Great advocate of back shotting personally, especially for us average joe anglers.

Fished the Trent last Saturday with a strong northerly wind straight at me and had a BB about 3′ above the float. Only way to put it through in anything like a straight line.

i like to back shot and lay on a couple of inches for skimmers when its choppy on pellet,
i do so cos i only use a 0.2g carpa gent in 5 to 6 foot of water,
i just believe there is less resistance than there would be if i was using say, a 0.5 or 0.6 in a simalar depth and fished at dead depth!!!
i got this from a similar artical in matchfishing from darren cox!!!!
got my presentation right,,, just need to sort out my feeding!
~sick PMSL!

@Leaky Lloyd wrote:

i like to back shot and lay on a couple of inches for skimmers when its choppy on pellet,
i do so cos i only use a 0.2g carpa gent in 5 to 6 foot of water,
i just believe there is less resistance than there would be if i was using say, a 0.5 or 0.6 in a simalar depth and fished at dead depth!!!
i got this from a similar artical in matchfishing from darren cox!!!!
got my presentation right,,, just need to sort out my feeding!
~sick PMSL!

i dont think hes on about laying shot on the deck m8, hes on about having shot above the float…

ive done it in really bad conditions with a bb and it really helped with keeping the rig still..

no mate you misunderstood me,,
i do know what backshotting is,
i mean in the crcumstances i mentioned,, i like to lay on a touch, as well as backshotting!!!!

there aint a SMILEY for rolling my eyes but im doing it!!!
LOL!

I always back shot when pole fishing as it helps to stabilise the float especially when it’s windy.

If I’m fishing the stick with the wind blowing at me or downstream I often add two No8 back shot a foot apart.

@dave brittain wrote:

I always back shot when pole fishing as it helps to stabilise the float especially when it’s windy.

If I’m fishing the stick with the wind blowing at me or downstream I often add two No8 back shot a foot apart.

I have no idea if he still does but IIRC when Harry Billing lived in the NW he was a great advocate of back shotting.

I really think it helps us lesser anglers a great deal but if it helps Dave Brittain then that says a lot.

@Leaky Lloyd wrote:

no mate you misunderstood me,,
i do know what backshotting is,
i mean in the crcumstances i mentioned,, i like to lay on a touch, as well as backshotting!!!!

there aint a SMILEY for rolling my eyes but im doing it!!!
LOL!

ahh right ~sick

I use one above the float that is heavy enough to send the bristle from having an inch or so above water to really dotted down. Then if it’s calm fish with the shot’s weight on the float, ie dotted down, if it’s windy move the shot up the line showing an inch of bristle through the chop and hang on to the back shot.

@punchcrumb wrote:

So are the two no 8 s in matts article part of the loading required by the float or not? or is the float shotted as required and two no8 backshots added after?~think ~think ~think

Float shotted as required then add the back shot after.Keep the shot off the water better presentation when its windy!

If the backshot is within 2ins of the float it will act as part of the floats loading.

If the shot are further away it will depend on how tight a line you keep on the float.

Basically if you are using the shot as a buffer against the wind and allow them to sink below the float tip they will have the effect of pulling the float down which means you will have to remove shot from below the float to compensate.

The stick is different as when you hold the float back it will naturally ride up in the water. If you allow it to run the shot may drag the float down slightly as they sink
however because you are generally dealing with indulations in the river bed it’s not as critical.

back shot are added to the rig after normal shotting they are not part of the floats load. they have two advantages the main one by beating the the rig being dragged through the water by the surface skim and the other is a quicker reaction time to bites. because backshot are nothing to do with how the rig reacts any size weight is fine, rule of thumb the stronger the wind the bigger the shot. without a shot around three inches above the float the excess line would be dargged through the swim taking the rig with it, but by having the line tight caused by the weight and you holding it out the water it will stay were it is. becuse there is only a bit of slack line beneath it as soon as your float dips its like having your float three inches under your pole tip and not a foot of line to pick up before the strike giving you a quicker reaction time.

The dog.

The idea of a backshot is to add stability to the float to offset wind and tow and as such when backshotting you fish with a relatively slack line to avoid the wind blowing the pole tip about and spoiling presentation. Due to this any shot which are close to the float will affect the loading as it is in effect dragging the float down while keeping the line below the surface skim.

Punchcrumb.

