If you are often deep hooking browns on float tackle you're doing something wrong. If the float is set up correctly and you strike quickly you'll hook them in the mouth with only occasional deeper hookings.
If the river is narrow, a long rod might not be needed....but a 11ft / 12 ft match rod would be great. Note this is a small river ok, but running clear and you'll be upstream of the fish...a longer rod allows you to stand / kneel back from the edge and out of clear vision and you can still control your gear.
A closed face reel is great for this kina fishing. Floats....with some current a chubber or loafer is good, esp drennan clear ones, esp if the water is also shallow. (in which case get right away from the waters edge!).
A short, thick waggler is great for the slower swims.
And if the water goes up, get on the worm and wee mepps!

Hope you treat any fish you catch a bit better than James Robbins does on the Shakespeare video clip

never seen it....what does he do?

spot on ... 3ft deep you would be able to fish with a stick float but you will find when you strike you will send it all flying back towards you (tangle for certain)

---------- Post added at 04:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:45 PM ----------

and fast runny ones

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WHEN YOU LEAVE THE RIVER, TAKE NOTHING, AND LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINT'S!!!

THA CAN TELL A YORKSHIREMAN ,BUT THA CAN'T TELL HIM MUCH !!

Hi,
Personally gentleman I would fish the upstream worm..an old tried and often deadly method so much so that it was banned from use in many fisheries

EQUIPMENT
Spinning rod 7 foot ideal
Small lob worm [hooked once only thru the tail] or bunch of brandlings.
No weight
Swivel tied in at about 14-18 inches.

METHOD
Begin well downstream and wade directly upstream.
Cast to likely lyes
Allow the weight of the worm to sink it naturally
[surprising how far you can cast with a little practice !]
[wrap some telephone/copper wire around the line above the swivel
only if you need to get more depth]
The current will work the worm naturally
Slowly wind in loose line only just enough to keep in contact with the bait.
Fish it right back to your feet.
Takes can be sudden and hard ! fish will follow !
Touching bottom / snaggy ..simply raise the rod tip to allow the worm to roll over the obstruction.

I have taken trout,salmon and sea trout with this method.
Where is the need for a float you can control the worm much easier on it's own and manipulate at what height in the water the bait fishes at.

The theory being that your cast will land well in front of your target fish and 'wash down' in the current to the awaiting trout so natural !.
Now the fish has two choices ..
Chase and take the bait or let a meal pass on by.
A fleeting glance at the worm is all the trout sees as it passes overhead and he reacts quickly and with a vengeance.
If a fish follows but does not take try again ..He'll come back for a second go !
Kindest regards
John

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The tackle is different, but the principles of trotting are identical whether using a 17' float rod on a large river or, as I used to do when I was a kid, trotting a tiny overgrown stream with a 6' "matchpicker" quivertip rod.

(Technically, it wasn't a stream, it was a filled in and overgrown canal lock full of little brownies, but if you imagine a fast flowing stream about a foot deep and three feet wide with heavy cover, you're there)

i've read this thread a few times now ,and considered all the replies ,i fish a few small rivers & streams with varying depths of swims and widths .

and would agree with Mr walker ,trotting is trotting .the only difference is in scale of tackle used .i do differ in my choice of length of rod i don't fish with a shorter than 10ft rod (even though a shorter rod may seem more appropiate) ,i prefer the extra length as it gives me more control once i've hooked the fish .i'll either trot through or stet-peg which a longer rod helps with .

if there's not much room at the waters edge too be waving a 10ft rod around i'll step back a foot or two ,too compensate .

its the other tackle i scale down line ,float ,reel etc
hooks depend on bait used (but i don't like tiny hooks ) a 16's most likley
line wise 1.7 - 3lbs b/s
reel 3½" - 4" centrepin or my 506 abu c/f or mitchell 410
float either the smallest chubba i can find (3bb) or one of my own special mini avons



thats a 3¾ inch centrepin (i have smaller ones) on a 11ft rod (more often a 10ft carbon rod or 10ft splitcane rod) ,with a 4" avon float that takes 1bb ,broken down as 2 no 4 as bulk ,and a dust shot as a tele-tail or 4 no 8's spaced out and fished from 3" to 4ft deep depending on water levels .

i can fish any small stream or river with this set up ,comfortably ,only flow rate would cause any change ,if a bit slow i'd opt for a short light chubba float because of its surface area ,they pick up the flow better and maybe a switch too a free'er running centrepin or c/f reel and maybe a longer rod too keep all the line of the surface (line from rod tip direct too float tip) over a longer trot through.

my private river stretch



3-3½m wide ,and between 6" to 3ft deep meandering river



here fishing under a willow ,had too sit a few feet back as i was using a 11ft splitcane rod



I was using a small chubba that day


and it took a longer rod too stop this monster from crashing into the streamer reed and snapping my light line (1.7b/s)



mind you .i also fish small rivers like these which have barbel too 7lbs in them .small rivers can be great fun wether they're coarse or game rivers or mixed like my local river erewash and one of my favorite grayling rivers the test (slow carrier at timsbury manor springs too mind) .

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I try to be funny... but sometimes I merely look it! Steve

Steve old chap, I do believe thats "our river"! I agree about rod length by the way, anything less than 10' and I can't really control the float (or any hooked fish) how I like (unless wading possibly). Even under trees and in tight spots I have always managed fine with a 10' rod, its not like fly fishing where youre having to constantly wave the thing about.

I also agree with the comments about upstream worming, or even downstream, but basically freelining lobworms. Saying that, I haven't fished that way for years, mainly out of laziness for not bothering to collect my own lobs, but I used to fish like that (and spend hours collecting lobs) all the time as a kid on the very small upper Warks Avon where I grew up.

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