🏞️ FLAT TOP STICK FLOAT
(Built to Hold in Heavy Flows and Drag Bottom)
The Flat Top Stick — sometimes called the Large Dome Top Stick — is a big cane and balsa stick float designed for distance fishing and dragging the bait along the bottom in fast-flowing swims.
The flat dome-shaped top makes the float easy to spot at long range, while its extra buoyancy gives it the strength to trot the swim while dragging bottom — without pulling under. This makes it a superb float in high water conditions and during fast, clearing flows after a flood.
🧰 Design & Features
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Body: Heavy cane stem with a large, flat dome-shaped balsa top
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Top: High-visibility flat dome for spotting at distance
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Buoyancy: High, allowing bait to be dragged without sinking the float
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Casting: Smooth and accurate when feathered in a side cast
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Shotting: String of No.6, No.8 and No.10 shots down the line, reducing in size
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Presentation: Ideal for trotting over depth with a long tail
This float was made famous by Stan Bennet, a respected West Midlands float maker, and is still used widely by river anglers for its power and control in heavy water.
🌊 Why It Works
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🪝 High buoyancy lets the float drag bottom without pulling under
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🧭 Excellent for fast water and post-flood conditions
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🌀 Dome top increases visibility at range
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🐟 Slows the bait down so fish can intercept it confidently
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⚖️ Great “change-up” float when other methods aren’t producing
Trotting this float a few inches over depth and adjusting the float position until it pulls and releases naturally is the key to this method.
🏆 Clive’s Match Memory
🎣 Venue: Flooded River Taff
After floods, when the water was still pushing hard but starting to clear, I turned to this float. The big, buoyant dome held beautifully, allowing me to drag bait slowly and naturally.
Fish often feed confidently during this period, and this float has produced many memorable catches for me when others struggled to hold or control their presentation.
🧭 Pro Tip
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Use a side cast with a feathered line to keep shotting straight and prevent tangles.
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Keep the rod tip low on release to guide the shot line neatly into the water.
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Shot progressively down the line, ending with a long tail to drag bottom.
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A small adjustment up or down the float can make a huge difference in feel and presentation.
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Ideal as a backup method when standard trotting patterns aren’t working.
🕰️ Classic Float Heritage
“This float is a proper floodwater tool. When the river’s pushing through, the flat top stick holds steady and brings fish to the net.”
— Clive Branson
🎨 Illustration Box
🪶 Float Type: Flat Top / Dome Top Stick Float
🌊 Ideal Venue: Fast-flowing rivers, post-flood conditions
🐟 Target Species: Chub, roach, dace, bream
🪝 Rigging Tip: Strung shotting down the line with long tail
🧪 Key Advantage: Holds firm while dragging bait along the bottom
🪵 Materials Timeline
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🕰️ Early Years: Heavy cane with dome cork top
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📈 Developed: Balsa dome top with improved buoyancy
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💡 Modern: High-vis balsa tops with precision-balanced cane stems
✅ illustrations from the book
Order the Complete Float Manual
📘 The Float Manual — over 167 pages of knowledge, techniques, and illustrations — is now available.
To order, simply click the book image or contact me directly:
📩 clive@angling-news.co.uk
📘 Download the Complete Float Manual – Instant Access
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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.
✅ Learn how to use wagglers, stick floats, pole floats and more
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