Stick Float Fishing

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

Stick float fishing lets you control exactly how a bait travels down a steady river glide, which makes it a go-to method for roach, dace and chub. The float is fixed top and bottom with three silicone rubbers, so you can slow it, hold it back and steer it down the swim.

Most problems on the stick come from three faults: the wrong size float, the wrong shotting, or a float left to run too fast. Advice on stick float shotting often conflicts, so this guide sets out which pattern suits which water.

The seven steps cover the swim, the float, the stick float rig, shotting, depth, running the float and fixing problems. It is a river method, so the English river close season applies (Step 1 and the FAQ).

Step 1: Choose a Steady Glide and Check the River Is Open

The float veers off line, boils drag it under, and no two trots match. Usually that is the swim, not the angler.

Look for a smooth, steady glide where the float runs the same line every cast and loose feed holds fish. As a guide, that means roughly 3 to 6ft of water at a steady pace. On big rivers such as the Severn and Wye, the stick is often fished close in over the near-side ledge, in around 5ft at walking pace. Fast or turbulent water pulls a slim stick under, so use an Avon or chubber there (Step 2).

Levels change daily. Environment Agency river level readings are published online, usually every 15 minutes, so check them before you set off. Our guide to reading a river swim covers flow and features.

In England, the coarse close season runs from 15 March to 15 June, both days inclusive, on all rivers, streams and drains. Clubs can extend it but not shorten it. You also need a rod licence and the owner’s permission (see fishing seasons and fishing licence). In Wales, check with Natural Resources Wales.

If the surface is boiling and the float won’t run straight, move to a smoother glide before changing anything else.

Step 2: Pick the Right Float Pattern and Size

The usual sizing mistake isn’t a float that is too heavy. It is one that is too light, which won’t cast cleanly, won’t hold the line and gets knocked off course.

Start with about one No4 shot of capacity per foot of depth, so a 5ft swim takes roughly a 5 x No4 stick. Go heavier when there is more pace or a downstream wind. Shotted properly, a bigger float is still delicate where it matters: at the tip.

Float	Best water	Strength	Weakness
Stick	Steady glides, roughly 3 to 6ft	Fixed top and bottom, easy to hold back	Dragged under in heavy flow
Avon	Deeper or faster water, longer trots	Buoyant body, carries bigger baits	Bulkier, less delicate
Chubber or loafer	Shallow, fast, streamy water	Stays up in turbulence	Poor in gentle glides

Lighter stick patterns suit slower, shallower water, and heavier ones stay stable as the pace rises. Our float fishing hub covers other float patterns and when to use them.

If the swim is deeper than about 6ft, or the float keeps getting pulled under, switch to an Avon rather than overloading a stick.

Step 3: Build the Stick Float Rig

You shotted the float perfectly, yet it stutters and drags down the swim. Often the hidden cause is mainline too thick to let the float travel naturally.

Keep the stick float rig light and simple:

Mainline: a light floating mono of about 2 to 3lb. One big-river match angler fishes 0.16mm. Floating line sits on the surface where you can mend it (Step 6).
Float: fit it with three silicone rubbers, one under the tip, one on the body and one over the bottom of the stem. The float then slides to change depth without retying.
Hook: a small fine-wire pattern matched to the bait for roach and dace on single maggot or caster, or a stronger pattern if chub are likely.
Shot: covered in Step 4.

Use a float rod long enough to mend line at the end of the trot, and a fixed-spool reel to start. Centrepins and long-trotting set-ups are covered in trotting tackle and the centrepin.

Best for: roach, dace and chub at short to medium range. Skip if: barbel are likely in the swim.

Step 4: Shot the Stick Float (Shirt-Button or Tapered Bulk)

Two anglers writing in Angling Times shot the stick float in opposite ways, and both catch. The right choice comes down to depth, pace and how far off the bottom the fish are feeding.

Shirt-button shotting

Jonathan Longden spaces pairs of No8 and No6 evenly down the line, with most of the weight in the top two-thirds and two No8 droppers near the hook. A No8 under the float marks the depth. The bait falls slowly and naturally, which suits steady, moderate water and fish feeding up in the water or on the bottom.

Tapered bulk shotting

Hadrian Whittle groups the weight lower, tapering down in the bottom half. That gets the bait down quickly, which suits deeper, faster water and fish on or near the bottom.

Worked example: a 5ft swim

Here is one way to load a 5 x No4 float (Step 2) shirt-button style. Exact loadings vary between brands, so treat the counts as a starting point:

One No8 under the float as the depth marker.
Six No6, in three pairs, down the top two-thirds.
Four No8 below them, evenly spaced.
Two No8 droppers near the hook.

