Trotting with 6lb Line

[dave brittain 1]

Zerkalo

I have sent you links on this subject before.

Why don't you book a day with Dave Roberts on the Wye fishing for chub and barbel. It'll teach you so much about the basic principles of feeding and application and will give you a great foundation to build on that you will be able to apply to any river.

 

[PearTree]

I like Maxima for its strength but have found it sinks when I try trotting with it.

Spray it up and it floats very well in the lighter breaking strains. I still have some of the MAP spray but the Garbolino G float is the modern equivalent. I don't use Maxima above 3lb for float fishing on rivers though.

As Dave B has said, the go to men to look at for info on barbel on the float are Dave Roberts or Dave Harrell.





Do not over-think or over-research the subject. Read DH's short articles above and watch a couple of relevant DR Angling Escapades, or better still have a day's fishing with him as DB suggests (too many Daves !).

The more videos you watch and the more people you get opinions from then the more confused you will get. I've fished the open match circuit for getting on for 40 years and would like to think I am reasonably well versed on some of the subjects you have started threads on. By the time I've finished reading some of them my head has been spinning. As has been said many times on this forum, keep it simple and you won't go far wrong

 

[robert d]

I thought twice about starting this thread but will anyway.

As I've mentioned before I'm going to trot meat on the Severn this year. I'm told to just fish maggot and caster instead, which I will also do. Trying one is not to the detriment of the other.

I have started a long standing battle to get a balanced set up on the Severn.

- I've been criticised for stepping up to 10lb hooklengths on my 1.75lb Barbel rods. A bailiff at HL told me 8lb line was not good enough being part of the reason and plus I like the security it gives. I will soon see if it adversely effects my catches compared to 8lb.
- I've been criticised for using 0.14 Stroft hooklengths for Chub so I will step up to 0.16 when fishing baits like flake, especially with big hooks. Happily taken that advise.

So now you can imagine my confusion and concern when it comes to spooling up for Barbel on the float.

My instinct tells me to go with 6lb Preston Float Max at 0.23 diameter, but I also had the feeling I would be criticised for this as being too heavy to trot a float, bearing in mind I will be using big Balsa Missiles and Speci Wags, I think I will get away with it.

Done a bit of research, a bit difficult really as there's limited and varied info out there, I don't want to fall into the trap of confirmation bias but I found this video of Dave Harrell at a place I'll be fishing. You'll notice (video starts at the right time) he fishes 0.22 line (make not audible) direct to a 14 hook with maggot.




So does anyone have any thoughts or input on trotting with such heavy line (using big floats)?

Im no expert but id give it a good go , first i would find somewhere you can cast a good way to stretch the line and bed it in properly . A 1.5 ounce lead cast a number of times . Good luck, hope it works out well. If its not working you can use it as feeder line so nothing to loose but i think it will work .

 

[adriang]

I find maxima behaves weirdly as to whether it floats or sinks. I find with 3lb it almost always floats if you get any sort of sweat/grease on it but only if the waters fairly warm as it seems to mostly sink when it’s cold. Then with 4lb it mostly sinks but you can make it float a bit with sweat/grease then 6lb (don’t think I’ve ever used 5lb) always sinks. The water temperature bit is the thing I don’t get. Not sure if there’s more surface tension in warmer water or if it’s just that there’s more pollen, proteins, general muck etc in the surface film during the warmer months for it to sit on

I think Maxima works a lot, lot better if it is treated to either make it sink or float, but once its in a slightly higher diameters, I reckon its the weight of the line and it does become a little harder to get to float.

From your original questions, my experience has been that with the thicker lines, it seems to be more prone to bedding in, and as mentioned above, can make it different in regards to getting it to peel off when trotting. A decent reel that does the 'aero style' line lay really helps, but I've also noticed both from my experience and in videos that its more likely to need a helping hand if the desired result is to enable the float to travel down with the flow. As always, its a case of experimenting and working through the changes to get a balance.

 

[Silverfisher]

I think Maxima works a lot, lot better if it is treated to either make it sink or float, but once its in a slightly higher diameters, I reckon its the weight of the line and it does become a little harder to get to float.

Yes for sure definitely it's weight is a big factor. In 3lb it seems you only have to get ever so slightly sweaty or baity hands on the spool or on it through the rings etc to make it float when the waters fairly warm whereas in 4lb and presumably upwards you have to properly grease it up.

 

[Jimpanzee]

A friend of a friend uses nothing but 6lb line for trotting, from Grayling, Roach, Barbel or Trout. He always seems to do well regardless of the species he is targeting on the day.

 

[richox12]

The problem with that is that 0.18 isn't as strong as 0.23. in tests that I've seen real world breaking strain is directly related to the diameter despite claims manufacturers make. E.g 0.23 6lb sensor is more like 8lb line in reality. There's no way any 0.18 is as strong as 0.23 of they are reasonable quality.

Fishing line is a mono filament of nylon after all.

No, I wouldn't ever expect a 0.18mm solid nylon monofilament to be as strong as a 0.23mm version. However, that wasn't the point and not the OP's need or question. Zerkalo asked about 6lb line for float fishing. And so a thin 6lb would be much more manageable than a thick 6lb line (regardless of what the real B/S of 0.23mm is as opposed to it's labelled B/S). Hence a genuine 6lb in 0.18mm was the suggestion - as it is perfectly achievable in the real world - and my own personal preference as a starting point should I ever need a 6lb line for float work.

 

[satinet]

I've used 6lb 0.23 line at Boddington Reservoir when carp were inevitable. I can't really remember what the effect was. Not really the same as trotting though.

Difficult one because obviously lighter lines are generally nicer to fish with.

 

[Northantslad]

6lb main is fine for the float mate imo. Some days have gone down to 4lb too. A float rod is (should be) much different to a feeder rod and the fight much different on a float rod when it comes to Barbel, or any fish really.