Thread: Got distance?

Hopefully a last couple questions:

TG waggler or bodied waggler or a different kind?

I found THIS Auction, is it a good variety that should have all I need for lots of different applications?

Also, the shot, I found the lead free coated shot, is that the best to get? I am pretty sure I have the weights figured out:
SSG 1.6 g
AAA .8
AB .6
BB .4
01 .3
04 .2
08 .1
Should I get a variety or just stick with BB for best results?

Even 10 bb shot is only .15oz. so rather light but again, not an issue if I use it right and learn to cast it right.

Originally Posted by fish_4_all

TG waggler or bodied waggler or a different kind?

If you get the Thill floats, I'd just get the plain waggler. They are all balsa; therefore, they require more shot to balance which means you can cast them farther. The old Thill bodied wagglers had a birch stem, but it looks like Lindy may have changed the design.

If you get an English float, I don't think it matters that much. English waggers are generally straight without the "bulb" at the bottom of the float. If it has the "bulb", they refer to it as a "bodied" waggler.

Originally Posted by fish_4_all

I found THIS Auction, is it a good variety that should have all I need for lots of different applications?

That looks like a pretty good deal, but there are a couple of caveats. First, be careful when ordering English floats. Some of the floats (like the Avons) require silicone tubing to attach them to the line, and you may not be able to get the correct size tubing here in the US. (This happened to another member here when he ordered floats from England.)

Second, don't try to learn too many floats at once. Just pick one or two sizes of waggler and really get to know how they work. If you fish rivers, do the same with the Avons.

Incidentally, one group of Americans who have really taken to the English floats are the salmon and steelhead guys. They generally fish an Avon-type float with a "centerpin" reel. Since you're in WA, you should be able to hook up with some of them.

Originally Posted by fish_4_all

Also, the shot, I found the lead free coated shot, is that the best to get? I am pretty sure I have the weights figured out:
SSG 1.6 g
AAA .8
AB .6
BB .4
01 .3
04 .2
08 .1
Should I get a variety or just stick with BB for best results?

Even 10 bb shot is only .15oz. so rather light but again, not an issue if I use it right and learn to cast it right.

I would just get the variety because you will use them all. Wacker Baits carries a couple of assorted shot packs from Dinsmore. Also, I always use the least amount of shot possible. For example, if a float takes 12 BB to balance, I don't put 12 BB shot on the line. Instead, I use 2 or 3 SSG shot to lock the float in place with a couple of smaller shot down the line.

The video I posted in the other thread is a great example -- big shots at the base of the float, tiny shots down the line.

One final thing you might want to get are float adaptors for the wagglers. It's just a little silicone tube with a barrel swivel. You don't have to use them, but they're nice to have. Lindy sells them, but I might have a few extra I could send you. I'll check when I get back home.

Well this all foreign to me, I have never seen one used properly here let alone anywhere else. The only "stick" float they use for salmon and steelhead are the foam ones and then only because you can put a lot of weight down the line and it will float. I have seen wagglers used but they were all used as a tip up float that layed flat on the water and a bite was seen when the float tipped up. No this is not the right way but is how they are used here.

I have no clue what a plain Waggler is. I know I am showing my ignorance here but it is fact. Stick, bodied, stealth, Avon and whatever other term means nothing to me. I have spent hours trying to find out more about them and all I can find is how to rig them and fish them. Sticks and Avon work best in slow flowing water and in slightly choppy water. Bodied ones are best for still water with little if any wave action and very slow moving streams/rivers. Nothing tells me what is standard. I know the heavier the rating the longer the cast but it would be nice to have an idea of what weight is needed for basic distance.

This one is the one I am thinking of getting, 12bb and 9bb sizes.

If you recommend a different one, please give me a link.

And just to make sure I have this right:

Basic setup:

bb,bb-float-bb,bb,bb---------bb---------bb(01,04)---------hook (balance with 01, 04 for right height in water)

Originally Posted by fish_4_all

I have no clue what a plain Waggler is. I know I am showing my ignorance here but it is fact. Stick, bodied, stealth, Avon and whatever other term means nothing to me. I have spent hours trying to find out more about them and all I can find is how to rig them and fish them. Sticks and Avon work best in slow flowing water and in slightly choppy water. Bodied ones are best for still water with little if any wave action and very slow moving streams/rivers. Nothing tells me what is standard. I know the heavier the rating the longer the cast but it would be nice to have an idea of what weight is needed for basic distance.

This one is the one I am thinking of getting, 12bb and 9bb sizes.

When I said "plain waggler" (as opposed to bodied waggler) I meant the TG waggler, the exact same one you linked. The two sizes you suggest should be fine. It's easy to get confused with all the different types of floats. That's why I suggested focusing on one for now. I could use nothing but the TG waggler for the rest of my fishing career and catch loads of fish.

Originally Posted by fish_4_all

And just to make sure I have this right:

Basic setup:

bb,bb-float-bb,bb,bb---------bb---------bb(01,04)---------hook (balance with 01, 04 for right height in water)

That's basically right, but I wouldn't put BB shot down the line for the float you're talking about. For the 9 BB waggler, I would put 2 AAA (or 1 SSG) shot on either side of the base of the float. Then, I would see how that sits in the water. (The shot at the base of the float should sink the float up to the bottom of the red part of the tip.) Finally, I would add the smaller "dropper" shot down the line.

Remember the video: two or three "locking" shot at the base of the float with two or three smaller "dropper" shot below. Keep it simple. I cannot tell you how many fish I have caught using the exact same float rig that he uses.

Feel free to PM me for more details.

Just to reiterate -- put most of the weight around the base of the float and very little down the line. The more weight you have down the line, the more difficult it is to cast.

I liken casting a waggler rig to flying a kite. If the tail of a kite is too heavy, the kite will not fly right. If there is too much weight down the line from a waggler, the float will not cast right.

Have you ever used the Crystal Wagglers? They seem a lot more stealthy and might work well here in my clear water when the fish run from anything they see on the water.

Just curious right now, I have to learn to use a basic one first.

Originally Posted by fish_4_all

Have you ever used the Crystal Wagglers?

Never have, but my waters aren't that clear. In really clear or shallow water, they would be ideal.

I have also been meaning to ask someone, what is a centerpin reel? A spinning reel?

If it is we call them coffee grinders. My uncle says it is because they are only good for grinding coffee but he probably couldn't land a fish on one now if he tried.