🪶 Small Shoulder Pear Float
The Small Shoulder Pear is a refined, more compact version of the standard Shoulder Reverse Pear. It performs the same role but is designed for finer presentations on smaller rivers, medium-paced flows, and even moving canals.
Its squat, stable body shape allows excellent control, letting the angler hold back confidently in a fixed position while maintaining delicate bite indication.
🎯 Key Features and Presentation
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Perfect for medium-paced waters between 5 ft and 9 ft deep
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Squatter body for precise control and stable presentation
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Wire bristle option for extra sensitivity — greasing the wire allows it to sit lightly on the water’s surface tension
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Excellent for roach and silverfish on natural venues
This float excels where finesse is needed, making it particularly effective on rivers like the Warwickshire Avon, where it has helped me take good match-winning bags of roach over the years.
⚖️ Shotting & Rig Setup Example
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Pole mainline: 0.11 mm
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Hooklength: 0.06 mm
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Float: 0.5 g
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Shotting: bulk down or strung out, just over depth with balanced presentation
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Hook: size 24 with a single maggot on the bottom
A strung-out shotting pattern is particularly effective for roach. This allows the bait to ease down the swim slowly, often resulting in fish taking it cleanly — “as if you’re putting the bait right into their mouths.”
When held back, the bait will lift slightly, and when released, the float often sails away with a positive bite.
🪝 Pole & Elastic Tips
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Keep the float and feeding area at a 45° angle down from your position, avoiding casting directly over the shoal.
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When hooking a fish, draw it gently away from the feed area to avoid spooking others.
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I prefer using number 3 or 4 elastic for this style of roach fishing.
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A French tip: thread the elastic only through the pole’s top section tip. This gives better control of stretch and helps land medium-sized fish more smoothly.
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Greasing the elastic further prevents jarring, giving a clean, controlled retrieve.
✅ In summary:
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A compact, highly sensitive float for medium-paced rivers and canals
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Excellent for roach and silverfish fishing
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Offers fine presentation with full control in the flow
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Proven match-winner on venues like the Warwickshire Avon
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Ideal with light elastic and strung shotting patterns
Illustration from the book
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