Gold Medal Floats

Round Body Pole Float

🪶 Round Body Float

The Round Body pole float offers a unique advantage over most running-water float shapes — it creates less resistance against the flow. This makes it the perfect choice when surface and bottom drifts move at different speeds or even in opposite directions.

🌊 Where It Excels

This float comes into its own when:

  • The surface skim is fast, but the bottom flow is slower

  • The wind pushes the surface one way while the underflow moves the other (a common situation on canals, lakes, and slow-moving rivers)

  • You need a delicate, controlled presentation despite unstable surface conditions

A great example of its effectiveness was on the Gloucester Canal, where I won a major Christmas Open. On that day, the wind pulled the surface one way while the bottom flow moved in the opposite direction. By pulling back against the wind drift with the pole, I was able to keep the bait steady and natural on the deck — and the round body float was the perfect tool for the job.

🧪 Design and Features

  • Shape: Rounded body for minimal resistance

  • Stem and tip: The version given to me by Milo Colombo featured a glass stem and bristle running straight through the float body. This allows me to adjust the stem upwards, creating a higher antenna for better visibility and bite detection.

  • Line path: The line threads through the body, and the glass stem is inserted afterward — creating a secure, durable setup.

  • Other traditional round body floats work just as well in the right hands.

⚖️ Shotting and Presentation

This float is ideal for holding against the tow with a very stable and sensitive presentation.

A typical setup:

  • Olivette positioned just above the hooklength

  • Followed by around twelve No. 10 shots or styles in a line after the Olivette

  • Then a string of up to six No. 12 shots to finish the shotting pattern

This refined shotting, shown to me by an Italian international, allows for:

  • Instant fishing once the float settles

  • Fewer tangles compared to bulk-only rigs

  • Excellent sensitivity when holding back in the flow

✅ In summary:

  • Minimal resistance design for complex flow conditions

  • Ideal for canals, lakes, and slow rivers with conflicting drifts

  • Works brilliantly in windy conditions with surface skim

  • Adjustable glass-stem version enhances sensitivity and visibility

  • Italian-style shotting gives fast, clean, sensitive presentation

Illustration from the book

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