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Dave Harrell Angling
Running Line Floats
Ask any angler to name the most influential river match anglers over the past 30 years and the majority of anglers who fish the big river opens and festivals, and one name that always pops up is that of Rugby based river maestro Dave Harrell. After spending many, many years at David Hall Publications as editor of Match Fishing, Dave finally decided to hang up his typewriter and set up Dave Harrell Angling. His new venture includes angling tuition on the rivers he learnt his skills and built his reputation on including the Wye, Severn, Avon and Trent. You can book a one to one or group sessions and these sessions offer you a chance at improving both your float and feeder fishing skills with tips from one of the best in the business.
The second part of Dave’s new venture sees the launch of his own range of angling products and accessories which includes the recent launch of the Very impressive Running Line Float Range. This new range of floats carries the Dave Harrell name and has been designed to cover the needs and requirements of the modern match and specialist angler. This 12 pattern float range offers both the rivers and still water angler a selection that can comprehensively cover any angling situation they are likely to encounter when fishing in the United Kingdom. Dave has been kind enough to send over a selection of the Running Line Floats for the UKMA team to have a good look at, So here they are, the new for 2011 Dave Harrell Running Line Floats.
Wagglers
 INSERT PEACOCK WAGGLER
Price £1.79
SIZES: 3BB, 2AAA, 5BB, 3AAA, 4AAA, 5AAA
Uses
Ideal for all situations when sensitivity is critical, they can be used on both rivers and still waters when targeting shy biting fish. They incorporate an ultra light hollow insert sight tip that is designed to allow light to shine through to improve the floats visibility, making it much easier to see, even when dotted right down.
Dave Harrell’s Recommended Shotting
"This float is best used with very little shot down the line and fished with the depth set off the bottom. I would recommend a simple shotting pattern. The majority of the shot is used to set the float to the level of the insert with just a few No8 or No10 shot equally spaced down the line. Always have the bottom shot around eight to ten inches from the hook "
STRAIGHT PEACOCK WAGGLER
Price £1.69
SIZES: 3BB, 2AAA, 5BB, 3AAA, 4AAA, 5AAA
Uses
When bites are positive and sensitivity isn’t essential, this is when the Straight Peacock waggler takes over. Over the years the Peacock Waggler has become one of the most commonly used floats in fresh water fishing, with pleasure, match, specialist and even specimen carp angler making this simple to use float there chosen tool.
Dave Harrell’s Recommended Shotting
"Always use sufficient locking shot around the float to comfortably cast to the distance you require. Down the line, use a No8 or No6 shot for every two feet of water plus a No8 on the hooklength. For a swim eight feet deep therefore I would recommend four No8 or four No6 shot plus that all-important hooklength shot, positioned ten inches from the hook."
STANDARD SPECI WAGGLER
Price £1.69
SIZES: 2AAA, 3AAA, 4AAA, 5AAA, 6AAA, 4SSG
Uses
This all balsa float is commonly used for pellet waggler fishing on commercial carp waters but it can also be used on fast shallow rivers. Because of the increased diameter of this float body, this greatly increases it’s buoyancy, making the small sizes perfect for very shallow swiftly flowing rivers while the longer floats can be used at distance in depths up eight or ten feet on both still and moving waters.
Dave Harrell’s Recommended Shotting
"I lock these floats onto the line with the bulk of the shot then use a No4 shot for every two feet of depth plus a No6 on the hooklength. For a depth of ten feet therefore, use five No4’s and a No6."
THICK SPECI WAGGLER
Price £1.69
SIZES: 2SSG, 3SSG, 4SSG, 5SSG, 6SSG
Uses
When you need a short bodied float that can take a lot of weight as well as work in conjunction with reel lines of 5 to 6lbs with our breaking, then this is the float for you! This float has been developed to cope with the demands that big hard fighting barbel can put your terminal tackle through on shallow stretches of the Severn and this pattern has also found favour with anglers fishing shallow for carp with pellets at distance.
Dave Harrell’s Recommended Shotting
"The shotting equation for this float is very similar to the Standard Speci Waggler with a No4 down for every two feet of water plus a No6 or even a No4 on the hooklength."
Stick Floats
 ALLOY STEM SHALLOW WATER STICK
Price £1.69
SIZES: 4No4, 5No4, 6No4, 7No4, 8No4
Uses
This is definitely the pattern to use close in on shallow big rivers and also on swift flowing smaller streams. The short top and bottom floats is perfect for fast flowing shallow water when buoyancy and visibility are important, plus the floats superb buoyancy means you can fish with the bait tripping the river bed without the float constantly dragging under.
Dave Harrell’s Recommended Shotting
Dave recommends that you use a strung out shotting pattern to start out with but if the fish are really having it change over to a bulk pattern. This will get your bait down to the catch area faster and greatly increase you catch rate.
ALLOY STEM SHOULDERED STICK
Price £1.69
SIZES: 4No4, 6No4, 8No4, 10No4, 12No4, 14No4
Uses
Shouldered stick floats are popular with anglers all over the UK who fish medium paced rivers. This range will cover the majority of moving water situations when fishing anything from 4 to 14 feet of water and when shotted correctly will produce exquisite bait presentation.
Dave Harrell’s Recommended Shotting
"As a general rule always use a No4 shot per foot of water so in a swim that’s eight feet deep go for an 8No4 float. You don’t need to use No4 shot though as these can be broken down into much smaller No8 and No6 shot to give you more flexibility with your shotting arrangement."
