Neatness

[theobeeus]

More and more I find myself into making simple, proven rigs as neat and precise as possible.. by that I mean no 'knot curls' and kinks in the line, lazer sharp hooks, and everything covered and smooth with bits of tubing and sleeves etc.

I love simple, effective and very basic hair rigs fished with well thought out lead, backlead and indicator setups, not too light, not too heavy.. just ultra sensitive at all times.

 

GET ON PALOMAR KNOTS.. they are the neatest of all knots, super strong, and a tribute to the great man:

Richard Walker invented this great knot. So it is good enough for me.

It is simple, but a bit fiddly to tie well in all honesty. Just take your time, practise, and TEST YOUR KNOTS on an old set of cheap scales (this also helps you to find out if you have a bad batch of line, and to tune up your setup to TRUE breaking strains)..

 

For instance, Big Game in 10 breaks at 13lb, which is perfect for my rods which, with a destruction curve force of 7.5lb, (tested on braid only and a bimini twist), (then always add four), means I should be on line that breaks at 11.5lb.. The test curve rating X 5 equals the rod manufacturers suggested line strength for that rod. In my case my 2.25 test curve rods were nearly bang on, just slightly under rated, as in slightly sytronger than the manufacturer claims them to be.. Good kit(Old expensive Shimano with biofibre).. This will give you complete confidence in the fact that you can apply as much pressure as you physically can, and the line will not go.

 

No other knot in mono, if tied carefully, can give you such a neat, straight and undamaged line near your main swivel behind the knot after tightening down securely.. You will be amazed how much better your setup performs without hideous knot curls and badly 'squeezed' half damaged line that you tend to get using grinners and tucked blood knots with mono, no matter how carefully you tie them.

 

Keep the grinner for your braid, and get on the palomar.

[salokcinnodrog]

I must confess that while I appreciate tidiness in rigs I'm sure that mine don't always come out as the best looking.

 

I have a habit of lighter tagging the end of braids at knots to stop them fraying as I think it looks tidier, but when it comes to knots on mono or braids I do prefer to use the Grinner/Uni knot as it is what I am comfortable with.

 

I do make sure that I bed all my knots down carefully, and then give them a darn good pull to test them before casting out, and I very rarely have a break, unless I need it, when it will nearly always go at the knot.

 

That need it, should a fish find the snag, or if I overcast into a tree etc, then I want the line to break at the knot, so that I am not leaving lengths of line hanging around (and I can then go and grab the rig out of a tree if possible).

 

I also believe in keeping things as simple and possible. I think that as anglers we often overcomplicate the issue, cute fish, they can out-think this rig or get away with it so we go to adding too many pieces of metal around the hook that we really have no need for when all we need to change is the length of the hair we fish, and learn in some cases to fish and feed better to keep the fish interested in the area

[daveleecarling]

I agree with nick on that bit, I think we do overthink things when it dose come to rigs when something as simple as changeling the length of the hair or the overall length of the rig can often be the difference between catching a fish and blanking.

[grangemilky]

My rigs are messy by most people's standards, because I leave tags on all my knots, just as a confidence thing. My reel handles are perfectly aligned though, because that what really matters.

[theobeeus]

It's important to, at some point in your fishing life, stop reading too much about what others use and use what YOU FEEL CONFIDENT IN. In other words take control of the dreadful complex maze that is rig mechanics etc. etc. etc. and ignore most of it. I now (finally) have a box of end tackle that I feel confident in and know that I will use. I have no intention of either reading about or buying into another idea again. The fishing media is geared twards creating doubt and therefore getting you to open your wallet. I have lost a lot of faith in it and don't buy magazines any more. They are all rubbish.

[welder]

My rigs are messy by most people's standards, because I leave tags on all my knots, just as a confidence thing. My reel handles are perfectly aligned though, because that what really matters.

 

I almost always leave tags, too. Sometimes blobbed with a flame, sometimes not. No pun.

 

My reel handles, on the other hand, point wherever they like because I'm just a rough welder who doesn't give a stuff.

 

Ian