float

[smith7474]

has anyone used the sensas series 19 floats.if so are they a strong float as im looking to use them instead of the carpa chimps. cheers

lee smith (rolf harris)

[TF_Fred Davis]

No must admit I havern’t but I have just copied a well known preston float however the bristle is hollow instead of cane the side eye is immensly stronger and it has a glass fibre stem as opposed to carbon, nothing like it I usppose lol here’s a piccy

[TF_S.shalla]

@Fred Davis wrote:

No must admit I havern’t but I have just copied a well known preston float however the bristle is hollow instead of cane the side eye is immensly stronger and it has a glass fibre stem as opposed to carbon, nothing like it I usppose lol here’s a piccy

yeh there (chianti’s) just like a chimp them???

why not just speak too gareth about some adverts? im sure the rates are cheap!~naughty

[TF_Fred Davis]

shalla I make them for the pure pleasure and a few postal mates not for general release lol

[TF_piperpilot]

Fred they look absolutely fantastic well done,

[TF_nick_the_2nd]

Nice floats Fred!

This is a shameless plug but this is what you want and you can get it here!!!
http://www.float-store.co.uk/shop/category_22/NG-Gimp.html?shop_param=cid%3D%26

[TF_Fred Davis]

Thanks nick I take that as a real compliment from a proper floatmaker cheers mate

well appreciated

[TF_kev825]

Fred

how far into the tip are you pushing the stem?

and how do you post pics on here too?

Kev

[TF_Waveney One]

Great floats Fred, they certainly look the business.

Nick, you may well get an order over the next few hours.

[TF_Fred Davis]

kev, on this particular pattern the stem goes all the way through the pole float right to the top of the hollow bristle, the bristle is not the normal painted jobby this has the plastic coloured in floro so you can paint the tip black scrape off the paint and a bit of plastic and hey presto brilliant orange tip re-appears, the stem is 0.8 fibreglass and the balsa float has been pre drilled to take the stem,as for pictures I just download them to photobucket adjust the size to small and copy the img code onto the post.

I have replied to your pm

[TF_Hillbilly]

Testing testing, this is a Chump. ~think

[Anonymous]

Neil that is one awesome float pattern, I got £30 worth to try in the .1 and .2 size and used the .2 for a match win 21 lb of silvers sunday, then when I got home ordered another £38 quids worth in the larger sizes too, oh and a mate of mine wants 6 of em off me lol cheers mate

[diddly-squattParticipant]

Could this be the one your looking for???

[TF_Fred Davis]

they only cost 30p to make, I think someones having you over lol

[TF_Fred Davis]

or maybe a side eyed diamond?

one I made earlier lol

[TF_NW Cut Angler]

A few esteemed float makers here. Even you Fred!!

So where do you stand on float eyes? Traditional or Spring. How big an improvement are the new spring eyes?

[TF_nick_the_2nd]

A spring eyes is not any good if you are making sensitive float pattern similar to a Gimp, Chimp, Chump or whatever we like to call them!

A float will always fish better with a well positioned side eye ~clap

The improvement in using the new type of spring eye is you will not suffer the line damage that occasionally happened with the old type.

[TF_Fred Davis]

Yes a few esteemed float makers indeed, however mine are purely made for the pleasure and for personell use and of course my mates, as far as spring eyes go they are strong, really unbreakable, however I think it,s the whole deal the fiberglass stems, hand selected balsa, paint, glues, varnishes, attention to detail that make the float virtually bullet proof unlike shop bought versions, as far as side eyes go i think everyone has a preferance for roach on the punch on the cut i prefer a side eye, however for lumps across on caster on a canal I am quite happy to use a spring eye, I tend to think finesse side eyes, lumps spring eyes however like all things in angling it is a personal preferance I have a mate who will only use side eyes, another wants longer bristles with the spring eye so he can submerge the sppring eye well under the surface so it doesn’t catch on the surface tension, it’s all a matter of personal preferance, I personally don’t think spring eyes have affected my catch rates when bagging on lumps it’s vital to have a float thats up to the job, the new side eyes look good will it make a difference to how a float performs I doubt it, needless to say I will start to use them when I run out of spring eyes or when asked for, i personally think the origenal side eyes are bullet proof anyway. just a matter of preferance.

