DAVE HARRELL No1 INSERT STICK
A TRADITIONALLY-designed insert stick float with a wire stem and rounded shoulder, but with a modern hollow tip. Ideal for waters from 4ft to 14ft deep.
Why we love them: A sensitive pattern with a bright and vibrant tip – much easier to see than a traditional painted tip, making it ideal for tricky light conditions.
Sizes: 2 x No4, 4 x No4, 6 x No4, 8 x No4, 10 x No4, 12 x No4, 14 x No4
Price: £2.40, www.daveharrellangling.com
PRESTON CHIANTI
A SLIM Rohacell foam-bodied pole float with a cane tip.
**Why we love them:**Everything about this brilliant float pattern is dead right for a variety of fishing situations on our rivers, but the Chianti really comes into its own when you’re fishing with baits like hemp using strung-out rigs.
Sizes: 4x10, 4x12, 4x14, 4x16
Price: £2.25, www.prestoninnovations.com
DAVE HARRELL THIN INSERT WAGGLER
A SENSITIVE, hollow-tipped waggler for use in slow-moving water with smaller baits like maggots and casters. Available with either a red or yellow tip.
Why we love them: These are the perfect float for loosefeeding when a tricky wind makes presentation difficult.
Sizes: 2AAA, 3AAA, 4AAA, 5AAA, 6AAA
Price: £2.40, www.daveharrellangling.com
MIDDY SPECI WAGS
SOFT, ultra-buoyant balsa wagglers, designed to drag lots of line on the bottom to slow their travel through the swim when targeting chub and barbel with large baits.
Why we love them: This is a simple float made from quality materials at a sensible price, meaning we aren’t quite so upset when one gets broken while playing a quality fish in a challenging peg.
Sizes: 2SSG, 3SSG, 4SSG
Price: £1.80, www.middytackle.com
JOHN ALLERTON STICK FLOATS
THE ORIGINAL classic stick float designed by the river legend John Allerton. They’re an alloy-stemmed float with a shouldered balsa body.
Why we love them: A great design for overshotting and holding back – perfect for bigger roach. The cone-shaped tip makes the float more sensitive the more it’s pulled under, meaning fewer missed bites from fussy feeders.
Sizes: 4 x No4, 5 x No4, 6 x No4, 7 x No4, 8 x No4
Price: £9.99 per pack of five, www.allertonsangling.co.uk
DAIWA AGATA
A POLE float with a rounded body and wire stem. The line passes through the body for additional strength, and the thick fibre bristle is highly visible yet surprisingly sensitive.
Why we love them: An adaptable float that can be run at pace or slowed right down, ideal for big roach and perch. If you could only carry one river pole float, this would be it.
Sizes: 0.5g, 0.75g, 1g, 1.25g, 1.5g, 20g, 2.5g, 3g.
Price: £2.30, www.daiwasports.co.uk
