Jason Cann shows how to tie a surface rig when you don’t have a controller float with you…

ALTHOUGH I fish on the top more than most, there has been the odd occasion in the past when I have been by the side of the lake watching carp have it off the top, only I haven’t had my surface fishing kit with me!

So what do I do about it? Because I always have some cat biscuits in the car (just in case), I’ll look around and will find some miniature logs to convert into controller floats.

Using a penknife, I’ll then cut them into shape and attach elastic bands around each end of the log. My main line will then go through the band, with the rig being a simple adaptation of a normal botto- bait presentation.

Hook bait will be a pair of cat biscuits. As these have a hole in them, they are easy to thread onto a hair. To help bind them together, and also to help me see the hook bait, I mould a little bit of Kryston’s floating putty around them. This not only acts as a ‘strike indicator’, letting you see your hook bait among the freebies, but it also adds to the buoyancy of the hook bait.

Using floating putty is actually a tactic you can adopt on a number of surface hook baits, not just cat biscuits.

STEP One Thread eight inches of rig tubing up your line, followed by a Tail Rubber. Tie on a hook link and place the swivel in the rubber.	STEP Two Place elastic bands around the log and, using a stringer needle, thread the main line and tubing through the elastic.
STEP Three The elastic holds the ‘log’ controller to the main line. Your hook link should be between two and 10 feet long.	STEP Four Tie a hook on with the knotless knot, thread two cat biscuits on the hair and use putty as a strike indicator and buoyancy aid.