Leaderboard

It's not meant to prove anything, just me shooting the breeze, go and get some breakfast down you and slow down a bit.

Rob maylin also outlined the dangers of the bent hook rig in print too, once they became known. The 360 rig is attributed to dave lane who stated it was a "big fish" rig where the likelyhood of doublehooking/stitching the hook is less likely. Some mouth damage will be down to poor unhooking, refusal to cut the hook if required (or even not being aware this is an option, how many people truthfully think to snip a hook?) also using the 360 rig out of the context to which it was origionally designed. I think that its use on smaller fish, high stock runs waters (for which it wasnt designed) is another reason why mouth damage may be encountered. Personally i think there are other pop up rigs out there that are just as effective.

What does that prove hooks arent meant to go up peoples noses. Its like saying a rapped a snooker cue round someboys head and its the cues fault for been made of wood. Lots of things are savage if not used correctly.

If somebody just starting fishing they have to worry about buying hair rigs never mind 360 rigs. Imo if simebody aspires to be a decent carp angler they shouldnt be fishing for carp to begin with. They should be fishing for anything that comes along servig an apprentiship by cathing roach, tench bream and if you lucky you mite land a carp. Forget leadcore, and 360 rigs the most dangerous thing for a carp is an unexeprieced istant carp angler thats trying to run before they can walk. Not only does an aprentiship give you expirience to handle fish properly it also teaches you water craft and that bait other than boilies can catch carp and that it isnt all about spods and chods. So many of the most importantant peices of the jigsaw in fishing are in basic coarse fishing. Rather than than putting the peices of jigsaw togeather by learning the basics they get sucked in to the comerercial world of free dvds and mags and takeing it as gospel in whats been said. If they had coarse fised they may realize its not about catching the latest ugly 50 on a magic wonder bait theres so much more to it. Rant over.

I wonder how much mouth damage from some of these rigs is down to bad unhooking? I have no problems in cutting the hook, on the shank, just below the eye or as low as I can get, and then feeding the point through. The cut eye section will fall away with no problems. It is fiddling and faffing and forcing the hook free (with any rig) that can cause (additional) damage. Then dose up the hookmark, or marks with Klinik or similar hookpoint antiseptic treatment I would much rather tie on a fresh hooklink, rig or hook, than expect to re-use the same one each time. Please don't get me wrong, I am very tight on hooks, and materials, if it is sharp enough, then to me it is good enough, but for the sake of NOT damaging a fish, I would far rather cut the hook or hooklink than be responsible for mouth damage. A good pair of wire/side cutters is an important item to have in the tackle box for that very reason. I think that it is long shank hooks that can be the cause of much mouth damage, especially in small fish, whatever pattern, Carp-R-Us Longshank Nailer, Fox Series 5, Ritchie MacDonald Z13 or PiggyBacks, whenever there is a chance of double hooking, and I think that many anglers are using fashionable rigs, without necessarily knowing or being able to think out the potential risks. It is not even their fault, but since Rob Maylin first published the Bent Hook Rig, it got used everywhere, and the same is true of the 360 rig.