WHICH HOOKLENGTH? A recent question on the forum was to ask whether to use nylon or braid to tie a rig, and what’s the best rig to use. I hope to try and give you an idea of what to use, and when to use it. There are four main types of hooklength. Braid / Multistrands Mono HooklengthsBR>Normally they are just whatever you use as a main line, or one of the specialist fluorocarbons. Excellent anti tangle properties, and by the nature of not being quite so supple as braid, have some ‘anti eject’ as well. Fluorocarbons are good in very clear water when you’ve got spooky fish around. Not as abrasion resistant as braid. Stiff Rigs Combi Rigs First thing, best rig? There is NO best rig. There are good rigs, but no one rig can cover every situation. The first thing to find out is what sort of bottom are you fishing over? Clean gravel, silt, light weed or heavy weed? This will have a bearing on what type of hooklength material to use, and sometimes the type of hookbait. The following are only my personal opinions but: Clean Gravel / Firm Bottom: Fishing over Silt Fishing in Weed As for the actual rig, for bottom baits a simple knotless knot with any of the above materials is a great starting point – just make sure the hook is as sharp as possible. I like to use 12″ or longer hooklengths, purely as most people seem to use 6″ to 8″, though I’ve had a lot of success with 2″ to 4″ – especially with PVA bags and the method. Also, don’t be afraid to try long (ie, 1″ or longer) hairs. If you get dropped takes, just shorten the hair until you hook them, though I don’t think it’ll be a problem. For pop ups Rik’s D Rig is a brilliant rig. It’s also well worth reading the posts on the forum afterwards. I tend to tie this with Snakebite, but just remove a tiny bit of skin to create a pivot where the balancing lead goes. I like to use a slightly longer hooklength with pop-ups, but again, that’s just me! The most important thing is to have confidence in your bait and rigs, if you’re going through a lean spell, stick with it, unless you have a real reason to change. Try and find some fish in the edge, and see if they will eat your chosen bait. If you can see them eating your bait, try and introduce your rig to the area without spooking them, and see their reaction. First rule is find the fish, then find feeding fish, and you’ll be 90% there. |