Blogs

My name is Shaun and I use a marker float!

My name is Shaun and I use a Marker Float

There you are, I have said it!

Back in the 80’s it was rare to see any carp angler plumbing their swim, as it was referred to back then. Marker work, as we refer to it now, was almost non-existent on the venues I frequented and they were stretched far and wide in the 80’s, from Essex all the way up through the country and well into Lincolnshire as well as into the West Midlands. Yes, I got about a lot as back then I had to if I wanted to fish for larger carp than I had available locally to me.

My Marker and Spod Reel Set ups.

I would welcome a free drink for every time I have watched anglers cast a marker float out and not be able to get it to rise, then repeat the process again and again whilst spooking anything that may have remained there after the first cast.

Some real experienced anglers I see suffer this problem as well and the biggest cause is braided line or braided leaders. Yes, all the magazines tell us we need braided line for marker work, but for many years now I have used a Co-polymer or a fluorocarbon leader on the end of my braid to stop the frustrating habit of the marker float spinning around the soft braid on the cast and temporarily tangling, which prevents the float from rising. Using too small a lead can cause this too, but this can be seen during the cast as the float separates from the lead.