Firstly lets look at what plumbing the depth means?
Plumbing is how we find out how deep the area of the river or lake that we intend to fish is. We do this so that we can set the depth of our float so that our bait is at the level we want it to be. For example if we are fishing a river with a stickfloat we would plumb the depth to ascertain how far the float needs to be from the hook so that our bait is travelling through the swim suspended just off the bottom of the river bed. If we did not do this and had the float set too deep our hook would keep catching the bottom dragging our float under. By plumbing the depth we can set the float so it travels smoothly through the whole swim.
Another reason for plumbing the depth is to get an understanding of what the river or lake bed is like in front of you. The bed of a river/lake can vary greatly. One area in front of you may be 3 foot deep and then drop away to 6 foot. Knowing how it varies can help you choose the best spot to present your bait. Plumbing also allows you to choose exactly where in the water you want your bait. This can vary greatly on what species your fishing for and on how you want to present your bait. If you were fishing for Tench you may want your bait right on the lake bed or just an inch off the bottom. Accurate plumbing will allow you to do this.
How to plumb the depth?
First set up your float and shot it with the correct amount of lead shot. If you are a beginner to float fishing it can help to first place all the shot directly under your float. Once you have the float correctly set with just the tip showing you can move your dropping shot further down the line. When you are happy that you have your tackle set how you want it you attach the Plumb lead to find the depth. A plumb lead is basically a ledger that you attach to the hook while you are checking for the depth. There are various designs but I favour the cork bottomed version as this is easy to attach but more secure than the clip on variety. You are trying to get your float set to the exact depth of the River or lake in the spot you wish to fish so that you know the depth. You attach your plumb lead to the hook and then cast to the desired spot. The heavy lead will sink to the bottom and if your float is set too shallow it will be pulled under. If it is set to deep it will still float. This will tell you if you need to go deeper or shallower. You then reel in and adjust the float as needed and recast. By repeating this action you will be able to ascertain how deep the swim is. You can then work around the swim to get an idea of the layout of what the bottom is like in front of you.
Here is a picture from the excellent Pleasure fishing.com that shows clearly how your float acts as you plumb the depth.
A good tip to remember is to mark the depth by placing the hook in the eye nearest the reel and reeling in until the float is tight against your rod. Count how many eyes it is up to where the float sits then if you get snapped up you can quickly set your tackle at the right depth without having to re=plumb.
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