ALLOY STEM DOME TOP STICK
Price £1.69
SIZES: 4No4, 6No4, 8No4, 10No4, 12No4, 14No4, 16No4, 20No4, 25No4, 30No4
Uses
These have been designed for those sessions when a big stick float with strung out shots works much better than a float with a bulk shot arrangement. Dave has through experience realised that these bigger floats offer the angler superior presentation options when attacking deep runs on big rivers like the Severn and the Trent.
Dave Harrell’s Recommended Shotting
"This new range now includes floats which go right the way up to a whopping 30No4! In fast flowing water the equation of a No4 per foot of water changes to 2No4 (or a BB) so for a 12ft deep swim I’d often opt for a 25No4 float. In 15ft of fast flowing water try a 30No4 float."
LIGNUM STEM SHOULDERED TOP STICK
Price £1.99
SIZES: 4No4, 6No4, 8No4, 10No4, 12No4, 14No4
Uses
These floats have been designed for use in medium flowing water in depths up to around sixteen feet. When you need a fairly sensitive float tip but also need to fish a fair way out these lignum base floats offer everything you need. When used in-conjunction with a long rod you can achieve excellent presentation even at distance.
Dave Harrell’s Recommended Shotting
"I use this pattern of Stick Float with a strung out shotting pattern or as it is commonly known “Shirt button style”. By using equally spread No4 shot with a No6 just above the hooklength and a No8 on the hooklength this will offer superb bait presentation."
LIGNUM STEM DOME TOP STICK
Price £1.99
SIZES: 4No4, 6No4, 8No4, 10No4, 12No4, 14No4
Uses
These floats take over where the shouldered patterns leave off. They’re designed to perform in fast flowing water where you also need to fish a long way out. The bulbous tips of the floats is an necessary feature that enables the float to be seen at distance, which is important when you are catching your fish 30 metres or more downstream of where you are sat.
Dave Harrell’s Recommended Shotting
Dave recommends that you keep shotting as simple as possible and his chosen style is a strung out arrangement of No4’s with a No6 on the hooklength to make your hookbait move through the swim as naturally as possible.
Avon & Bolo Floats
 ALLOY STEM AVON
Price £1.89
SIZES: 2g, 3g, 4g, 5g, 6g
Uses
The one real noticeable feature of this float pattern it that the tip diameter gets progressively thicker as the floats get bigger. To help choose the right size of float, as a general guide, use 1g for every two feet of water. A fast flowing eight foot deep swim would therefore require a 4g float for optimum presentation.
Dave Harrell’s Recommended Shotting
"These floats are designed for fishing with a bulk rig around two to three feet from the hook and one or two droppers, either No4 or No6 shot, below."
CARBON STEM STANDARD BOLO
Price £2.39
SIZES: 3g, 4g, 5g, 6g
Uses
These floats are designed for use in deep water situations when a Bolo or long rod is being used usual. The hollow tips of these floats allow for ease of visibility at distance and enable you to make critical adjustments to the sensitivity of the float.
Dave Harrell’s Recommended Shotting
"My general rule of thumb for this sort of fishing is to use 1g for every three feet of water. Meaning a swim that is around twelve feet deep should therefore be tackled with a 4g float."
CARBON STEM BIG BOLO
Price £2.39
SIZES: 4g, 6g, 8g, 10g
Uses
This pattern takes over where the Standard Bolo leaves off. It has a thicker hollow bristle and the shape of the float allows it to be held back and easily controlled in very strong current. It truly comes into its own when used in depths from 6 to 15 feet of hard flowing water
Dave Harrell’s Recommended Shotting
"This float should be fished with a bulk rig either of shot or an olivette. Below the bulk, which should be around two to three feet from the hook, I would normally use a No4 or No1 drop shot to give my hookbait stability and control."
 TOP TIP - When using a bulk shotting pattern of 2g or more UKMA would highly recommend using an in-line olivette rather than standard shot for speed of set up and accuracy of shotting.
KEY FEATURE -All patterns and sizes of float in the Running Line Float range have either a bright orange or yellow tip or top option. Both colours are highly visible against any type of natural background or lighting environment. Even the small floats in the range can be seen at some distance, which is a major assistance if like me you’re ready to auditioning for the job as Mr Magoo’s stunt double. At the best of times I have struggled to see many other float tips finishes even in the very best of conditions but I had no problem at all seeing these very distinctive and vibrant sight tip colour options.
First Impressions
As you can see Dave Harrell Angling has put together a comprehensive range of floats that would grace any anglers tackle box. Whatever your angling pleasure, I’m pretty sure there is a float for you in this more than comprehensive range. On first impressions all the floats in the range look well made and up to the job they were designed for. All floats have easy to read graphics that illustrate the floats weight, plus you get the chance to do some un-paid advertising for Dave every time you use one.
With 12 different patterns in the range, which in total gives you 63 different floats options to choose from. Virtually every float fishing situation you are likely to encounter is adequately taken care of by the Dave Harrell Running line Floats. Over the coming weeks, the UKMA team will get them out on the bank and show them in a working environment to see how they perform when in there natural environment.
So until then, check your local retailer or visit the Dave Harrell Angling website by clicking the image below to find your nearest retail outlet.
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