Mick Wilkinson Steady pole floats review

Mick Wilkinson Steady pole floats

Simplicity is important to me when it comes to pole rigs for commercial waters and I try to keep my float choices to a minimum.

That means you’ll find only five or six patterns among my pole rigs and of these, the Mick Wilkinson Steady is my first choice for the majority of open-water situations in anything but a gale.

With a highly-visible but thin hollow antenna of 1.25mm diameter, super-strong polystyrene body and 0.5mm wire stem, these floats sit up quickly, are unbelievably stable and can be used with confidence with baits from sweetcorn to maggots.

My Steadies have taken a right battering over the years but even stems that have bent after fish ploughed into reeds have been easily straightened. They’re consistent in shotting from float to float, and I find the 4x10, 4x12 and 4x14 sizes perfect for most of my fishing. Mind you, I’m pleased hear that larger sizes than 4x16 are soon to become available for when the wind really blows across the Fens…

Kevin Wilmot

Deputy Editor, Angling Times