HillBilly : Billy-Bobs

This design is one of my own favourites. The Billy-Bob is my “does it all” float for commercial canal fishing. It is built on a 0.8 diameter flexible fibreglass stem which gives the float a very strong foundation. This stem passes right through the top grade balsa double tapered body and enteres the 27mm long 1.5mm diameter high visibility hollow plastic tip. The float is fitted with a strong stainless steel side eye which is glued 10mm deep into the body for added security. The tough 1.5mm diameter high viz hollow tip tip of this float makes it suitable for a whole range of baits and shotting styles but I use it with a spread bulk and droppers for light baits and just a spread bulk with heavier baits such as corn the weight of which can be used to settle the float to the tip.

Available in three sizes 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 with red or yellow tips. Price £2-20p each.

HillBilly : Shindigs

I call this one my “secret weapon” as it is so versatile. This float is a “hybrid” between a pellet float and a paste float. It is constructed on a 0.8 diameter flexible fibreglass stem which passes right through the oval high grade balsa body and into the tough 1.2 diameter x 40mm long high visibility tip.  These features coupled with a stainless steel side eye fitted and glued 10mm deep into the body give the float great strength whilst retaining ultimate sensitivity. This model can be used “dotted down” for pellet etc with the long tip allowing the angler to easily see the dropper shots taking effect on the rig.  Another bonus of this long tip is that it also helps to bury the line above the float to minimise the effect of any wind. However the removal of one or two droppers will instantly convert your rig into one suitable for fishing small pea sized pieces of paste using the weight of the bait to settle the float. Also works well used in conjunction with the “Hook in the loop” method.

Available in three sizes 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 with red or yellow tips. Price £2-20p each.

HillBilly : Grizzlys

As tough as its name suggests this is the float to use when fishing for those big   lumps down the edge during the warmer months. The float is built on a 1mm diameter flexible fibreglass stem which passes through the floats body and into the 2.5 diameter high visibility hollow tip. The rugby ball shaped body is made from a medium grade top quality balsa and the floats tip is fitted with a stainless steel spring eye. Extra strength is derived from the tip being attached to the stem by means of a hard plastic collar which is glued to both the tip and the stem. As this float is aimed squarely at catching big fish with big baits it is best fished with a simple bulk of shot. This bulk should be positioned to let you know if the rig gets “hung up” in any overhanging vegetation preventing the bait reaching the bottom.

Available in three sizes 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 with red or yellow tips. Price £2-20p each.

HillBilly : Critters

A very strong float designed for fishing heavier baits such as meat and corn fished on the deck. This float is built on a 0.8 diameter flexible fibreglass stem and has a double taper high grade balsa body. The stem passes right through the floats body and into the 2mm diameter x 27mm long high visibility tip making this a very durable float suitable for venues where large weights of fish are taken at short to mid pole range. Best fished with a spread bulk and droppers and due to the 2mm diameter tip can be used in windy conditions with the bait fished “laid on”.

Available in FOUR sizes 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 with red or yellow tips. Price £2-20p each.

HillBilly : Dweezils

A strong innovative design for fishing at long distance on the pole although it can also be employed for those deeper than average short to middle distance lines. It is a very stable float due to its long 1mm diameter flexible fibreglass stem which also makes it a dream to use when “shipping” the pole because it minimises tangles caused by pole bounce. This stem passes through the body of the float and into the high viz hollow tip to which is fitted a strong stainless steel spring eye.  It has a rugby ball shaped body of high grade balsa and the choice of either 1.5 OR 2.5mm diameter high viz hollow tips. The smaller sizes lend themselves to a spread bulk and droppers shotting pattern whilst the larger sizes suit the use of an olivette plus droppers.

Available in FOUR sizes 0.3, 0.5, 0.75 and 1 gram with red or yellow tips of either 1.5 or 2.5 mm diameter. Price £2-20p each.

HillBilly : Diddly-Squatts

A good all round sensitive design for fishing the canals with light tackle and small baits such as bread punch, pinkie, and bloodworm plus as the name suggests squatts. However this float has built in strength due to the 0.6 diameter flexible fibreglass stem which passesright through the floats classic rugby ball shape body and enters the tough 27mm long 1mm diameter hollow high visibility plastic bristle. These features coupled with the stainless steel side eye which is fitted and glued 10mm deep into the top grade balsa body make this a versatile float more than capable of other tasks such as fishing pellet for winter F1’s on the commercials.  Best used with a spread shotting pattern with the shot getting progressively smaller towards the hook.

