The trouble with bait bands, even the quality latex ones, is that they don’t last long before they start to split and then break. The way I do mine you don’t have to re-tie a complete rig as it allows you to change the band in a few seconds. The rig in the images has been tied with thick black line and a long hair for illustration purposes.
Incidentally, I don’t profess to have invented this idea, but I can’t remember where I’ve seen it. Not that it matters, it’s probably an idea thought of by many anglers, but not necessarily known by all. Which is why I’m passing it on.
Tie a conventional hair rig
Just tie up a conventional hair-rig, complete with the loop that would normally be used for the hair stop, making the length of the hair however long you prefer.
Push a bait band half way through the loop
Next, squeeze a bait band and push it halfway through the hair loop.
Pull the band through itself
Now take a baiting needle, preferably a type with a smooth hook, push this through the bait band, hook it over the band and pull it through itself. Job done.
Tighten up
Job done!
change it as often as you like; when it wears or just when you want to use a different size of band for a different size bait. It’s my favourite method for floater fishing for banding Chum and similar floating biscuits or pellets on a short hair, but can be used for any banding method. You can even make the hair loop a little bigger and use two bands if you want extra grip on the bait.
About the Rigs Page
The Rigs Page is a library of features to illustrate all those rigs that will be useful to both beginners and experienced anglers.
The rigs can be extremely simple and well known, or very complicated and little known, it doesn’t matter providing they make some kind of sense and have a really practical application.
It could be a standard running leger rig that a beginner will appreciate seeing in pictures, or a very complicated anti-eject carp rig that the experienced carp angler would like to see.
If you wish to contribute a rig to this section please remember that the emphasis is on illustration rather than words. Good line drawings are fine in the absence of photographs. Please send to graham@fishingmagic.com
