Gold Medal Floats

LIGNUM STICK FLOAT

🪵 LIGNUM STICK FLOAT

(A Heavyweight Classic for Long Trotting)

The Lignum stick float is a rediscovered classic that has grown steadily in popularity over the last few decades. It gives anglers the extra casting weight needed to reach mid-river or the far bank, places where a traditional stick float often can’t.

It has proven itself with major success on rivers such as the River Trent, River Severn, River Avon, and River Thames.

The secret is in the heavy lignum wood base, which replaces the normal cane and turns an ordinary stick into a long-range weapon.

🧰 Design & Features

  • Body: Traditional stick float shape

  • Base: Lignum wood — adds casting weight and stability

  • Stem: Tapered with a slight bulb at the base for balance

  • Loading: Typically 5BB to 8BB shot

  • Casting: Best with a side cast or smooth overhead sweep

  • Line Control: Works well with greased or silicone-treated line for easy mending

Before lignum bases became common, anglers improvised with hardwood stems or even paintbrush handles to get the extra casting distance. Midlands match ace Paul Newell famously used a paintbrush stem to reach the far bank of the Warwickshire Avon, earning himself many match wins.

🌊 Why It Works

  • 🪝 Extra weight allows long, accurate casts to mid or far bank

  • 🧭 Excellent control when trotting with upstream wind

  • 🌀 Stable in the water thanks to its bulbous lignum base

  • 🐟 Ideal for dragging bottom slowly to tempt bigger fish

  • ⚖️ Offers a totally different presentation to a waggler

With a gentle upstream breeze, the lignum stick can ease through the swim so naturally that the bait seems to drop straight into the fishes’ mouths. It is particularly effective when you need control and distance combined.

🏆 Clive’s Match Memory

🎣 Venue: Warwickshire Avon
Years ago, anglers were experimenting with weighted stick floats to hit distant lines. Paul Newell told me how he used a paintbrush stem to give his stick float the extra casting weight needed to reach the far bank.

Inspired by that story, I began using lignum-based sticks myself. With careful line mending and a tight but controlled trot, I’ve taken many match wins by dragging the bait along the bottom and picking off fish that other anglers couldn’t reach.

🧭 Pro Tip

  • Feather the line as the float lands so the shot lays in a neat line.

  • Use a side cast for maximum control and minimal tangles.

  • Grease or silicone the reel line to keep it floating and make line mending easy.

  • Keep a tight line to the float but allow a natural trot.

  • Holding back gently can lift the bait — a killer for roach and chub.

🕰️ Classic Float Heritage

“The lignum stick float is a distance trotting specialist. When the fish are far out, this float gives you reach, control and presentation all in one.”
— Clive Branson

🎨 Illustration Box

🪶 Float Type: Lignum Stick Float
🌊 Ideal Venue: Medium to large rivers with long trots
🐟 Target Species: Roach, dace, chub, bream
🪝 Rigging Tip: 5–8BB shot, side cast with greased line
🧪 Key Advantage: Long-range trotting with perfect control

🪵 Materials Timeline

  • 🕰️ Early Years: Standard cane-based stick floats

  • 📈 Improvised Era: Hardwood or paintbrush stems for extra weight

  • 💡 Modern: Lignum base with tapered bulb design for stability and casting distance

 

Some 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
✅ Discover the history and evolution of float fishing
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