U-Float set-up new style
During one of our various French catfish trips we (Pascal Faber, Stefan Weirich and Patrick Gölz) thought of a set-up for effective static catfish angling in fast flowing rivers such as the rivers Rhone and Saone. Catfish can be mostly found in the deeper areas of the river, where excellent catches in the daytime are not uncommon. As there are a lot of boats on the river from dusk till dawn, fishing with a static float set-up is often impossible. Even static set-ups with heavy leads are no solution; big freight ships that carry more than 2,000 tons suck up everything from the bottom into their propellers. Small U-floats, which can be used with baitfish to about 200 grams, are very difficult to use in deep water.
Therefore, not even one of the current set-ups for catfish angling was suitable for the fishing we desired. It took us a long time and a lot of field-testing to develop a set-up which is both easy-to-use and efficient for this type of angling.
The basics of our set-up is a submersed float set-up with a 600gr floating weight to create the necessary stability under water. To prevent the float from floating on the surface, a breaking line with a big stone is attached to keep the float submerged. The difference between a standard U-Float set-up and our new set-up is the connection of the breaking line. The breaking line is now added directly to the swivel in the middle of the new 600gr float. The main line can be threaded straight through the float to keep a direct contact with the bait, something that the angler does not have in the traditional set-up.
This direct contact the angler has with the bait allows full contact with the fish during the strike. As the mouth of a catfish is very strong and hard, this is a huge advantage.
After all the thinking, it was time for us to test the set-up. We were all very excited to test the set-up for the first time so that we could see if it worked and which problems we would end up with. I had boated out the set-up for the first time, and just when I returned on the shore, the bite indicator sounded. Stefan took the rod and struck it, after a long fight we could land our first catfish (directly a 2 meter+) on the new set-up. After this beautiful first fish, many other fish would follow that weekend.
We though that this early bite would be a one-timer, but all further bites were very aggressive and powerful as well. For the rest of the year, we have tested the new set-up with great satisfaction. During the various trips, we constantly made small changes in the set-up to see if there would be any difference and performance. This intensive field-testing has lead to a final set-up that has been thoroughly tested in all weather and water conditions. Even in the worst conditions, it performed surprisingly well. No matter for high water levels, mind-blowing heat or rain, the set-up passed the test.
After a full year of testing, we could clearly measure the difference in performance between the old and new set-up. Remarkably, most of the bigger fish were caught on the new set-up. We have not found a reason yet why our new system catches more big fish, but we believe this might have something to do with the large weight of the stone to hook the fish.
The following explanation of our new U-float set-up should help you to catch more catfish:
- The U-float is threaded on the mainline as a sliding float
- Use your normal knot to connect the mainline to the swivel of the rig
We mostly fish this set-up with big baitfish such as living carp, eel and tench (still allowed in France). They are connected to a rig consisting of a combination of single hook and treble. The single hook is mainly used to hold the fish in place, it is attached to the fishes’ mouth in hard current. On slow currents the single hook can also be attached to the tail. This connection has the advantage that the fish swims away from the float, thus providing a more lively action.
To present the rig at the preferred spot you only need a weight to fix the rig and hold it at place. We normally use a big stone of around 3kg. This stone is attached to a strong rope; the length of this rope determines the preferred depth to present the baitfish. Please use an environmental friendly rope. A small breaking line of 0.25mm to 0.35mm nylon is added to the rope to ensure the stone will not be moved and the stone can be mounted to the set-up. When a take occurs, the thin nylon line will break (or it will be released by the special clip) and the angler is free to play the fish.
How to put out the rig
- It is the easiest to row out the set-up with two anglers. 1 angler in the boat and one on the bank.
- The rod can remain on the bank, open the lever to release the mainline. The angler on the bank should remain tension on the mainline; the flow will otherwise have too much grip on the line.
- Row to the desired spot and slowly submerge the stone.
- Wait to put the baitfish in the water until the stone has touched the bottom.
- The angler on the bank can now tighten the line and put the rod on the rod pod.
On the bank
- Tension the line as tight as possible without moving the stone and set-up.
- Then place the rod on the rod-pod and open the LCS or normal drag.
- Please adjust the drag as light as possible. The more tighter the drag is adjusted, the more risk you have that the catfish will jump out of the water during the first run!
Advantages of the set-up
- Fishing is possible in every depth.
- There’s no problem with boats and possible ‘floater set-up’ prohibition.
- Rowing out the bait is very easy.
- Less fake bites than on a traditional U-float set-up.
- This set-up does not use any lead.
Tacklebox
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Rod:
Powerful catfish rod (3.0 – 3.4m length, casting weight from 200gr)
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Reel:
Extremely strong spinning or trolling reel with a minimum of 150m 0.50mm line capacity |
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Mainline:
Braided mainline with a minimum of 50kg breaking strength |
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Hooks:
Single hook Gamakatsu LS-5314 N 0/10, Treble hook Gamakatsu Treble 16/05 |
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Swivel:
Power Swivel with a minimum of 80kg strength |
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U-Float:
Spro Triple XXX Specialist Catfish float 250gr. |
Release clip:
Aftco FL 2 Clip. We use this clip to attach the breaking line. The line can be released under pressure of 2 – 20 kg in 2 kg steps. |
Patrick Gölz |
