Tackle Maintenance

While having rigs (line with float, weights and hook attached) already made up makes life much easier in the great outdoors, where wind and weather make it difficult to tie up, they must be maintained. This means checking for wind knots, tangles and the like when you’re in the comfort of your home. Wind knots, or unintentional casting failure knots, are a real pain as the line must be replaced as each creates a serious weakness in your line. You wouldn’t want to be about to land your personal best fish, having seen it, then your line snaps where you felt a tiny wee knot earlier but thought it not that important. Look after your tools and they’ll look after you!

Basics

Let me take a moment to explain my recommended setup. This can be for any pole, from a 2m whip to an 11m pole or even a long enough stick! The main item is the Rig, a 5-foot (1.5m) length of 3lb line starting with a figure of eight loop to attach to the pole tip. To this put on a light weight pole float, enough shot weights to set the float at a height so you can clearly see the tip then finish with another figure of eight loop but a little smaller than pole end. To this end I join a Drennan size 18 Barbless hook, I get these from Country Life which comes on a 2lb piece of nylon with loop already to loop to loop connect. I start with float about 2 foot (0.5m) from rod tip and adjust down if fish surface feeding. Favourite bait seems to be Pink Maggot more than any other colour.