🐉 THE DEEP DOCK SLIDER

The Deep Dock Sliding Float is a clever and highly practical design that allows anglers to fish very deep water with a rod and reel, avoiding the awkwardness of using a long roach pole in extreme depths.

On venues exceeding 20 ft or more, setting the depth with a fixed pole float can be cumbersome — and landing fish at that depth can be downright tricky. But with a Deep Dock Slider, the float is set on the reel line with a stopper knot or rubber bead at the desired depth, while the working line remains short and manageable — typically around 8 ft.
This setup allows smooth, effortless netting of fish without battling the limitations of a fixed float.

🎣 How It Works

Fishing with the slider is simple:

• Cast or place the float on the water.

• Allow the line to run freely through the top and bottom eye of the float.

• The line stops when the stopper knot reaches the float, setting the bait at the full fishing depth.

The tip of the float is painted black and white to ensure high visibility against changing light conditions — bright sunshine, dull skies, or shaded dock walls.

This float was originally developed by my good friend and talented float maker Brian Crow, who gave me his own version many years ago (see photo at the top of the page). It was first used to great effect on deep docks at Port Talbot and East Dock in Cardiff, long before pole fishing became popular in the UK.

A small group of dedicated anglers mastered this method to target quality roach and bream, overcoming the challenges of deep water with ease. Their results in early competitions proved just how deadly this float could be.

🏆 My Experience

I’ve had many excellent results on these same venues using this slider — and have since reintroduced the design through my own Gold Medal Floats Manual

It remains a brilliant choice for deep-water venues like the Gloucester Canal, River Soar, and similar docks and basins where depth and distance demand a specialist approach.

An Illustration from my book

🎯 Clive’s Match Tip:

Use two sliding knots on the line; this will stop the stop knots from moving out of position on the line when striking

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Written by World Champion Clive Branson, The Complete Float Manual is a 167+ page eBook packed with practical techniques, classic float designs, diagrams, and championship-winning methods.

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✅ Discover the history and evolution of float fishing
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