When it comes to float fishing for Luderick, the centrepin reel is the best tool for the job. Debatable perhaps, but in my opinion, and for the purposes of this article lets assume that this is correct.
Photo 1 - TopLeft Grice & Young Avon Royal Supreme, TopRight Okuma Aventa Pro, BottomLeft Alvey 475B, BottomRight Grice & Young Golden Eagle
I prefer to use a centrepin for a number of reasons. Centrepins give you the ability to let a float drift unencumbered, they let you maintain your line easily, they don't introduce line twist, they allow direct contact when playing a fish and they are easy to maintain. They do have one disadvantage in that they are harder to cast, and you will never get quite as much distance as you could get with a sidecast, for example.
Luderick fishing is simple provided you observe a few details closely. One of these details is the use of an appropriate float. A float is required to suspend a bait at the depth where the fish are feeding, it then provides a bite indicator and finally it allows time for the bait to be swallowed and for a hook to be set.
Floats come in all sizes and shapes, some people even like to use small bobby corks and eggbeaters to target luderick. I prefer to use a centrepin reel for reasons spelt out in this article. When you use a centrepin it's only natural that you use a long stemmed float. Apart from anything else, a stemmed float gives you some weight to cast when using the centrepin. Stemmed floats can also give you stability in rough water conditions and windy conditions, they drift nicely in a current and can be very visible in all conditions.
