Poll: use of hair rigging

[chub_on_the_block]

Out of curiosity, and to gauge how out of touch i am, how frequently do you use hair rigs?. I have yet to employ one at all - it wasnt that common 20 years back when i last fished and i still havent felt the need. I have yet to use boilies either!.

As boilies seem to require the hair, perhaps respondents (theres a good word) should ignore those occasions. Infact to make it more scientific, how about keeping this poll for tench fishing only when not using boilies...

 

[Fred Bonney]

I have to say I always use a float when fishing for tench, bait on hook.

 

[chub_on_the_block]

Same here Fred, or sometimes a running ledger for me.

I thought about making it non-specific fish wise, but then it would be hard to tell if it was being biased or skewed by respondents who target particular fish (eg carp). Then i thought about "fish other than carp", then i thought for barbel or chub..but didnt want to go there!! So i went for tench as it is the season for them after all!

 

[bennygesserit]

How do you fish specifically for tench ? I have caught a few very nice tench on the canal ( a six and a four on a whip ) by fishing fairly close in , next to the pads using corn late in the afternoon.

Presumably similar to the methods you would use on a lake ?

 

[chub_on_the_block]

How do you fish specifically for tench ? I have caught a few very nice tench on the canal ( a six and a four on a whip ) by fishing fairly close in , next to the pads using corn late in the afternoon.

Presumably similar to the methods you would use on a lake ?

I would agree its getting harder to actually target tench, as theres fewer waters these days where tench are the dominant fish. There was a time when the tench were round the edges and the few carp present (usually rather large) were way out in the middle, with only rudd or roach besides..but there seems to be very few places that are like that now!

Does anybody use hair rigs float fishing? - dont see why not if they improve hook-ups. My main reason not too is i cant be bothered and to my mind they complicate things (i would need to learn some new knots for a start).

 

[S-Kippy]

I would agree its getting harder to actually target tench, as theres fewer waters these days where tench are the dominant fish. There was a time when the tench were round the edges and the few carp present (usually rather large) were way out in the middle, with only rudd or roach besides..but there seems to be very few places that are like that now!

Does anybody use hair rigs float fishing? - dont see why not if they improve hook-ups. My main reason not too is i cant be bothered and to my mind they complicate things (i would need to learn some new knots for a start).

Yes....we called them tench lakes and they are getting harder to find as carp dominate. I knew several years ago but they have all either become carp lakes or so hard as to make fishing them unrealistic for a short session bloke like me.

I have used hair rigs when float fishing but dont anymore. Didn't seem to make much difference.

 

[barbelboi]

Although I much prefer to use a float, be it the 'lift method' in the right environment or other, there are times IMO where a hair can save the day - not usually with a boilie, or indeed with a lead.
Jerry
PS Skippy, I caught only 4 carp from SP while actually targeting tincas last year in approximately 20 plus visits (and before you say it yes.....I did catch more tincas than carp)

 

[S-Kippy]

Yes well as I've said before bloody carp follow me around when I'm not trying to catch them. SP I would class as a tench lake though there are still far too many carp in there for my liking.

 

[terry m]

I still use a hair rig when float fishing for tench, especially if I am using a couple of grains of sweetcorn - which I often am.

Korum do hooks with pre-tied hairs and bait stops in smallish (12 & 14) sizes. They are very good IMO.

 

[Windy]

I have to say I always use a float when fishing for tench, bait on hook.

That is the one time these days when I almost invariably use the hair rig ! I have found it very very effective when tenching with the float.

In particular I like using a piece of artificial sweet corn on the hair, plus a real kernel of corn on the hook. The artificial's bouyancy counteracts the weight of hook and real corn, plus I have more confidence in using a real bait in conjunction with an artificial rather than an artificial alone. Real smell and all that.

Alternatively a cube of luncheon meat screwed on to a bait spiral tied on to the end of a v short hair, means you don't lose your bait every other cast + the hook point is never masked.

Both work well for me.

Funnily enough the one time I very rarely use a hair is when carping, as almost all of my carping these days is floater stalking. Either using doggy bics to feed + clipped deer's hair beetle fly or floating bread feed + half a slice / hefty chunk of crust (golf ball size) on a size 10....

Is there anything more fun than floater stalking wild carp on an unfished water through the reeds

 

[sagalout]

I use hair rigs most of the time because mainly I use 8mm fish meal pellet as a bait.