Shrink Tube

[frogy]

Morning guys virtually everyone I know uses shrink tube on their hair rigs so going to try using it myself. I've been told to just put it in the steam coming out of a hot kettle to shrink it but wont this steam harm the line?. Don't know whether to go this way or just get some line aligners.

What do you guys use?.

[hutch]

As far as I know steam wont effect the line or the hooklink material, in fact it is useful for straightening certain materials, with the shrink tube be careful not to use to much so that when u steam it down it doesn't close the gape of the hook to much, if you want to create a line aligner i use a slim baiting needle to pierce the tubing and pull the hooklink material through the tubing and then steam it at a slight angle.

[jontain]

I have never had a problem with steaming the hook link, once the kettle is boiling properly it will only take a few seconds to fully shrink the tubing down so shouldn't damage the line.

 

I also like to steam in a kicker by leaving about 1cm of tubing past the eye of the hook and whilst steaming hold the hooklength at an angle which will hold once the tubing cools. This can really help with barbless rigs.

[newmarket]

Or Si , you can just dip it in a cup of hot water ?

 

Cant say i use it a lot tbh , kk to a hook with an out turned eye creates a satisfactory hooking arrangement i find .

 

Thats just me though

[dalthegooner]

Steaming a braid / coated braid hooklink won't hurt the line. I wouldn't steam a mono hooklink and I've no idea about fluoro but, personally, I wouldn't shrink that either.

 

 

Check out this clicky for using shrink tube to make a line aligner as Hutch says (Items 10 to 15).

Edited March 29, 2015 by dalthegooner

[salokcinnodrog]

Sometimes I fish with the shrink tube line aligned, and sometimes with the tube kicked over at an angle.

 

I boil the kettle, and as it boils pull the shrink tubing into the angle I want over the steam, hook bend in one hand and hooklink material in the other. It may be I have asbestos hands, so I would recommend holding the hook bend with forceps as you do it, cos that is in the hot bit!

 

 

For a line aligner there is no major worry about the angle, don't pull too tight and the angle is natural, but for that 'kicker' you will need to pull some tension into the hooklink, to get that kicked angle.

 

To hold the angle on both better, I would also recommend dropping into some cold water after you have done it as well.

 

You can put shrink tubing into hot water, but it doesn't shrink down as well as steam or boiling water, come to that nor does it work as well with a hot hair dryer.

[still scratching]

knotless knot and outturned eyes for me too,i use this setup for all bottom bait presentations,i cant remember the last time i lost a fish on this setup,stiff riggers or continentals are perfect for this imo. ive never liked the look of some of these rigs with the reduced gape, they obviously catch fish but is it in spite of or because of.

[johnplumb]

I was watching a fishing programme the other day and a good point was made about over doing the angle and length and actually ending up with a situation where the gape is closed up so much there is little chance of the hook catching in the mouth .

Thought it was a valid observation for those new to using shrink tube .

[newmarket]

Very good point John and one of the reasons why i tend not to use shrink tubing too much .

[ianain]

Yeah, I never got the add tube until hook points back on itself rigs

[newmarket]

I have a few cheapo 100 for £3 hooks i got off of ebay a few years ago purely to experiment with shrink tubing etc .

 

They didnt help and got a few burns for my trouble

[ianain]

Heat shrink tube is a warning in and of itself nm

[Turnip]

Horses for courses, so they say. I use shrink in almost every presentation, and at times, even doubling it up on the hook if the presentation dictates. It also makes for excellent booming if you're using braid hook-link.