Squatt.

In the middle of winter when it’s freezing cold the chances of you getting lifts are minimal.

You also need to understand that on many venues bites are at a premium and the fish will often watch the bait falling through the water before feeding. Anything that doesn’t look natural is often ignored.

A No 4 with a three to four ft drop will not look natural however a spread of three or four No 9’s or 8’s does.

Try dragging 1-3ft of line with a No 4 and chances are you’ll struggle to achieve the same presentation as you’ll get with dragging smaller shot

If the fish are feeding off the bottom it’s often easier to shallow up and fish off bottom. The other thing is you can also bunch the 8’s or 9’s if required to give the same effect as a No 4

In short smaller shot allow you to present the bait naturally in very clear water and are far more versatile than a single larger dropper.

I’ve won some big matches using the set up detailed in the magazine and I’ve never had problems seeing bites.

One misconception is that sliders aren’t sensitive however you’d be surprised how positive the bites are even from little fish.

can i just add, instead of a sliding knot can you attach 1 or maybe 2 drenan gripper stops~think i will be fishing in up to 25foot of water

Grippa stops won’t go through the rod rings.

The other point we tried to get across in the article, and may not be fully realised, is changing the long held view that more than one dropper will tangle.
I can’t remember Dave having any tangles due to the three droppers, and I have always used two or three droppers on the slider myself without problems. As long as you cast smoothly, more of a gentle lob than a punch, you will not get tangles.

Great reading Dave ‘m on there next week my give it a go .

Good article as always by you Dave & nice to hear how you fish the slider on rivers.

re-the dropper shot, a mate of mine was using a 2-3 g on a winter 18-20′ lake venue and even 3 separate no. 12’s were distinctly registering on the tip -essential for bites/hold ups from smaller silvers as you say on the drop in last few feet- obviously it was very still and still water with no apparent tow that day -but shows that slider can be a sensitive rig when conditions are right.He ended up with big skimmers and roach when they were obviously following or intercepting the bait a couple of feet off the deck and would’nt really feed there for any length of time.
Again as you point out- with tow -dragging small shot helps balance of stability and still minimises resistance when fish take.

Good article as always by you Dave & nice to hear how you fish the slider on rivers.

re-the dropper shot, a mate of mine was using a 2-3 g on a winter 18-20′ lake venue and even 3 separate no. 12’s were distinctly registering on the chosen fine tip -essential for bites/hold ups from smaller silvers as you say on the drop in last few feet- obviously it was very still and still water with no apparent tow that day -but shows that slider can be a sensitive rig when conditions are right.He ended up with big skimmers and roach when they were obviously following or intercepting the bait a couple of feet off the deck and would’nt really feed there for any length of time.
Again as you point out- with tow -dragging small shot helps balance of stability and still minimises resistance when fish take.