🧅 ONION WAGGLER

(A Small Float with a Big Reputation)

“Know your onions” was once a familiar saying in the Midlands. In angling, it didn’t refer to vegetables — it referred to a float.

The Onion Waggler was developed long before most body wagglers. Originally made to combat wind on rivers like the Nene and Welland, it quickly became a favourite on slow-moving waters across the country. Its strength lies in stability, subtle presentation, and its uncanny ability to show lift bites clearly — even in choppy conditions.

The float was famously championed by Billy Lane, who regarded it as one of the finest floats ever made for lift-bite fishing.

🧰 Design & Features

• Body: Originally cork, later balsa, and now polystyrene

• Stem: Reverse crow quill in the early days, replaced by peacock quill

• Shape: Small, rounded onion body

• Loading: Optional extra base weight for stability

• Antenna: Fixed and visible in chop — ideal for lift bites

• Casting: Excellent accuracy thanks to its compact design

The onion shape allows water to lap over the top without pulling the float under. It remains steady, creating a rhythm where “now you see it, now you don’t” — and when the antenna dips at the right moment, a bite is usually on.

🌊 Why It Works

• 🌀 Perfect for windy or choppy conditions

• 🪶 Smaller body offers greater stability than big-bodied wagglers

• 🌿 Ideal for canals, stillwaters, and slow rivers

• 🪝 Sensitive lift-bite indication

• 🧭 Extra-loaded base makes it ultra-stable

This float thrives in situations where bigger wagglers get buffeted around. It can be shotted to fish delicately and precisely in conditions that make other floats unreliable.

🏆 Clive’s Match Memory

🎣 Venue: Local Lake, South Wales
On a blustery match day, most anglers struggled to see their bites in the chop. I switched to an onion waggler. While the water lapped over the antenna, the float stayed rock steady. Every lift bite showed cleanly.

Result?
A string of steady fish, a big weight, and the match win. Proof, once again, that the little onion can deliver when it matters most.

🧭 Pro Tip

• Use a quick float adapter to convert any standard waggler into an onion float.

• Best fished in depths up to 8 ft — beyond that, its wave-riding ability drops.

• Add just enough base loading to hold it steady in the chop.

• Watch the antenna rhythm carefully — lift bites are often perfectly timed between laps.

🕰️ Classic Float Heritage

“The Onion Waggler may be small, but it’s one of the cleverest floats ever made. In the right conditions, it will outfish bigger patterns every time.”
— Clive Branson

🎨 Illustration Box

🪶 Float Type: Onion Waggler
🌊 Ideal Venue: Canals, stillwaters, slow rivers
🐟 Target Species: Roach, skimmers, dace
🪝 Rigging Tip: Use extra loading at the base for stability
🧪 Key Advantage: Stays steady in chop — excellent lift-bite indicator

🪵 Materials Timeline

• 🕰️ Early Years: Cork body + reverse crow quill stem

• 📈 Mid Era: Balsa body + peacock stem

• 💡 Modern: Polystyrene body + peacock stem (polywag)

Some Illustrations from the book