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Old April 4th, 2008, 10:40 AM posted to uk.rec.fishing.sea
Derek Moody
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Default Making Your Own RIgs

In article ,
Paul URL:mailto
Hi, I make my own Rigs to the designs shown in Sea Angler magazine and
in the Sea Angler book on Rigs and Bait Presentation.


As long as you have a good reason for doing so...

Does anyone else on here make their own rigs? Anyone got any new


I don't think the stuff I tie on the end would meet the accepted definition
of a 'rig' ;-)

simple designs I might try this year? I use up a lot of Pulley Rigs
while Beach Casting.


....and here you seem to have hit the nail on the head: -simple- is good.

In general think about what the fish will be doing, how the food it seeks is
likely to behave and how you will detect a bite.
Think about the competition: Fish aren't the only creatures feeding down
there - the majority of the competition is less mobile than fish and is more
or less restricted to the bottom - that's why you get all those crabs when
ledgering.

Most natural food is either anchored firmly to the substrate, burrowing in
it, or free swimming/drifting. Very little is tethered to a short arc
around a fixed point.

To represent food anchored to the substrate it might be worth trying a hook
attached directly to the lead with no free play.

To represent burrowing food (which fish most meet when it comes to the
surface) add a second small weight - mini drilled-bullet or split shot,
close to the hook so it lies hard on the bottom.

For free swimming and drifting food use as little lead as possible:
Freeline.
Use minimal lead and allow the bait to swing around in the tide.
Use more lead but wind it in a yard every second or so.
Floatfish.
Spin.

The reduced competition and increased 'visibility' (even at night) of a
moving bait explains why rod-in-hand methods beat beachcasting nine times
out of ten. The main exceptions being scent feeders - eg rays, dogfish,
soles.

I was thinking of making simpler rigs and thus using less materials
and doing my bit to save the planet,


A bit optimistic - but simple usually catches a few more fish.

anyone got any views on what we
could do as our contribution to recycling etc?

I have been making my own lead weights,


but i think lead weights might be banned in the next year or so.
If I put in a few old nuts and
washers in my moulds to use much less lead is it going to have much of
an impact on my weights?


They will weigh less for the same volume and so be less effective -as
tackle anchoring devices- they might be less aerodynamic too if long casting
is of any significance.

Anyone got an acceptable green weight making
solution for me?


Use less of it.

I doubt there will be any ban on sea-angling leads as there's little ground
for it - unlike in freshwater fishing there are no birds with long enough
necks to pick up lost leads from the places where they are used.

Not that it worries me much - I rarely use a lead over 2oz -from the shore-.

Cheerio,

--
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