yonny

BOOYA!! Well done fella. Happy days.

My take on zigs: I use zigs more and more each year and catch more as a result. Last year there were at least 2 sessions on which I would have blanked if it wasn't for the zigs. I don't always go straight under the surface like most do, in fact I normally start by splitting the depth into thirds and fishing one at the bottom of the middle third and one at the top of the middle third (particularly at night). Only on the brightest days do I pop one under the surface and even then it's only when there's a breeze on the water and I can see carp in the very upper layers. I don't find zigs are the answer when they're milling about on top on the hottest, calmest days. I use the Fox zig alingers with balck foam which are great over a hatch but have also had success on tiny bright 10 mm over-flavoured pop ups. I use lead clips with the smallest lead I can get away with. It pays to drop the lead (I'm not a fan of dropping leads but it's necessary with zigs - it's horrible playing them with a lead attached and I've dropped fish because of it). I avoid the pre-stretched zig lines, they have next to no abrasion resistance so can't deal with the weed in the Nene Valley - I discovered this the hard way. My mate put me onto X Line in 10 lb as a zig line and it's been absolutely brilliant. As said, the hardest bit about zigs is getting your head round it. I used to try it for an hour here and there but would think I was wasting a rod. It wasn't until I'd caught a few I dared keep them out for longer periods. The trick is to use them for a reason rather than for the sake of it - most guys only whack one out when they're struggling on the deck. I'll put them out where I know there should be carp (e.g. when I can see them from the trees, see a hatch, or can see them topping over bait but can't induce a take). I find chucking a zig at a showing fish is at least as effective as chucking a single (e.g. a pop up) at them, probably more so. They are very, very effective fished two thirds depth off the deck a meter or two off the entrance to any shallow areas or bays. Again, I find you need a breeze on the water, regardless of time of day or season, for them to work really effectively. I never put freebies out, just attracts the bird life. I still struggle to get my head round them a little bit - even if I've caught 4 on zigs and none off the deck I still refuse to put all the rods on zigs, I always need one on the deck. Crazy I know.

Here's a question: Is it possible to over-balance a bait? If a bait takes a minute to settle could that not render the rig ineffective under turbulence? With a couple of bigguns swimming around the hookbait could the disturbance in the water send it flapping around all over the place rather than sitting patiently on the deck? We've all seen light food items (hemp for e.g.) being kicked up during heavy feeding activity, could the same happen to a bait balanced so well it's almost weightless? Not saying it will, just after opinions.....

Honestly, I don't think it matters that much. newmarket is spot-on, each wafter is different. As long as the hook is at least partially on the deck it's fine for me. I'd probably prefer the eye to be lifted slightly but wont start messing around if it's sitting flat. The critical bit for me is that that hookbait is lighter than the freebies, which it will be assuming the wafter is a half decent one..... At the end of the day we've all caught loads of carp on bottom baits straight out of the bag so I prefer to concentrate more on where I'm putting the bait rather than worry about a couple of millimeters here or there off the deck.

Exactly what I thought when I got mine. I remember seeing a comment on a forum when I was researching them - some guy said his vision was clearer/sharper with them on than it was without them - I thought what a load of you-know-what, but, when I got them, I could see what he meant. They're just brilliant....

No idea bud but I do remember seeing recommendations on forums when I was researching the Costas. A quick Google should give you some ideas - check the fluff chucking forums.

You wont regret it bud.

I've been through all the cheaper brands (and a couple of the more expensive ones) over the years and last year took the plunge and bought some Costa Del Mar 580G's. They're not just a bit better than the others, they're a million miles ahead IMO. Not cheap, but defo the most effective. Even the plastic lens ones (580P) were better than anything else I've tried, but the 580G's (glass lenses) are on a completely different level. If you truly aren't bothered about cost go and find a stockist and try them - I almost guarantee you'll but them on the spot. They're made for angling where most of the other top end brands are not. p.s. the lifetime warranty makes the cost a little easier to swallow.

Call it what you want fella. It's fished up the leader, like a chod, but constructed like a HSR.

I get round this by either fishing the chod on a short boom (like a short HSR) or tying a stop knot between the hooklink and the lead.

Hmmmm I've avoided this discussion on this and other forums as I'm on the fence. I don't use them myself for the reason you state but the more I think about it the less I'm averse to their use. IMO the safest rig is the one that lands the fish safely and I do believe the system will give you a better chance of that. If you get snapped off the line will no longer be tight therefore the leadcore could still fall under its own weight and become snagged allowing the fish to escape. Like I say, not entirely convinced either way so will continue to avoid for the time being.

The Simon Scott article was available on the old baitworks website. I can't see it on the new one.