[diddly-squattParticipant]

N2d we fish a pool where the skimmers and roach are v.finicky biters and the spring eye is just as sensitive in my opinion

[TF_nick_the_2nd]

@diddly-squatt wrote:

N2d we fish a pool where the skimmers and roach are v.finicky biters and the spring eye is just as sensitive in my opinion

I guess like a lot of things in fishing it is all down to presonal preference.

I have a few guys that buy floats that only use rubbers and have no eyes fitted to the floats at all.

[diddly-squattParticipant]

I’d agree with you there Nick horses for courses
springs to mind

[smith7474]

thanks for all the feed back. much appreciated
i will have a look into it.

[Anonymous]

do any of you floatmakers on here make floats suitable for squatt fishing on deep canals(the stainy)caster fishing(stainy again) and a running water float(the river don)for swims up to 15 feet deep.thanks.andy.

[TF_andykoiParticipant]

Andysfloats.com~clap ~clap

[TF_NW Cut Angler]

http://www.leedsanglingcentre.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=20&category_id=20&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

Made by Richard Latimer, a float maker craftsman. Ask Fred

[Anonymous]

Not sure why your looking for something similar to a Chimp but stronger. Anyway, the simple answer is a coat of hard as nails on a Chimp. Takes only 30 seconds to do! You then have a Chimp that is very strong.

Nice looking floats lads. I will keep to the Chimps!

[TF_Fred Davis]

I hear what you are saying true blue however the final straw came when I bought 4 floats, I won’t mention the brand, and went to puddleduck to try them out on a practice for our forthcoming match, puddleduck is one of our postal venues and a snake lake, needless to say it’s mainly far bank work,I shipped across and it was great when the first bite resulted in a leviathon charging through the far bank shrubbery, however the floats were all trashed with 15 minutes (eyes pulled out, stems adrift etc) having been taken through reed beds etc, I then thought enough is enough. why should we have to doctor floats that have a build quality that is not fit for purpose,especially having paid good money, I recommend anyone to try to make there own they are far more robust than most shop bought floats and can be made fit for purpose.

[TF_kev825]

with you all the way there Fred

[Anonymous]

same here Fred home made are MUCH better, I have had kc carper floats and they are not bad but not a patch on hillbillys, also used Ackoos pellet sticks in summer strong as hell and very stable. Rather pay a bit more and have a float that don’t take on water and wont fall apart

[TF_NW Cut Angler]

For me it is the stem and eye strength that is the biggest difference with hand made floats. What I like is how none rest on their laurels and look to improve and improve with new spring eyes, new material for float bodies etc.

Something bespoke hand made is better than something mass manufactured in all aspects of life 99.9% of the timme IMO.

[Anonymous]

The point is that if a KC Chimp or a different float pattern is the best float for the job. Then, using any hand made float is at best, second best. Why go there unless its extreme fishing.

Sorry Fred, but if you allow 4 fish to get in to fare bank cover one after another. Then, its just bad angling, mate. Stop the buggers from getting in the fare bank cover in the first place and you would not have the issue.

[TF_Hillbilly]

TB how can you speak with such apparent authority on this subject unless you have tried all the alternatives on offer from the various float makers. You talk a lot of sense in general on these forums but as I cannot recall ever supplying you with any Chumps (my Chimp type pattern) or any other models I fail to see how you can dismiss mine and other floatmakers alternatives as second best for the job. ~think

[TF_joffmiester]

~clap ~clap ~clap i do think homemade floats are far stronger than mass produced floats nothing against carpa floats but they are not hand glued or have that extra TLC and lets be about right the mass tackle trade doesn’t want indestructible floats ~sick most floats catch more anglers than fish but homemade are made to last as long as you balance your tackle~clap

[TF_Hillbilly]

Joff none of us claim our products to be indestructible but what we all strive to do is to make as strong a float as possible for a given purpose. This is achieved by using materials that are better than those used in the mass produced models which gives at least equal and in lots of cases better “on the bank” performance but with much more strength.

[TF_Snooty Fox]

Hillbilly,

Did you name the Chumps in honour of TrueBlue ?

[Anonymous]

@diddly-squatt wrote:

I’d agree with you there Nick horses for courses
springs to mind

is that coiled springs or spring eyes ?

