My Floater Set-Up - Long Term Review
Surface fishing is a great way of catching carp in the summer, and it is certainly a method CARPology's Joe Wooltorton enjoys. Here he details his trusty Floater set-up...
Different angling situations warrant different set-ups. Shorter/retractable rods for close-quarters fishing and boat work. 13ft broom sticks and big pits for distance work. Soft and light for surface fishing, right? Since sampling the delights of my current floater combo, I don’t think I will ever go back to using a standard rod and reel for when chasing them around on top.
Surface fishing entails lighter lines, smaller hooks and reduced casting weight. The lighter line and smaller hooks can cause us to be a little more anxious about whether we will land our prize after its violent eruption mid meal as it takes one too many mixers. One option is to have a looser clutch and a straighter rod, but that too presents risks of a hook pull. That’s where a dedicated set-up comes into its own, as it is specifically designed to reduce the risk of hook pulls, make casting easier, but more importantly, it allows you to fully enjoy catching them off the top.
The Daiwa Longbow DF X45 Floater Special paired with my Daiwa Tournament SS2600 Whisker Reel has elevated my enjoyment of surface fishing to the next level. The rod is rated at 2.25lb TC, which in today’s carp fishing sounds like a feeder rod, but believe me, it has enough backbone to get them under control whilst having the forgiveness in the tip to alleviate pressure on the hook hold when the fish inevitable crash and thrash near the net cord. It’s surprising just how far you can fling a bubble float or controller too! A small but very appreciated feature is the small hinged loop above the reel seat for safer travels around the lake with a long hooklink.
The reel is small but you don’t want anything big and heavy when you are casting dozens of times for hours on end. It holds more line than you will ever need and has a lovely smooth clutch allowing you to really control the resistance through the rod and reel combo.