Available in three sizes 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 with red or yellow tips. Price £2-20p each

HillBilly : F1 Guzzunders

A super sensitive float aimed at F1 fishing with small soft pellets or maggot on the commercial Snake Lakes but equally at home fishing punch and squatts on your local canal. This float is the “pellet pencil” principle taken a stage further in terms of sensitivity and response by adding a necked down portion beneath the tip. The float is built on a 0.6 diameter flexible glass stem which passes right through the medium grade balsa body for added strength and supports the 1mm diameter x 20mm long high viz hollow tip. A stainless steel side eye is fitted 10mm deep into the body at the corner of the floats “neck” to allow the effect of the rigs dropper shot to be seen when lifting and dropping the bait for F1’s. Best fished with a spread bulk and a couple of tiny dropper shot

Available in three sizes of approximately 4, 5, and 6 x no10 stotz and with a choice of red or yellow tips. Priced at £2-20p each.

HillBilly : AK - 47

A These floats are as tough a weapon for fishing with as the AK47 rifle was in battle hence the name. They were designed in conjunction with Andy Kinder (of Barnsley Blacks fame) who wanted a very strong margin float with a long tip to allow distinction between line bites and proper bites at his local Halcroft fishery. The AK is built on a strong 1mm diameter flexible glass stem which passes right through the body and is securely glued into a 35mm long x 1.7 dia Hi Viz hollow tip which is fitted with a stainless steel spring eye. The floats body is made from foam that has a similar density to a hard balsa wood but which is so strong that it is virtually unbreakable and has the added advantage of being extremely water resistant due to its fine closed cell structure. Despite these features the float still gets the usual high quality HB finish as an added precaution. Although primarily designed for use with big baits for big fish in the margins the AK47 doubles up as an excellent paste float for shallower swims.

Available in 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 gram sizes with red or yellow tips. Priced at £2-20p each.

HillBilly : Chump

Good quality wire stemmed floats are hard to come by but the Chump is as tough as a very sensitive wire stemmed model can get. It is built on a 0.6 diameter stainless steel stem solidly glued into its very fine grade closed cell foam body. The foam has a similar density to a very light grade balsa but an amazing compressive strength of 218psi. The floats body has a necked down portion just above the point where the stainless steel side eye is glued 10mm deep into the float so that the bulk or spread bulk shot on the rig can break any surface tension on the line and side eye. This allows the dropper shot to register freely on the floats 27mm long 1.2 diameter Hi Viz hollow tip. Although this material is extremely resistant to taking on water the float still gets the usual high quality HB finish as an extra precaution. This model has a multitude of uses being suitable for catching silver fish and really coming into its own when used for catching small to medium sized carp and F1’s in the warmer months and just about anything in the winter time. It can be fished with bulk or a spread bulk shot pattern plus droppers.

Available in 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 gram sizes with red or yellow tips. Priced at £2-20p each.

HillBilly : Thick Chump

This is the “big brother” of the Chump. It is built on a slightly stronger 0.7 diameter stainless steel stem solidly glued into its very fine grade closed cell foam body. The foam has a similar density to a very light grade but an amazing compressive strength of 218psi. The floats body has the same necked down portion just above the point where the stainless steel side eye is glued10mm deep into the float to allow the dropper shot to register freely on the floats 30mm long 2mm diameter Hi Viz hollow tip. Although this material is extremely resistant to taking on water the float still gets the usual high quality HB finish as an extra precaution. This float is best used with heavier baits such as meat, corn and pellet and can be fished with bulk or a spread bulk shot pattern plus droppers in the smaller sizes or an olivette plus droppers in the larger sizes.

Available in 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1 gram sizes with red or yellow tips. Priced at £2-20p each.

HillBilly : F1 Wire

This float is a little gem for those windy days where you need to constantly lift and drop baits such as small expanders and maggot when trying to catch F1’s. It is built on a long 0.6 diameter stainless steel stem solidly glued into its very fine grade closed cell foam body. The foam has a similar density to a very light grade balsa but an amazing compressive strength of 218psi. The floats body has a necked down portion just above the point where the stainless steel side eye is glued 10mm deep into the body. This feature enables the bulk or spread bulk shot on the rig to break any surface tension on the line and side eye which allows the dropper shot to register freely on the floats 25mm long 1.2 diameter Hi Viz hollow tip. Although this material is extremely resistant to taking on water the float still gets the usual high quality HB finish as an extra precaution. As the long wire stem makes the float incredibly stable any shot needed to trim the rig can be spread out to let the bait fall as naturally as possible with the size of shot being reduced nearest to the hook.

Available in 4x10, 5x10 and 6x10 stotz weight sizes with red or yellow tips.. Priced at £2-20p each.