[TF_nick_the_2nd]

I think a lot still think handmand float are constructed with just strength in mind which is a shame.

[TF_NW Cut Angler]

I would surmise that many hand made float makers have used a deviation of a popular float model name simply so Jo Public can readily associate what their float aims to do.

However, a Chimp is hardly unique or original. It is an age old float shape. The way I perceive it is that hand made float makers take a design and look to make it better or create a rekatively new design. Either way they produce a better design.

Personally as a canal angler I found Richard Lattimer designed and made a far better squatt float than was readily available;

It’s not unique it just did / does the job better. I have Image floats of a similar design that I also use but the Fox ones I tried I was not happy with. Given the choice I still prefer the Lattimer.

Again as far as chopped worm floats go, Mick Bassett produced a float that I find works far superior to mass manufactured floats

Some years later two esteemed canal anglers Vasey/Young designed a set of floats for Tubertini. The set included a chopped worm float. Despite the input of two fantastic angler the float was still IMO not as good as Mick Bassett’s

[TF_NW Cut Angler]

Increasingly, I think hand made float makers are becoming market leaders creating trends rather than following. Indeed, the mass manufacturers seem now to be following and reacting to the hand made float makers.

The growth of F1 fishing has required subtle sensitive floats and that has led to lots of pencil design. Notice how the hand made float makers with their ears to the ground, fishing specific venues / talking to anglers responded first.

Hillbilly

Malman

Often it is the fine detail that makes a hand made float work better. Personally, I really like floats with a neck/shoulder. I find them far more sensitive. In terms of sensitivity, I do not think you could mass produce something akin to Malman’s thin.

Totally patriotic but hand made = made in Britain. Good reason to buy IMO

[TF_NW Cut Angler]

An example of how float makers take a pattern shape and improve it;

Nick’s Float Store

You tend to get a float that works better because it is often more sensitive, more stable with an added bonus it lasts longer. Right/wrongly it gives Mr Nobodys like myself a bit of added confidence. I daresay Fred gets a bigger buzz from making a float and winning a match using it.

[TF_Fred Davis]

I quite agree richards squatt floats are very good and when you think he used to have a three month waiting list for them shows you how popular they were, I think every one of us in the london postal region had the full range of sizes in the set of squatt floats and when I coached Avesta Sheffield for the div 3 national (they finished 5th and gained promotion as well as having the individual winner) I made sure they all had a set of richards suqatt floats, likewise Mick Bassetts chopped worm float Iis superb I much preferred the gary Page design that mick made, both range of floats take a place still, in my canal tray, the london punch that Mick shows in his range was made for my goodself and Lol Breach of Oakwood when we used frequent the london pounds, that was basically a pattern from another float maker who stopped making them.

N W Angler your quite right I not only get a buzz when I win using one of my floats but also when team mates win using them, I have had offers to set up a web page get the floats reveiwed etc,etc and become a pro floatmaker but thers is a real difference in making them as a hobby and doing it as a job full time, I enjoy it as a hobby, I doubt I would enjoy it as much driven by anglers orders, In time I may well set up like the other lads but it’s not for me at the mo.

[TF_joffmiester]

they are all top quality floats trouble is i never see any stuck in the tree’s when walking the dog along the canal most anglers swim or hire a boat to get them back ~sick ~sick top quality product

[Anonymous]

The point i was attempting to get across is that if as an example. A particular design and size of float is the best float for a particular job under specific conditions. You cannot beat that performance. The float is the best float for the job pure and simple. Yes, you can attempt to copy that design of float and make the float stronger or even more beautiful. However, as there are differences in the make up of the copy/hand made float. Its highly unlikely that your going to get the same performance out of the hand made float. You can design and make hand made floats that give maybe slightly reduced performance on the best float for the job. In a few cases hand made floats have become the float of choice for specific jobs as they give better performance than any other deign of float. Deep shallow and MW diamonds are a perfect example!

