PLUMBING UP
The first thing you do when when starting fishing is to find out the depth of water that you are fishing in front of you .Ignore this rule and your catch rate will be spasmodic. When you plumb your depth you will find holes and ledges where the fish will hold up as food collects in theses places This you should do every time you start fishing .
By using a plummet you can map out the bottom of the lake,canal or river you are fishing finding those HOTSPOTS
The depth of water you are fishing in is very important. Fish will be at various depths according to weather conditions. By gaining experience you will be able to "follow" the fish as conditions change , therefore making consistent catches
This is how you plumb the depth. We attach our float and hook and nothing else, NO shots yet, just the float and hook, you take a guess at the depth, always go shorter than what you think the depth is, there is a reason for this. Now you get a plummet  , you can buy these in any tackle shop, they are simply a weight with cork in the bottom to stick your hook in, if you don't have a plummet use a weight that is heavy enough to pull the float under, most cases a big swan shot will do the trick.
Cast in with the plummet attached to your hook by putting your hook though the hole on the plummet and pushing the hook in the cork on the bottom set the depth at about 2 feet deep, what happens now is the plummet sinks to the bottom and the float disappears if the water is deeper than the two feet ,we move the float back up the line towards the rod.
Cast in again, if the float still not in view push the float up the line and try again, do this till you can you see the float sitting on top of the water , just do little adjustments , eventually you will have the plummet on the bottom and you will see your float cocked nicely on the water, (TIP) if the float is lying flat on the water you are to deep, move the float down and cast in again you want the float tip just showing in the water, perfect now you know you are fishing exactly on the bottom where all your goundbait is and hopefully the fish!
The lift method is a exellent bite indication by plumbing up correctly and finding the correct depth, you can put all the weight needed to cock the float on the bottom so setting the float. The float can be made to sit upright by simply tightening the line so you can finely adjust how much float tip is visible.As a fish takes the bait the weight moves off the bottom lifting your float .Very often, however, you'll notice knocks on the float tip before it disappears, just as you would with a waggler. Either of these bite indications are positive enough to justify a strike.Also your float can rise in the air out of the water and lays flat before sliding away underneath
This method is good for catching Tench ,Bream and Carp
fishing the waggler
This is a art of fishing worth learning with the advent of pole fishing it is becoming a forgotten method ,
If you see a angler using the waggler sit and watch him as this method sometimes catches fish were other float methods fail.
The waggler can be fished from the top to the bottom of the swim that you are fishing in.
Wagglers come in 3 forms
 Bodied Wagglers with their larger shot-carrying capacities can be the answer when longer casts are needed, or when the surface of the water is effected by the wind.
 THE INSERT WAGGLER which is used for fishing stillwaters or rivers on the drop the insert registering the bite as the rudd or roach takes your bait as it slowly drops though the water .Spacing out your shot so the bait falls naturally. Shotting down needs to be done with precision to make the most of the responsive qualities of the tip.Watching the insert tip for anything that is unusual like the float holding in the air and not settling in place is a indication a fish as took your bait .A good float for fishing the top to mid-depth of your swim.
 THE STRIGHT WAGGLER is used for fishing stillwaters or canals and for fishing the bottom ,you shot the float down so just the tip is showing any movement of the bait will send the float under .Lock the float with the shot either side of the float but concentrate the bulk of the shot to cock the float about 10ins from the hook ,and fish a few inches over depth a fish taking the bait will sometimes give you a lift bite as the tip rises out of the water.
When choosing a waggler think of how far you are casting for the weight of the waggler you will use . Use a slightly heavier waggler then you would need if the wind becomes strong it will still be easier to fish to your target swim .As a rule of thumb 1AAA shot for every two rods lengths you would need to cast eg six rod lengths you would need a 3AAA float
When you have cast to your target area put your rod tip under the water and tighten up the slack line ,till you see your float dip .This will stop the float moving if there is any surface tow on the water giving you direct contact on the strike.(TIP) If the you are finding it hard to sink your line add a No8 shot 8/10inches back down your line towards the rod ,this is know as back shotting
Knowing your shot from your styles
The use of lead shot was banned in the uk in 1987 so any fishing shot over the no8 in size is illegal to now be used ,due to swans eating discarded shot which they ingested along with gravel which they used to aid grind up the plants they had eaten.
The banned lead was replaced with a tin subistute ,lead weights can legally be used over 1oz in size as in the case with leger bombs etc,also micro shot can be used as this is to small to be eaten by the swans .
When fishing the pole style weights are placed on the line ,these weights come from the continental europe and are long and thin ,you sqeeze then on to the line with a pair of style pliers .
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