10 top surface fishing tips

1. Go real light

“Travelling light is exceptionally important when floater fishing as you can very often cover a lot of water in search of the fish. On complexes where more than one water is present, this can become even more important, as you can be doing a lot of walking. All I will take on a session is a rucksack, roll mat, landing net and a rod – I’m super mobile!”

2. Think high oil

“When floater fishing, I use 11mm Expander Pellets. These are a very similar size to various floating dog biscuits, but they have a much higher oil content making them even more attractive to the fish. You can also glug these in fish oil and boilie dips for even more attraction.”

3. Prime some areas

“Before I start fishing I like to walk around the lake and prime a few likely looking areas with a handful of pellets. Sometimes fish can take a while to venture to the surface for the freebies, so getting them searching before you start thinking about fishing can speed up the process and make sure that you don’t miss any chances before moving onto another swim.”

4. Don't go without them

“Never go anywhere without polarised sunglasses! These are an absolutely essential bit of kit for any angling situation, but even more so when floater fishing. Without them you can easily miss out on a lot of golden opportunities. You can get various coloured lenses, but a good all-round option is the amber ones. These reduce glare and allow you to see so much more.”

5. Sit well back

“A lot of floater fishing can take place very close to the margins, so it makes sense to set-up everything well back from the water’s edge. Fish will be quite happy to feed very close in on even the busiest of waters, but only as long as the bankside disturbance is kept to an absolute minimum. Remember to lift your feet and not drag them as this will reduce noise too and if you’re with a mate, keep the talking down to a minimum.”

6. Super sharp

“Hook choice is a very personal thing, but one requirement is that they need to be very sharp. Unlike bottom bait fishing, surface fishing often requires the angler to set the hook himself, so the sharpest hook you can get away with will increase your chances of success.”

7. Go super soft

“Because of the smaller hooks often used with floater fishing, it pays to have a rod with a much softer tip, one that will dramatically reduce hook pulls.”

8. Single out the big 'uns

“Always keep very low and move slowly when approaching a swim. Sometimes they won’t have a single fish in residence, but if they are they’ll soon move out if your presence is detected! Fishing like this, you can often have fish feeding no more than a few feet in front of you – that’s when it gets very exciting! Also, always remember to wear drab-coloured clothing to blend in.”

9. Birds: A nightmare!

“Water birds can be a complete nightmare when it comes to floater fishing. Many people will often try and ‘feed them off’, but this can be a costly exercise. I have found that by feeding very carefully you can often create a few chances well before the birds move in. Try avoiding blatant feeding in front of them, as they would have seen it all before and come flying in to investigate.”

10. Don't strike too early!

“Remain calm! In my opinion, floater fishing is definitely the most exciting style of carp fishing and watching a good fish happily mopping up freebies on the way to your hookbait cannot be beaten. It is important however that you do not strike too early. You need to wait until the line starts to move, or if you can clearly see your bait, wait until it disappears down the fish’s mouth.”