[TF_Hillbilly]

TB the point I was trying to get across was HOW do you KNOW something is best for a given purpose until you have tried ALL of the alternatives. Even if you HAD tried them all and decided the original was best for you then it would still only be in YOUR opinion and NOT fact. What you could say (having NOT tried the rest) is that the original works well enough for you that you don’t feel a need to try anything else. We regularly see on here people stating that a certain pole is better than all the others even though they have probably never handled let alone fished with the others. A flawed argument would you not agree ? However these people have convinced themselves that this is the case and the very same criteria appears to be the base of your “argument” about the floats. ~think

[TF_Fred Davis]

I agree with true blue in that if you find a commercial float that does the job and is up to the mark in every respect there is no need to use a handmade jobby, I for one would never get rid of my range of trubbucco squatt floats as they are brilliant, nor have I yet had any inclination to copy them, as hillbilly says whether it is the best can only be assertained if you have tried similar patterns, at the end of the day a float is purely a bite indicator the size and shape is obviously key to combat the size of baits, wind, tow or flow, and of course there semsitivity the topic is a mine field when we add anglers who all have a different veiw lol

[TF_nick_the_2nd]

OK now you have brought your float then used it and found it to be perfect for the task in hand apart from the finish not being quite durable enough.

You them go out buy some varnish then put it on the said float, are you then altering the charateristics by adding a thiker coat of paint by reducing shot capacity and changing the surface finish?

[Anonymous]

your all getting a bit technical here I do agree certain typs of float are best for a particular job but how someone can say 1 particular float is better than any other for a job is just one mans opinion. I have had a LOT of success with Hillbilly ratcatchers and shady shallows this summer rather than using a pea type float, up north where it’s not carp soup you need a bit more finesse and these offer it and maybe theres a better float on the market for this style fishing but they WORK good for me and strong as hell so I am sticking with them.

I used a .2 Hillbilly chump last sunday for the first time and a match win 21 lb of skimmers, I am pretty sure if I had used other floats that I was using for that style fishing I would not have seen some of the bites, this week I ordered more of the chumps I really do think they are great, maybe theres a better float on the market for what I was using them for but they worked VERY well and didnt take on any water in 5 hours so I am sticking with them.

I guess it’s what you feel comfy with same as bait, all summer since the end of june I have just used meat and no soft pellet and done very well with it beating most guys around me that use soft pellet, I am confident with it and it works for me, we all have our opinions but I am not sure there is 1 best float that anyone can say others are inferior

[Anonymous]

Neil, do you honestly believe that i have not looked at yours and other float builders floats?

If i believed that hand made floats where the best floats for the type of fishing i do. Dont you think i would have them in my box and use them regularly. I dont use them because i can get more from the commercially made float patterns. Thats only my personal opinion of course. However, its the same with most match anglers including the best match anglers in the country. The truth is that most of the match anglers in the country dont use hand made floats for all there fishing for very good reasons. Very few of the best match anglers in the country use hand made floats at all. They use commercially made floats because they believe that they are the best for there specific types and styles of fishing. There are a few of the top anglers in our sport who do use some hand made floats for specific situations. The MW diamond and deep shallow fishing being one specific situation. That does not mean that all hand made floats are the best and cover all angling situations. It simply suggests that the better match anglers in the country have looked at the hand made floats and come to the conclusion that commercially made floats offer more.

[TF_Waveney One]

@TrueBlue wrote:

The point i was attempting to get across is that if as an example. A particular design and size of float is the best float for a particular job under specific conditions. You cannot beat that performance. The float is the best float for the job pure and simple.

There is very little in this world that cannot be improved upon – Marilyn Monroe’s body was perhaps the one exception!

[TF_Hillbilly]

“It simply suggests that the better match anglers in the country have looked at the hand made floats and come to the conclusion that commercially made floats offer more. “

Really ? That’s not what my order book tells me TB ~think

[TF_Baku BlankerParticipant]

Hillbilly just keep making the brilliant floats you do TB has obviously never tried any of your floats more for us ~clap ~clap ~clap

[carpcrusaderParticipant]

