How should you keep birdlife away when floater fishing?

“With great difficulty on some lakes, but ultimately the birdlife have a right to be there even if they are a pain at times. It’s often possible to feed off a small number of birds, and it can be worth a little while feeding them away from where you plan to actually fish. If you can get fish feeding close in the birds tend to be less of a problem. I’ve also had some success in keeping gulls away by casting out a marker rod beyond where I’m feeding and then placing the rod up high so that the line passes in the air across the area.” MARTYN SKOYLES

“Very good question. I can often be seen clapping really loudly like a madman, that sometimes keeps them at bay but the best way I have found is to cast a straight lead across a bay onto the far bank and put the tip in the air so you have a line above the water. This keeps the birds well away. Especially if you have two lines a few rod lengths apart and feed all the freebies down the middle.” KEV HEWITT

“Birdlife can be a real pain when you’re trying to floater fish. Feeding them off is the best method. It doesn’t take as much bait as people think. If I think there’s going to be a problem then I feed the birds away from where I’m fishing. I sometimes do this before feeding the fish. Give it to them dry and let them sleep it off.” PETE CASTLE

“Gulls are an increasing nightmare when floater fishing however, braid, either suspended above or lying across the surface always seems to put them off. If possible I will cast across to the far side and prop the rod in the air keeping the braid up off the water or alternatively I will cast a spod way past the feeding fish and lay the braid across the area I am fishing. The gulls usually fly over, swoop down see the line and spook off, leaving you to floater fish in peace.” HARRY CHARRINGTON

“Always a difficult one but generally I keep a couple of loaves of cheapy white bread in the car just in case. This will be more than enough to ward off the attentions of a couple of ducks or allow a single swan to pig out, but if too many come along and ambush you then there’s not a lot that can be realistically done other than let them clear up whatever’s out there.” IAN POOLE