Nutcracker

My last time out i had 2 double takes ... i had 4 runs that day 😑😑

I wouldnt say advantages is the right word ... every rig has its time and place to be used on any given day one will out fish the other and vice versa ... best bit of advice is find a rig you have confidence in and stick with it ... the main reason i use the hinged stiff rig is most of the places i fish are old silty lakes and i can use that rig for 90% of my fishing.

8s and 10s with 10 millers ... 6s and 8s with 15s and 4s with anything bigger. Its what works for you with the rig you are using that you have confidence in the above is a basic rule to thumb im sure the combinations have all been done at some point. Goodluck

Hi dave im after a match reel for my floater rod i dnt want a big heavy baitrunner when your holding a floater rod for a fews hours weight matters ... the 6lb and 10lb lines i use depend witch situation im in ... as for backwinding never got on with it i was in an age where the only reels we had where rear drag and thats what im use to.

Tbh if you want a cheap baiting pole/spoon ... get on ebay buy and old sectioned pole you can find all sizes on there and pick them up for peanuts ... you can buy net pole screw inserts off ebay aswell ... lose the very top section of the pole it will be to thin ... start with the 2nd section and cut if needed and slot the screw insert into it ... use some gorilla glue and it will never come out ... job done.

Check out tom doves bait spoon makes this one look short.

Im after a new match reel ... i have a shimano alivio thats about 7 years old now and while putting some new line on today i noticed that the shaft is slightly bent and when pulling line out the spool is off centre and spins all crooked so its time to retire the old girl. Im after a match reel not a baitrunner i want rear drag adjustment only and the option to hold 6 and 10lb lines so i also need 2 spools and a single handle cannot get on with a double one. And finally the reels nowadays just look a little whacky and space age the colours have got abit crazy looking and all abit ott ... so summin thats looks that it should be sold in a tackle shop and not a toy shop. Sorry if im asking abit much but im getting old and some of them reels hurt my eyes.

This is my hinged stiff rig that im fishing using an inline setup freshly tied.

No but abit off subject ... have you ever used a pop up as a marker/peace of mind that the bag has melted ... sometimes when im fishing within catupult range or when the water is abit low temp i will stick a bright pop up in the bag. When it pops up on the surface i no the bag has done its job ... thats the thing with a catty it has no line clip ... yes you can tell what line your bait has landed using a far bank marker like a tree etc etc but how far out you cast can sometimes be a pain if you take your eyes off the water for a minit or two sorting out stuff and then you go to put some freebies in then thinking im sure it was another 10 yards haha even more so when you have alot of water in front of you ... now i cast ... let the line settle ... then grab my catapult and wait as soon as that pop up hits the surface i fire away.

Both great rigs but for me the Hinged stiff rig is my preferred choice ... i just like the loops either end and the way it settles also the movement makes it harder for the fish to deal with the multi i find is a little bit one dimensional on the movement part over clay or gravel i would use the multi but silt and weed is deffo a job for the hinged.

Well i use the heli setup with pop ups so on the hook is no good for me i normally tie my stick to the lead loop and put 2/3 foam nuggets in the bottom of the stick to keep it suspended as it sinks take that with a pinch of salt yet to land anything so far this season .

I the only shimano rod i have owned was a hyperloop 13ft match 1 1/2 lb test was a great rod and playing carp upto 10lb on it was great fun ... i snapped the top section playing a 20lb+ on it not what it was intended for i dnt think . I replaced it with a john wilson masterline 13ft match not as good as the hyperloop and its getting abit battered now so i may be looking at a new match rod later this season.

What about replacing the tail with rig foam i no thats not how they should be and i wouldnt buy them but it might be a way of getting some use out of them dave.

Hahaha

I have a chub outkast spod and can only say good things about it. Around £90 new as its been around for a while now.