All These Arguments over Floats Ect Remind ME Of This American Book I Read, It Had A Quote Along The Lines Of “Fishing ain’t a sport..it’s a condition” And You All Got It Bad LMFAO. How Ever Im Well On My Way To Having Said Condition My Self So I Cant Talk. But While Were On The Subject Of Floats I Recieved My Hillbillys This Morning And Ill Tell You Something, I Will NEVER! Go Back To The Crappy (in my opinion) Commertially Made Ones. My Reason Is Some What Different To Yours Due To The Fact, My Little Lad Got In To My Fishing Box, And Low And Behold He Found the Floats (im Just Relieved He Didnt Find The Hooks Or Some Other Sharp Object.) And He Thought They We Sweeties as kids do so he decided to tuck in, only to pull off the body and start to choke. All Ended well i should add but when i came to look at it i noticed the stem doesnt go All The way Thru The Body. so i got one of me others, and gave it a light tug, and low and behold that one came off too. BTW These Wernt Cheep Crappy Ones Either. any way, now come to present day, and when i got me hillbillys, i did the what the mrs calls the kiddy test, and im not kidding you, i could not get the body off of the stem, (not with out tearing the body with my wire cutters Using Brute Force.) and There Strongest Little Critters (forgive the pun) ive ever bought. superb Finish, Perfect Shotting Too. i Dont Know What Else To Say, Other Than, Cheers For The Floats Neil, I Dont Supose You Can Replace the one I Acidentally Broke Could You LMFAO. ~clap ~clap ~clap

[TF_nick_the_2nd]

@TrueBlue wrote:

Neil, do you honestly believe that i have not looked at yours and other float builders floats?

You may have looked at them but have you tried them………….lol ~think

[andy85Participant]

i use handmade malham floats all the time now think there awesome purely because of the care that goes into them i.e they take on hardly any water if any at all as there sealed properly an the wipped on eyes are brilliant for strentgh which u will never get with a mass produced product. ok there slighty more expensive but they defo last for longer than say a chimp in which the wire always seem to bend on me even if i use 4 rubbers also sick of eyes ripping out. i suppose some mass produced float patterns still have a purpose to serve on occasions but its handmade for me everytime if the pattern is right. never used hillbillys personally which do look good by the way but that is purely because i stick to set patterns an keep it simple. each to there own but for anyone that aint tried handmade floats there well worth a look as they work brilliantly the ones i use

[Anonymous]

Carpcrusader said – Recieved My Hillbillys This Morning And Ill Tell You Something, I Will NEVER! Go Back To The Crappy (in my opinion) Commertially Made Ones.

This sums up what im saying. Its not what floats look like that determines if a float is good or not.

Neil, As an example. If you where to walk around White Acres during the Preston festival. You would see almost no anglers using hand made floats. That festival has the cream of match anglers fishing on several different types of venues. A few might own a few hand made floats that they use for specific situations but very few if any of the better anglers use hand made floats exclusively with good reason. Im not knocking your floats. They look great and are very strong. However, they do not in most fishing situations put more fish in the net or every reasonable match angler in the country would be using them exclusively!

Yes, nick the 2nd. I have used a few patterns.

[TF_Rhino]

Trueblue, not sure if you are correct there, plenty of bespoke ones on show when I fished the festivals this year. Also don’t forget many top lads are on full sponsorship so they will use what is free if its good enough, doesn’t mean they are the best though. Personally I use commercial and bespoke but without doubt home made are stronger. The idea of a stronger chimp appeals, must get an order sent off….

[TF_Hillbilly]

“However, they do not in most fishing situations put more fish in the net or every reasonable match angler in the country would be using them exclusively!”

You should see number of unsolicited comments I receive each week both via post and Email which praise both the performance and longevity of my products compared to shop brought items. These comments frequently say that the floats have helped but more fish in the net because the user has been able to see indications that his previous pattern did not show.

I am now tiring of this conversation and will simply agree to differ with you on its subject matter. Anyways I need to use my time to finish more orders off before everyone takes your advice and cancels them. ~think Over to you for the last word as I know you always like to have it. ~sick

[TF_NW Cut Angler]

You mystify me re this argument TB

The Carpa Version is a copy of umpteen floats that went before it. It is hardly a revolutionary shape. I have identical floats (bar the tips – not transluscent) 20 years older than the Carpa range.

You yourself have to modify the Carpa floats. Several people now create a similar float but one which they modify even more to an extent they IMPROVE upon what Carpa can offer.

Anything and everything can be improved upon. IMO the well known hand made float anglers are getting better and better at what they do.