Fine-tune with No8s or smaller until only the tip shows. In England, lead shot is only legal at 0.06g (No8) or less, or over 1oz, so the No6s and any No4s on this rig must be a non-toxic alternative such as tungsten.

Pattern	Best for	Why
Shirt-button	Steady glides; fish off the bottom or up in the water	Slow, natural fall
Tapered bulk	Deeper, faster water; fish on the bottom	Gets the bait down quickly

Treat any stick float shotting pattern as a starting point; our full guide to float shotting patterns goes deeper.

Start shirt-button in a steady glide, and switch to a tapered bulk when the pace picks up or bites only come near the bottom.

Step 5: Plumb the Swim and Fine-Tune the Depth

A couple of minutes with a plummet tells you more about the swim than an hour of trotting blind.

Plumb along the line you plan to run, not just at your feet, and note where the bottom shelves or rises. Start with the bait just tripping the bottom, or a touch over depth if you plan to hold back (Step 6). Because the float sits on rubbers, slide it a few inches at a time as the session develops:

Float dips with no fish: the bait is probably catching the bottom, so go shallower.
Bites tail off or only come at the end of the trot: go a little deeper, or hold back more.
Fish rise to the feed: go shallower to meet them.

If bites dry up, change the depth before you change the bait.

Step 6: Run the Float Down the Same Line Every Cast

The same float, bait and swim can produce bites for one angler and nothing for the next. The difference is usually the speed the float travels.

Fishing the stick float well is a sequence you repeat every cast:

Cast slightly downstream. Richard Grange, in Angling Times, casts so the line sits behind the float rather than pulling it.
Feed little and often in front of you, so feed and hookbait travel down together. Grange feeds about three parts hemp to one part caster. Hadrian Whittle starts on maggots and moves to casters later.
Mend and release line. Keep the line on the surface behind the float and flick it upstream before a belly forms. Some anglers feed line off an open bail arm and others backwind. Both work.
Set the pace. Whittle starts with the float at about two-thirds the speed of the current, then experiments. Where bites come, hold back for a couple of seconds so the bait lifts enticingly.

The same principles apply to roach fishing in rivers and catching dace on the float.

Strike at any hesitation. A foul-hooked fish from a river must be released immediately, and a baited rod must never be left unattended.

Verdict: slow the float down before you change anything else. A float running at full current speed drags the bait ahead of the loose feed.

Step 7: Fix Common Stick Float Problems

The float dives under every trot, but there is never a fish on. Diagnose by symptom and fix the right thing first.

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Dragging under or veering	Float too light, or boily water	Size up (Step 2), smoother glide (Step 1) or an Avon
Won’t travel naturally	Line too thick or sunk	Lighter floating line (Step 3), mend more (Step 6)
No bites, or only at the end of the trot	Wrong depth or float too fast	Re-plumb (Step 5), slow the float (Step 6)
Missed or quick bites	Bait too big, or shot far from the hook	Smaller bait, move a shot nearer the hook (Step 4)
Tangles on the cast	Shot bunched, or casting too hard	Respace the shot (Step 4), feather the cast

Change one thing at a time so you know what worked. The rules on when and where you can fish are in the FAQs below.

Frequently asked questions

Can you fish the stick float in the close season?

Not on rivers, streams or drains in England between 15 March and 15 June inclusive. Most stillwaters and canals have no statutory close season, but some canals (canalised rivers) and SSSI stillwaters do, and clubs can add their own. In Wales, check with Natural Resources Wales. See our fishing seasons guide.

Do I need a rod licence for stick float fishing?

Yes, in England and Wales if you are 13 or over. Juniors aged 13 to 16 get a free licence and under-13s need none. You also need the owner's or club's permission. Fishing without a licence risks a fine of up to £2,500. See our fishing licence guide.

What size stick float should I use?

About one No4 shot of capacity per foot of depth, so a 5 x No4 for a 5ft swim. Go heavier in faster water or wind. See Step 2.

Should I use a stick float or an Avon?

A stick for steady, moderate glides of roughly 3 to 6ft. An Avon for deeper, faster or more turbulent water, or bigger baits. See Step 2.

What line do I need for stick float fishing?

A light floating mono of about 2 to 3lb is the usual choice. Floating line stays on the surface, so you can mend it without pulling the float off line. Line that is too thick stops the float travelling naturally. See Step 3.