Any way to avoid tangling with this simple rig

[Blunderer]

On a water I fish regularly my rig of choice, one which has proved very productive, has been a 2-3oz inline lead with a 4inch flouro hooklink, shortshank nailer hook, long hair and shaped boilie. I also fish the same setup on a different water but with a 4inch coated braid hooklink stripped back to create a hinge an inch from the hook. I attach tiny PVA bags directly on the hook. I also use a flying backlead.

I reckon, fishing at 30-70 yards with this setup, that on the retrieve my hooklink has caught around the lead around 30% of the time.

I know that I will reduce this figure using tubing or leadcore.

Does anyone know another way to eliminate these tangles which obviously happen on the cast?

Thanks in advance

 

[Blunderer]

Oh, I use Krystonite 12lb mainline, and the flouro is usually 10lb ESP Ghost or Illusion- would heavier be stiffer and therefore less tangle-prone? Also, I feather the cast.

 

[Bryan Baron 2]

Could put a piece of PVA foam on the hook this will stop it catching. I would also swap from a pva bag to a small stocking and thread the hook link through this.

I think the problem is the bag is following the lead to the bottom and there is not enougth force in the line to push the weight of the bag away. So the hook lands on the lead.

 

[Blunderer]

Thanks Bryan - that sounds totally credible. I will try the pva foam solution. I am not sure about the stocking, though - I have found that the carp in my favourite water are very spooky of any bag apart from a tiny one - because they see them all the time.

 

[Nick D]

If your on a gravel pit Instead of using groundbait or particle in the stocking you could use just sharp sand. Gives anti tangle properties, hides the hooklink and wont arouse suspision as it should blend in with the lake bed

 

[catman]

Tubing should always be used unless absolutely impossible i.e surface fishing, for the fish's benefit. a picture of a carp with it's scales ripped off and bleeding ain't pretty. If I were you I'd thread a pva stick as long as your hooklink down your hooklink. If you don't fancy putting food items over your hooklink then fill the pva stick with sharp sand - it works a treat.

 

[Frothey]

how many fish have you ripped scales off whilst floater fishing? or freelining?

why would they get ripped off just because you're fishing on the bottom?

 

[catman]

The stiffness of the rod is a big factor. I always use something like a quiver tip for floater fishing. The softness of the tip makes the line act less like cheese wire and a little more flexible. It does make a huge difference trust me.

 

[Frothey]

so why dont i rip scales off with fast taper 3lb'ers?

 

[catman]

Why would you EVER use them for floater fishing?!!

 

[Frothey]

thats not the question.....

 

[Les Clark]

Blunderer ,How do you know that the tangle is on the cast ?
You say that you use a small pav bag of bits onto your hook ,i would think that the bag would be enough to stop any tangle , i think that becouse of the short hooklenght you are getting tangles on the retrieve .

 

[Keith Moors]

I totally agree with Frothey, there is absolutely no need for tubing or leadcore. If the cast is "feathered" into the water it will straighten out the hooklink and stop it tangling and tubing and leadcore don't protect the fish. Normally the lead is above the fish's head during the fight so it's only the hook link that is touching it and then only across the sides of its face. As Frothey says "where do you put the tubing when you're floater fishing?" The stiffness of the rod has very little to do with anything as I have used 3 lb plus rods and heavy controllers for distance surface fishing.

 

[Blunderer]

Les
The water I fish lots has a big head of tench. A typical catch over a 2 day session can be as many as 25 tench. When the tench are "having it" you often get run after run.

Regularly, in these times, one rod will go quiet. You just know that it is tangled. When retrieved - it always is, and always the same way - with the hook caught behind the lead.

That is what leads me to this assumption.

I think Bryan has it right - the bag is following the lead down - I often fish in 12-15 feet of water which may contribute, too.

Keith - I do feather the cast but I do have this problem repeatedly.

 

[Les Clark]

Blunderer , i use a running rig and a hooklenght between 12 to 24 inch and put a small pva net of bits nicked onto the hook ,this i do for two reasons ,a small snack around the bait and to stop it tangling ,but i allso put a short piece of shrink tube (about 3 inch )on the hooklenght ,over the swivel ,which will make the hooklenght bow out slightly on the cast ,which to me ( rightly or wrongly )helps to lessen the chance of a tangle .
But this will be of no use to you if you are useing only 4 inch hooklenghts .