My problem is I've developed a phobia of using anything else once I've found a hook that works for me. Last year I dabbled with Nash hooks in the spring and lost a couple fish - in the bin they went and back onto the Atomics (no idea why I changed in the first place tbh, just liked the look of the chod twisters for HSRs). I only chucked one more rig out all year without an Atomic hook attached - it was a multi rig with Drennan Conti on (again, no idea why I changed, I was just tinkering for the sake of it....idiot) - had a run and proceeded to lose an upper 30 common at the net to a hook pull. Would have been a PB common..... Therefore I simply don't dare try these new ESP hooks unless everyone and their mum starts raving about them when they're released. I really like the look of them, just too scared to try them. As the old saying goes - If it aint broke, don't fix it....

http://esp-carpgear.com/news/e-s-p-cryogen-a-hook-revolution/ I've heard of the treatment used to harden these and believe it's the first time it has been used for hooks - if it's done well these could be a genuine step forward. It'll be interesting to hear feedback when they're released.

When you put it like that I suppose I check every hook too. Not sure that's an effective test fella, you have no defined pass/fail criteria. A hook that passes may fail once you've had your weetabix....

You mean you test every single hook? Or you test a given brand/pattern prior to using? How do you test them fella?

We cannot say for a fact that the Korda's are softer fella - all we can say is that nealjt's test result and my findings re sharpening are indicative of a hook that is softer than some other brands. If they're softer then yes, they would blunt more easily, it is a given. So you should be mate! It's the single most important consumable item in our tackle box.

I don't know anything for a fact but I do have an assumption fella - that being that Atomic hooks are harder than other brands. I've sharpened my hooks for years and when I fist started using Atomic I found they took at least twice as long to sharpen which for me has to indicate higher hardness. As I mentioned previously high hardness is not always a good thing as it can lead to embrittlement, but I find Atomic are heat treated right in the sweet spot - hard as nails yet tough as old boots. You are essentially performing a simple tensile test there. I wish I could give you some kind of equation or statistic that would tell us if your result is any good or not but alas, I cannot. It sounds quite low to me (based on similar tests I perform on similar components at work (although my testing is in compression rather than tensile)). Unfortunately I've never tested anything with such a thin gauge so I really cannot give you an answer of any value..... What is interesting is that you obtained a higher result with the size 8 fly hook than you did with the size 4 Krank (which clearly has a thicker gauge). This would suggest that either the fly hook result is very good or the Krank result is poo. Do you know, the second hardest hooks I've ever sharpened are the Gamakatsus...... I found you can sharpen Korda's by having a kitten lick them....

Afraid not bud, that would temper the steel which will reduce core hardness and hence the hooks strength.

They're just not strong enough for my liking bud. That said, I'm a Nene Valley chap so have to deal with serious weed on most waters. Dude - My experience, as QA Manager for a manufacturer of heat treated carbon steel fasteners (the same process used to make hooks) for the automotive industry, tells me it's a fact that if the yield point is exceeded even once, you've weakened the hook significantly - spring rate is compromised so the hook cannot absorb shock as intended. Therefore when stresses on the hook reach a certain level the hook WILL bend rather than flex - it's just a question of whether those stress levels will be reached while the fish is being landed. I'm not saying you can't land fish on modified hooks (as you say, plenty have been landed), just that IMO it's not worth the risk - it's asking for trouble fella.

Not a good idea fella - You'll exceed it's yield point which will weaken it. Personally I wouldn't go near a fly hook for carp.

Can't say I'll write off all Korda gear but I'll certainly avoid the hooks. I've already written off Nash, Fox, Drennan/ESP.... I'm running out of options. TBH Atomic hooks are all I use anyway nowadays - they've never let me down.

The vast majority of hooks come from China but it's a myth that all Chinese manufacturers are bad fella. Some are very. very good indeed. The problems start when the tackle brands try to cut costs by using the cheaper manufacturers (which are the guys you're referring to). It winds me up - it's fair enough that the tackle brands want to increase their margin, that's standard business practise, but if they choose to go down that route than they should have a robust inspection of product when it gets to Europe. It's clear that in many cases they don't do any testing whatsoever - they just take it for granted that the hooks are sound and then come out with their "you'll always get a bad batch" rollocks when they fail in the field. In those cases you have to blame the tackle firm as much as the manufacturer, or more so in my mind.

Sounds to me like there's an issue with consistency with these Kranks. One fella says they're flexible which is actually a good thing - they're heat treated high carbon steel (same stuff knife blades are made out of) so they have a high spring rate which allows them to flex slightly so they can absorb stress and maintain there original shape. Another fella says they bend which means his batch was too soft (i.e. spring rate was too low and the material yielded). Another fella said they snap meaning his batch was too hard hence they were brittle. You hear folks giving it "you'll always have a bad batch from time to time". I can tell you now that's absolute rubbish. If the manufacturer has control of their process you shouldn't get any issues like that. Therefore if I see a single hook fail I'll avoid that manufacturer altogether - no second chances.

Horror stories starting to emerge on other forums. Apparently the pin that holds the lid on is prone to walking out of the hole. There's been lots of reports of them failing. Fox have actually acknowledged a problem of FB: "our guess would be that the pin on the hinge has worked its way loose through not being flared enough this is the only issue we have seen with the hinge since the product was released, the hinge was bomb proof in testing, it just appears a small percentage of the tens of thousands we have made have not been flared quite enough by the pneumatic press". Worrying.....