Guide to... Floater rods

Each month our team of experts at IYCF HQ take a look at some of the best tackle items on the market. This month we focus on floater rods...

DURING the warm summer months there isn’t a better way to fish for carp than on the surface. Watching your floating hookbait disappear into the mouth of a carp followed shortly by the tightening of your line can’t fail to get your heart beating that little bit faster. The other great thing about the tactic is that you have a realistic chance of catching a few fish in a short period of time. A few hours after work are all you need to put a fish on the bank. When it comes to surface fishing, there is no place for beefy 3lb-plus test curve rods. Using too strong a rod with the small hooks and light lines required will leave you pulling your hair out with hook-pulls. A rod with a test curve between 1.75lb and 2.5lb is much more suitable and will enable you to be much more accurate when flicking out light controller floats. A progressive action will help to absorb any last minute lunges at the net and reduce hook-pulls. A hook-keeper ring is also a useful feature to look out for when purchasing a floater rod. When moving swims it is much easier to have your long 6ft hooklength fixed in place as opposed to it flapping around and catching on every bush you walk past! Numerous manufacturers now produce dedicated floater fishing rods which have been designed specifically for the tactic. Here’s our pick of some of the best...