Gold Medal Floats

Light Cane Stickfloat

🪶 LIGHT CANE STICK FLOAT

(Delicate Presentation for Shallow to Medium Flows)

The light cane stick float is the smaller, more delicate member of the stick float family — ideal for lighter work and close-to-the-bank fishing. It excels in slow to medium pace running water, where finesse and sensitivity are more important than distance or weight.

Because it carries fewer shots, this float creates minimal surface disturbance when casting. As the light shots sink slowly, the float gently tilts downward in response to each settling split shot. By lightly checking the line with your finger on the spool, the float pauses and the shot rise again in the water — a moment when fish often find the bait irresistible.

🧰 Design & Features

  • Body: Slim profile, lightweight design

  • Stem: Cane (counter-balanced for delicate presentation)

  • Shotting: Light, strung out in reducing sizes

  • Line Control: Excellent fingertip control with closed-face reels

  • Casting: Soft, minimal splash entry — perfect for shallow swims

  • Hookbait Presentation: Extremely slow and natural fall through the water

This float is particularly well suited to over-depth fishing with the checking method. Easing the float gently down the swim often triggers bites from fish at different depths.

🌊 Why It Works

  • 🪝 Very natural presentation in shallow and medium pace water

  • 🧭 Slow sinking shots mimic natural free offerings

  • 🌀 Allows line checking and control without spooking fish

  • 🐟 Ideal for summer work with dace, roach and chub

  • ⚖️ Lighter weight means less disturbance and improved accuracy

Regular feeding is key when using this float. Feeding little and often encourages fish to move up in the water and intercept the bait mid-depth.

🏆 Clive’s Match Memory

🎣 Venue: Shallow peg on a summer river
The light cane stick is one of my favourite summer floats. I’ve taken many good bags of dace, roach and chub using this gentle trotting method.

By checking the float halfway down the trot and letting the bait rise, I could tempt fish into biting confidently. It’s a subtle but deadly technique, and one that often outperforms heavier tackle on delicate summer pegs.

🧭 Pro Tip

  • Use light reel line (0.10–0.11 mm) for minimal drag.

  • Grease the line above the float for smooth control.

  • Treat the rod with silicone spray in drizzle to stop the line from sticking.

  • String shots in decreasing sizes down the line.

  • If bites dry up, move more shot up the line to slow the sink rate.

  • When tying rigs, slide the float above the knot so if you snag, you only lose the rig, not the float.

🕰️ Classic Float Heritage

“The light stick float is a whisper on the water — subtle, precise and deadly. A true summer river classic.”
— Clive Branson

🎨 Illustration Box

🪶 Float Type: Light Cane Stick Float
🌊 Ideal Venue: Shallow or medium-paced rivers
🐟 Target Species: Dace, roach, chub
🪝 Rigging Tip: Strung shotting pattern with light line and closed-face reel
🧪 Key Advantage: Gentle, natural presentation with fingertip control

🪵 Materials Timeline

  • 🕰️ Early Years: Cane stem, hand-carved slim cork or balsa body

  • 📈 Developed: Counter-balanced cane for precision presentation

  • 💡 Modern: Light, refined cane or composite sticks with improved line control and minimal weight

Illustration 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

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✅ Learn how to use wagglers, stick floats, pole floats and more
✅ Discover the history and evolution of float fishing
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