Purplepeanut007 PP007 FLOAT MAKING & FISHING ADVENTURES - THE RIVER IRWELL AND BEYOND.

This quartet of . . . .   " Pearlescent, Feather Inlay Balsa Floats " have been a long time in the making.  ( I made them once and changed my mined about the whole set and started again ) They consist of hand turned blasa and birch, black, gold and purple thread, pearlescent & fluorescent paint and hand turned brass eyelets. I am very proud of this set, not so much the decoration as I am quite confident with my abilities in that area.  I am referring to the build.  It is still a challenge for me to hand turn sets exactly matching but, I think I have accomplished this with this set. These four were designed for barbel and chub fishing in pacey stretches of the River Wye, a river I, personally never fished.  A situation I will address in the near future.......hopefully. Anyway . . . . . . . . I hope you like these four. I have some more new floats that should be ready for next week so  . . . . Stay tuned. ...

Both myself and my dad ( Aka Salford Pet ) have both been  " Star Wars " fans for many years now. Ever since watching   " The Empire Strikes Back " ( The best one of the lot in my opinion ) on holiday in Cornwall in 1980 we have been avid fans and watched all the films. One morning, while we were setting up my new lathe  we were talking about the first three films and how they compare to the latter ones when my old man pipes up . . . . . . . Hay Son . . . . . Here's a challenge for you, try and make a float with a  " Star Wars theme " We both laughed and carried on with the work shop tidy up but an idea had started brewing. 😈. Later while float fiddling I said to my dad . . . .  " Were you serious about the Star Wars theme before because I have and idea  😊😊😊😊😊😊. " I was kidding but if you have an idea go with the flow and lets see what you can come up with " said my dad...

Having sorted out some things at home earlier in the day and applying some further lacquer coats to various floats I found myself with three hours to kill. I was going to have another crack at grayling on the Goyt but didn't fancy getting caught in rush hour traffic on the M60 on the way home so opted for a  " Smash & Grab Raid " On my local stretch of the Irwell. I nearly didn't go fishing at all but a phone call and a quick roasting off " The Casterman " Saying  . . . .. " Get out there while the weather's good " made me get my kit together and test out one of the best looking floats I have made to so far I got a wiggle on and was there for 15.00. The first peg was one I had fished before. A good fast paced run for testing my new " Pacemaker " http://purplepeanut007.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/medium-pacemaker-my-best-float-to-date.html?m=1 I had all ready made up the float rig, so, setting ...

After making Victor Homewood an.........  " Ultra Bling Jumbo Pacemaker " I liked the comments it received on Facebook and decided to make myself one. I shortened the float and reduced the buoyancy by approximately 50% so the weight is 7AAA or 3.5 swan which is exactly what I need for the River Ribble and some parts of the River Irwell where sticks cant cut it when on bread and meat.  It has a yellow, black and white tip, purple and gold whippings with a metallic green  body. Framed between the two green body sections js a jay feather inlay. I hope you all like it. 😊 I may even get my act together and go back to Bridgenoth on the River Severn. A place which still has a special place in my hart. This was where I learnt to trot a float in my very early teens with John Doran, Mike Shaw & Dave Mason amongst others. Until the next time . . .  TTFN . . . . If you would like to look at my handcrafted floats just hit the l...

It doesn't look much but this is something I have wanted to do since I was a child. It took me over 30 mins to turn it. I must get some proper kit.......lol Its a hardwood stem for a stick , avon or bobber float. Not sure what I am gonna make yet. Its not Lignum . . . . . . .  (I do have one piece to play with when I feel proficient enough to attempt it) Its Green Hart.  Specific Gravity approximately 1.01 Not as dense as lignum but great to start on. The tapper at the top needs deepening and i will complete it tomorrow otherwise I am happy with my first attempt. Has anyone else made hardwood stems before ? What do you all think ? 😊 Until the next time.......... TTFN Peanut. If you would like to look at all of the hand crafted floats I make please click on the link below and it will take you to my float page. http://purplepeanut007.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/hand-crafted-floats-float-making-by.html?m=1 Join Salford Friend...

Victor Homewood, the kind chap who transformed my two fishing reels asked me to make him an over sized . . .   " Shouldered Pacemaker Float " These floats are designed to be fished where the water is too turbulent for the hardiest of stick floats but are more sensitive than balsas or loafers. Generally they are used for smaller baits, maggots and casters etc. Victor requested it to be over sized because he also wanted to use it for stret pegging. ( Another dying art I will write a full blog about in due course ) This particular float is made from balsa and has a birch tip and stem. The body paint is metallic blue pearl paired with a double feather inlay of Jay feathers. Again , apologies. My photographic skills do not do the float justice. . . . . Whipping are metallic gold, black and a small purple tag at the base. To finished we opted for a fluorescent orange tip. Many opinions vary regarding the stem on pacemakers & stick ...