Guide to Keeping Pole Float Shotting Simple

By Scott Johnson, Soar Tackle

Shotting a pole float doesn't have to be complicated. Below is a helpful guide of simple patterns that will get you started with commercial or river pole floats.

While every float varies slightly depending on stem material and bristle thickness, this guide serves as a practical reference to building your own rigs—from delicate 4x8 (0.06g) canal floats right up to 4g heavy river floats.

Guide 1: All Round / Commercial / Canal / Slow Rivers

You may find some floats have strange numbers on the side like 4 x 12. These numbers refer to European "Styles". I have cross-referenced these over to grams for you, but note this is not exact.

Float Size (Styles)	Capacity (Grams)	Shotting Pattern 1	Shotting Pattern 2
4 x 8	0.06g	6 x No. 13	3 x No. 12
4 x 10	0.12g	6 x No. 12	4 x No. 11
4 x 12	0.21g	7 x No. 11	—
4 x 14	0.32g	8 x No. 10	4 x No. 8 + 4 x No. 12
4 x 16	0.51g	7 x No. 8 + 3 x No. 11	0.40g Olivette + 1 x No. 10 + 3 x No. 12 (No. 13 trim)
4 x 18	0.70g	14 x No. 9	0.60g Olivette + 1 x No. 10 + 3 x No. 12
4 x 20	1.00g	14 x No. 8 + 4 x No. 10	0.80g Olivette + 5 x No. 10
6 x 20	1.50g	—	1.25g Olivette + 5 x No. 9

For pole floats over 1.5g, I'd recommend using an olivette as your bulk along with shot as droppers and trim shot. This is far easier to set up and keeps the rig nice and tidy. Where to place Olivette can be dependent on flow but as a guide around 12 inches from the hook. 

Guide 2: Moving Flowing / Deep Venues

Float Size (Grams)	Recommended Olivette & Dropper Combination
2.0g	1.75g Olivette + 5 x No. 9
2.5g	2.25g Olivette + 5 x No. 9
3.0g	2.50g Olivette + 4 x No. 6 + 2 x No. 9
3.5g	3.00g Olivette + 4 x No. 6 + 2 x No. 9
4.0g	3.50g Olivette + 4 x No. 6 + 2 x No. 9

You can print off or screen shot my guide to shot and weight here, You'll find this useful for converting shot size numbers and letters into actual shot weighs.

My Top Tips

1. Setting Up Inline Olivettes

If you're using inline olivettes (where the main line runs directly through the center), you always need a locking shot on either side to hold it in place.

My go-to setup is a small block of shot directly below the olivette (e.g., using 4 x No. 6 shot, placing 1 above the olivette and 3 below). This small block acts as a kicker in the lower part of the rig, thus helping eliminate "wrap-over" tangles.

• Flexibility Trick: If you want to change how the bait falls, simply slide the olivette up the line slightly and pull one of those No. 6 shot down. This will change how the lower part of the rig works, while keeping the heavy bulk under full control!

2. Where to Place "Trim Shot"

No two floats are built 100% identical. You will often find you need to add or remove shot (a No. 11 or No. 12) to get the bristle sitting correctly in the water so you can read the float.

• Always place your trim shot above your main working bulk or olivette. i.e., If you need to add a No. 11 shot to sit the float down a little more, nip it onto the line above the olivette, keeping the working shot below the olivette as they were.

3. Holding Back / Inching Through Rigs

If you are planning on holding back with a static float or even inching through on the river, it is almost always worth slightly overshotting your rig. Again, add this extra weight as a trim shot above the main shotting pattern so the working part of the rig is unchanged.

Holding back hard with the pole on a bump bar can cause the float to ride up in the water; you'll find that the overshotting will counteract this. Letting the float go/run will result in it sinking—it can take some practice, but once mastered it is a fantastic way to catch better stamp fish in the river. Round-bodied floats with wire stems and hollow plastic bristles are best for this.

Have you read my guide to converting shot in to actual weight sizes? Find it here