Not the wrong time of year at all. On a small club lake they are still taking off the top

I'm partial to using bread. The nash bread bombs are good and as long as you place the bread in right it'll keep your hook above the water and out the way.

When using pop ups for floater fishing I hair rig them, cut a notch with a Stanley knife or something and slot the shank of the hook in it. Should end up with it sitting flush. As others have said before.
You could always go old school and use a pellet band and a mixer?

In reply to Post #1
Large baitband, pierced and positioned on the shank . . much less faff than hairs/hairstops.
Better still - use a stiff rig and 'dapple' with the beachcaster method . . .killer

In reply to Post #12
I've heard mention of these mini vaccum chambers before but never quite got my head around the principle.

Take it your dropping your cork balls into the chamber containing the liquid and sucking the air out.

Two questions: How long do you leave them in the container after you have sucked the air out?

And does cork allow flavours to be sucked into it?

In reply to Post #19
I think its the opposite - rather than sucking the air out - you put the air under pressure which forces any liquids into the air gaps in the cork.

In reply to Post #1
Bait band on hook shank and half a pop-up hookbait, pulled tight to shank.

In reply to Post #19
Band-it Pellet pump . . .match anglers use them for pellets but I use mine for impregnating wooden balls for crayfish rigs . . .