Personally the best squatt float I have ever used was hand made by Latimer. Image/Future and Fox and others all mass produced a very similar float but they are all inferior. I still use the Image models simply because the Latimers were harder to get your hands on etc.

I use a Mick Bassett chopped worm float because IMO it was far better than what commercial mass producers came up with. Even Tubertini when using the input of superb anglers produced something inferior.

The humble dibber. Gerry Woodcock produced a pesca pith dibber which IMO was far better than anything else available.

I think that hand made float makers have now improved on many floats incl the Chimp and even created new vogue patterns.

I may be wrong but the float makers of today collaborate and share information on materials / techniques and now with several makers availability has improved. Why are they in such demand? Simply better designed in some cases and better made in all cases which you would expect given the care/attention each float is given.

Mass production is IMO nearly always inferior to hand made in all aspects of life.

[carpcrusaderParticipant]

@Hillbilly wrote:

Anyways I need to use my time to finish more orders off before everyone takes your advice and cancels them. ~think Over to you for the last word as I know you always like to have it. ~sick

Fat Chance Neil, They Would Have To Be “Chumps” To Take That Advice And “Thick-Chunps” To Cancel There Orders LOL

[Anonymous]

NWCA, im not suggesting for even a minute that KC Chimps or for that matter any other particular float pattern is the be all and end all of all floats and that we should only use them in all situations. Im saying completely the opposite in fact. Use the best float for the job based on the conditions is all im suggesting. However, some of these float makes including Neil are suggesting just that of the floats that they make. A simple coat of hard as nails solves the problem that the question on this tread was asking. Best float for the job! No need for hand made floats that at best can only be second best at best. If im wrong. Then the KC Chimp was never the best float for the job in the first place. Understand what im saying now?

[carpcrusaderParticipant]

@TrueBlue wrote:

A simple coat of hard as nails solves the problem that the question on this tread was asking.

TB That All Depends On The Body The Float Is Made Of…. Hard As Nails Will Completely Warp The Floats Body Depending On The Body Material that is…

[Anonymous]

Not in the case of a KC Chimp, Carpcrusader. I give all my KC Chimps a coat of hard as nails without a problem. The floats then dont take on water and are much stronger than before. I have not had the eye rip out of one this year. So, there strong enough for the types of fishing i use them for. There is almost no difference in shotting capacity after a coat of hard as nails. They even look better, lol

Andy85, i,ve never had the wire bend on a KC Chimp. It could happen if the silicon your using is to tight on the float.

[TF_Fred Davis]

Kc chimps definately wern’t up to the job at puddleduck, because they were the 4 floats I used that got trashed within 10- 15 minutes, £8 – 10 down the drain i felt like a right chump, ok maybe they wern’t the best sort of float for fishing across, but it was that particular brand that got me making my own. I did mention the fact to Steve Brown in the cabin the following week that all four floats went within minutes carpa chimp! Chump in my opinion. I agree that there are some superb commercial silver fish floats around, however for robustness you can’t beat a handmade, even with carp floats I bought some maver margin Paste floats they all broke! my own margin Paste floats are still going strong after two years of hammer.If you can’t make your own Hillbilly, Nick, richard latimer all make superb floats, with float copiers now available as an extra tool to lathes copying float patterns has never been easier.

[TF_baitchefParticipant]

I understand what you are saying TB , if a particular float is right for a given situation then that’s all that matters, be it hand made or a matchstick!!. Lets not forget, the great Ivan marks wouldn’t hesitate in breaking a bit off his floats if it meant that he could ‘work the float’ better.
But when it comes to quality you cant beat the current range of handmade floats out there. I used to be sceptical but after trying some of them I wont go back to mass produced floats. There are so many patterns of handmades about now that it must be pretty much impossible not to find something that would suit your needs.

[Anonymous]

Yes, Baitchef. You do understand what i was getting at. You should see the state of some of my wagglers. Good job i,ve always made my own!

Fred, if i was fishing in a snag pit of a swim for big fish. I would not use a KC float. There are not many floats that will stand up to being dragged though tree roots or reeds. If you get the rig back. Your not likely to have much of most float left on your line if they get abused in that type of way. Part of the reason why i keep saying. Use the correct/best float for the job.

Neil, if your still following this thread. Did you get around to designing those in-line floats we where talking about at Barston?

[Author]

Posts