one. Word of caution, don’t try to cast whilst sitting underneath one, you’ll end up in

an awful muddle!



Chapter Five - Lets Go Fishing

When you arrive at your chosen water take a walk round, don’t sit down in the nearest

swim. You need to take a good LOOK AROUND & check for overhanging trees, access

to the water, are there any snags or plant growth out in front of you what direction is the

wind blowing. If you are with a friend, it will usually be necessary for you to have a swim

each, double swims are not that common and if you try to squeeze in together, you will

not be able to fish correctly and may be told off by the local land owner.

The next thing to do is unpack and get comfortable, your going to be they’re for quite

some time. You will need to be a little organised. Get into a routine when you fish, i.e.

landing net to your left, bait to your right, lunch behind you etc. that way you will be ableto put your hand on any piece of equipment you may need at short notice. A fish could be

lost whilst you are scrambling around trying to reach your landing net. Worse a fish will

suffer unnecessarily if you don’t know where you put your Disgorger. GET

ORGANISED, you will catch more.

Open your tins and sort out your bait. PLEASE be careful & put away empty tins & lids.

If there’s no nearby bins TAKE THEM HOME.

SETTING UP THE WAGGLER

The Waggler is my favourite way to fish, but not always possible if the weather is wrong.

It's near impossible to cast if you have a head on wind, whereas if it's blowing from behind

it’s a lot easier.

Regarding the visibility of the float, don't leave the float sitting too high in the water, just

to make it easier to see, this will reduce the signs of a bite, as sometimes it will only dip a

few millimetres.

You will need to slide your float onto the line and use a split shot weight either side to

hold the float in position. Before you set your depth & add your hook length, just plop the

float a few metres out to check you have the correct weights, leaving the float sit a little

proud, so you can add a couple of No.8 weights further down the line.

Now make a loop at the end of your main line and again on your hook length, feed one

through the other pull tight and trim off excess line. Hook length should be about 18"

long. Attach the hook and add a couple of No 8 weights spaced evenly apart down the

main line.

Now (If you have done your homework & spoken with other fishermen), you will know



the approximate depth of the water, therefore set the float accordingly by sliding the float

& weights up the line until the desired distance between hook & float is reached.

If however the depth varies, then you will need to plumb the depth. A quick easy non

technical way is simply after you have set your float to the correct buoyancy, is to take alarge split shot weight and clip on to the line next to your hook & cast out. Your float will

sink under if you have set the float too short, if your float sits perfectly continue to move

your float & weights down your line, until the float is JUST visible. Reel in remove your

plumb weight and move your float a ½” back up the line

The beauty of a Waggler is that you can fish any depth. Fish are not regimental in where

they can be found. It will be necessary to maybe start off at the bottom and decrease you

depth by 6 - 10" until you get a bite (this is done by sliding the float and fixing weights

down the line).

LINE CLIP UP

The distance you choose to fish can be set on your reel. Just make a couple of casts, when

you feel you have cast at a comfortable distance, before you start to reel in, take the line

and place it round the Line Clip Up on the reel.

This means that every time you cast it will be at the same distance. A word of caution, if

you are fishing where there are large carp i.e. over 8lb, this is not always recommended as

when the fish runs the tension on the line could snap your hook length.



CATAPULT

Choose your bait and away you go. Not forgetting every couple of minute’s fire out a

small pinch of particle bait over your float with a Catapult

Once you have cast out, with practice you will learn to sink your line. This is necessary forstill waters as any tow on the water or wind will drag your line and float. Simply place the

tip of your rod a couple of inches under water and flick the tip sharply up.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER leave your rod unattached to either your box or your hand, I

have seen TOO MANY rods lost when an unexpected large fish has taken the

bait/hook/line & ROD.

When your float dips under the water GREAT you have a bite. (Note I said you have a

bite NOT a fish) this is where you now learn, the difference between a bite & hooking a

fish. When you see the float dip under you must strike. Never too sharply else all that will

happen is you will pull the hook out of the fishes mouth, but sharp enough to hook thefish, trial & error will teach you the best method.

Once you can feel the fish you will need to make sure your line remains taught. If the line

becomes slack the fish can unhook itself. Slowly start to reel the fish in, take your time,

especially if it feels like a large fish. Once your fish nears the bank approx. 12’ away reach

for your landing net. Make sure it is in and under the water BEFORE you bring the fish in

too close. The disturbance of lowering your net in can seriously spook the fish and your

line may snap with the fish’s sudden jerks. Slowly manoeuvre the fish to the landing net

making sure not to allow it to get too close to the bank, you need room to manoeuvre the

net & fish.



ANTI-REVERSE

Once safely in the net, release the line Anti Reverse Button on your reel to let the line

run free, Place down your rod and bring in your net & fish.

Well Done - you’ve caught your 1st fish.

DISGORGER

With most Barbless hooks you should be able to just pluck out the hook from the mouth,

however if it has swallowed the hook you must use a Disgorger to release the hook.(Very

difficult in word form to explain how to do this, any reputable tackle shop will show you

how, when you buy one).

Now carefully lower the fish back into the water.

Often people like to take photos of their fish, if you had previously thought about this, you

will have your camera close to hand. If you are on your own and need to place the fish

down to photograph NEVER lay the fish on hard ground or a dry towel, as this can

damage the delicate scales. Be as quick as possible, remember the fish needs water,

imagine if it were in reverse and the fish had you underwater taking a Picture of you!



Just one more IMPORTANT point REMEMBER to push back the anti reverse button,

before you cast out again.

That’s about it, it only leaves me to say ALWAYS at the end of the day check you have

left nothing behind (it can be an expensive mistake) remove all rubbish especially open

cans and old hooks.

I hope this will be the start ofMany Happy Days Fishing to come.

Why not check out my web site for more ‘How To’s’ www.how2begin.com

Copyright 2007 how2begin.com All Rights Reserved

Waggler Fishing

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