Matt rarely posts on the forums and will probably tell you that the answer I’ve given more than answers your question. Personally I don’t like wasting time answering questions when somebody disregards the answer

Punchcrumb the straight answer is NO it is not part of the shotting. The idea, as I understand it, is to keep a tighter, stable line between the tip and the float.
However, as has been mentioned, if you have the shot less than 3 inches from the float it will act as part of the shotting capacity. In a stronger wind you need a heavier shot further from the float.

@punchcrumb wrote:

I would prefer a definative answer from mr hall
i do hate these articles that leave things like this up in the air [ or is it me being unable to comprehend]

Sensible answers only please preferably from Matt Hall~think ~think ~think

You won’t get answer from him on here as i don’t think he’s even a member mate.

You won’t get any better or different advice from that already given, especially from the likes of Dave Brittain.

each to there own mr brittian but when i fish with a backshot the wieght wouldnt be under the water. i have tried to find an article by alan scotthorne who done a piece on it a few years ago but as yet no joy.

Personally I use a backshot to sink the line immediately above the float so I want the shot to be part of the loading because my backshot is in the water. Occasionally in extreme condition I will use a very big back shot well away from the float.

I often add a number 11 shot one inch above the eye on my floats to stop the line from being picked up by the wind. That shot is part of the rigs shotting but i often hang on to that shot to help in hooking bites. In difficult gusty/windy conditions. Im also happy to add as much as an SSG to the line above the float to gain control of my rig. In those situations. The back shot is placed at least 2ft from the float and can be on a very long line above the float which can be as much as 5ft long.

Yes, he is one of the most helpful people there is on fishing forums.

Has anyone heard of Dave Brittain ??

Knob !!

Only most of the angling fraternity, just hope you dont draw next to him and if you want some advice, take his advice.

Yes, i have heard of Dave Brittain but not sure i have ever fished against or met him yet. He is a top angler based on what he has written and is one of the most respected posters on this and other forums. If he writes something in a mag or posts something on the internet. Its normally top quality information and well worth thinking about. I believe he has been working away for the last few years but he is now back in this country or will be very soon.

Why do you ask?

@punchcrumb wrote:

Is just me or has anyone else heard of Dave Britain~think

He’s one of the most respected anglers in the country, his advice is second to none. You couldn’t ask for better advice anywhere, if he gives it you you’d be stupid not to take it.

I can’t see what your problem is?

If you don’t want to listen to anyones advice especially Daves and then go and totally disregard it. Well don’t ask, you can always wait for Matt Hall but you’ll be waiting for a long time as he doesn’t come on here.

yes,, dave brittains supposed,, to be good,, one of the best infact!!
not as good as me like, but good none the less!

PMSL!!!!!

I always read what Mr Brittain has to say, a top angler who writes the most helpful and articulate pieces of advice….

It is a priviledge to have people like Dave B on these boards, so lets keep it that way.
Any one who can win the Evesham and beat that Baggie supporter Mr.D.Harrell must be a good bloke, if he was a Wolves fan, that would be even better! (said with tongue in cheek).

Punch crumb I fished with AS at Lyndholme earlier this year and he explained his thoughts on back shotting. His approach is to plumb up to find where he wants to fish then to shorten the rig to leave 12 inches of line between float and pole. He then places a no 8 or 10 shot about 4 inches from the float and another 4 inches from the pole to keep the line as straight as possible. These shot are additional to the floats load as he fishes with them out of the water. He tries to hold the pole directly above the float but if its really towing he will hold the lower shot just above the lakes surface.
Having said all of that this is only a start, as the session develops he will change things around to optimise presentation on the day, this is not text book stuff its watercraft. This is what separates anglers like AS from very good open circuit anglers and the rest of us. If you read what AS said about his last festival win at W/A he simply said it was watercraft on the day at each peg he drew. He went to everyone with an open mind.
The reason I am saying this is you seem to be seeking a one size fits all solution and there simply isnt one, just work out for your self on a given day what works.

Punchcrumb, Dave is one of the few top anglers left that posts on here although lots of them still look IMO. If you are civil and treat posters with respect whether you know them or not you will allways get help on here. Sadly many have suffered abuse after the watershed when some posters have had a few too many beers and let rip and thats bad news for the site and the genuine posters who are simply seeking info to improve their fishing.
Once they leave they never come back so beware.