Hi all, I am needing some advice and help on trotting. I have not long got back into fishing and I'm basically starting afresh knowledge wise as before I went with my Dad who knew what was what.

I am regularly fishing a small local river and had some success picking up Brownies by drifting a dry fly down the stream but for those day's where I need a change of tactics I have been advised that trotting some maggots on a float is a good bet.

Now I have never used this method, the only time I have used a float was launching a bubble for rainbows, so I need some advice on what my set up should be. The river is around a meter and a half to 2 meters across and between a foot and three feet in depth so it's not a massive body of water and as with most places the lack of rain means it's not exactly in spate at the moment. The guy who told me to try trotting told me I could used my fly rod and line with the float attached to the leader, weighted by shot and size 14 or 16 hooks. What kind of floats would be best for this as I was assuming an Avon or stick type would be best? And how long should you leave below the float?

any help on this kind of setup, and methods for trotting for trout, would be gratefully received.

Cheers.

Hope this helps

Just so happens I like a bit of trotting myself

If the river is only small you would be better off with a short light spinning rod and fixed spool reel. Line 3lbs mono with an 3 BB Avon float size 16 hook.
You could forget the maggot and just use worm?

Gary (nicho)


Bamboo rod Maker

Cheers for that Gary, I always thought maggot was the better bait for Brownies though?

The Avon float is the kind of torpedo shaped isnt it?

I'm a coarse fisherman as well as fly so do my fair share of trotting, although not for trout. You can't really use your fly gear I'm afraid as its a completely different method and casting a fly line is completely different too. If you still wanted to use your fly gear you could fish nymphs under and indicator/large dry fly set up to present the fly in similar way to when trotting - that could well be worth a go - "duo method" if you do a search on this forum there's plenty of advice and even some video clips from Paul G.

However, if you want to try bait and float fishing then you'll need a float rod and fixed spool or centrepin reel (fixed spool for starters, also cheaper and easier to learn with). You could use a spinning rod but they're usually too short - you want something 13', 12 would be ok seeing as its a small river. Avon float is a bit chunky and only needed if water is quite fasty an turbulent, otherwise stick float or small chubber type, or small balsa as water is shallow - not much shot needed 3 or 4 no.4 in bulked together for that depth, so a float to match, attached top and bottom by float rubbers, hooks size say 16 for maggots, bigger for worm. Maggots easier as you can loose feed them too - and that is really the advantage with trotting, that you can feed the fish and get them to feed at a time when they wouldn't normally feed. Set float depth to a bit overdepth, if you catch bottom shallow up a bit, if you get nothing vary depth until you start getting bites - although in shallow water like that its less of an issue. Trot the float down the river to them, letting line come off the spool with bail arm open allowing float a free run down, stop line with finger when float dips under and strike, reel back, which re-engages bail arm. You'll see why you can't do that with a fly reel. Chose line which naturally floats - Drennan Float Fish is as good as any and cheap. Take a discorger and fish barbless as trout can swallow maggots if they're in greedy mode.

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Whats all this about 12 -13' rods! The width of the stream is 1.5 to 2 metres wide!
You need a rod no more than 7' long, a fixed spool reel and line to match the size of fish. As you suggest the flow is slight, a centrepin won't work. The float should carry at the most one No 4 shot, as its shallow too. Split this weight into 2 No6 shot, or 4 No8 shot below the float, strung out or bunched for trout. A float carrying just 2 No8 shot may be more suitable though.The float would be a very small wire stemmed stick, or my preference would be a short, wire or fibreglass stem pole float. Both would have a shoulder, (it helps to keep the float tip more vertical, as the current pushes down on the shoulder), and with a domed or thickish, pointed tip. Not a bristle tip!

Interesting as they are, the 2 vids above are totally irrelevant to your specific situation.

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"Angling may be said to be so like mathematics in that it can never be fully understood" - Izaak Walton

The problem with maggots is that browns tend to take them deep, which means that you can't access your hook without killing the fish (not great if you hook small/immature fish).

Have you tried a small nymph? If you want more info on this feel free to PM me.

Cheers.

In water that shallow, I would actually fish a small but chunky waggler (bottom end only attached float), with a couple of AA's around it and two number 8s down. Drennan Crystal is ideal.

It will fold over nicely on the strike and make much less splash.

Charlie

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From the Idea grows the Dream

www.jamarqui.co.uk

Having been a coarse/match angler before converting to the fly I recall years ago the major tackle companies used to make 10 or11foot rods for floatfishing
the canals,when the boom in match carp fishing took off the canals were forgotten as match venues.If you could find such a rod it would be ideal for what you describe.Ihave not heard of a 7foot float rod(but Ihave been out of coarse fishing for a while)but such a rod would be better,dont be tempted to use a spinning rod which are usually shorter but too powerfull for what you need.You risk losing fish on the strike or pulling the hook whilst playing the fish.The advantage of the longer rod is that you could trott longer distances and still be in contact with the rig you choose to fish,good tactic if they become a bit spooky!
cheers
Steve.

Mancfly's advice on floats is spot on,a shouldered stick type float will allow you to hold back which basically means trapping the line against the reel spool and stopping the passage of the float downstream for a second or two.
This will cause your hookbait to rise up in the water and then fall again(when you release the reel line)and can induce a take.It s not possible to hold back in this manner with the waggler as trapping the line will cause it to sink.
Steve