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Braid hook length.

Joe Winstanley said:
I've just carefully scrutinised the above pic in the hope of finding some Drennan Sink braid that was surplus to your requirements Paul! 🤣

I'm guessing you've used it all!? Have tried many of the uncoated braids in your pic and not found anything to touch it!
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Drennan sink braid was my go to Barbel hooklink for years… was gutted when they discontinued it. I now use the not quite as good replacement, gravel braid. I’m not sure why I don’t like it as much? Still does the job had plenty of fish on it.
Also to all the coated users who worry about tangles, I’ve just not had that problem with normal braid. Maybe that’s down to bait choice which is normally big/heavy. Lumps of paste, find that always separates well from the lead on casting. Even when I use small boilies/pellets in the summer I’ll have a mesh bag on which again seems to stop any tangles on casting.
Did lose a fish recently from the hooklink parting on an unseen snag. First time I can remember that happening. Did try coated for a short while after but didn’t feel confident with it, especially with small boilie/pellet hookbaits. In my head it just gives an unnatural presentation for small baits… but probably just me being used to un coated braids… as someone else said it all comes down to a confidence thing and whatever works for the individual.
 
Neil Lumby said:
Drennan sink braid was my go to Barbel hooklink for years… was gutted when they discontinued it. I now use the not quite as good replacement, gravel braid. I’m not sure why I don’t like it as much? Still does the job had plenty of fish on it.
Also to all the coated users who worry about tangles, I’ve just not had that problem with normal braid. Maybe that’s down to bait choice which is normally big/heavy. Lumps of paste, find that always separates well from the lead on casting. Even when I use small boilies/pellets in the summer I’ll have a mesh bag on which again seems to stop any tangles on casting.
Did lose a fish recently from the hooklink parting on an unseen snag. First time I can remember that happening. Did try coated for a short while after but didn’t feel confident with it, especially with small boilie/pellet hookbaits. In my head it just gives an unnatural presentation for small baits… but probably just me being used to un coated braids… as someone else said it all comes down to a confidence thing and whatever works for the individual.
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Yeah I'm not so keen on the gravel braid. It doesn't feel and soft and supple imo. The closest I've found is the original ESP sink link, it's a slightly different colour but feels as soft and supple. You can still find it here and there, particularly on Ebay.
 
Joe Winstanley said:
Yeah I'm not so keen on the gravel braid. It doesn't feel and soft and supple imo. The closest I've found is the original ESP sink link, it's a slightly different colour but feels as soft and supple. You can still find it here and there, particularly on Ebay.
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Yeah that’s probably a fair observation in gravel not being quite as supple.. it’s the best I know of for now and nice and cheap which is a bonus! I found an old spool of Kryston silkworm with some tackle in the loft recently. It was 25lb and really supple, was half tempted to give it a go bit again the confidence issue stepped in based on the colour of it.. white/black. I bet it wouldn’t make any difference, definitely not in coloured water .. but decided against it haha
 
Is the Drennan Sink Braid that different to Drennan's Micro Braid @Joe Winstanley ? I've got, and used, their Sink Brain, but only in 8lb bs ... but they look/feel the same.
 
Terry Simner said:
Is the Drennan Sink Braid that different to Drennan's Micro Braid @Joe Winstanley ? I've got, and used, their Sink Brain, but only in 8lb bs ... but they look/feel the same.
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They do look and feel very similar, but I've always believed that the original sink braid had some extra heavier fibres woven in which made it sink a bit better. I may be wrong though.. I've got micro braid in 6lb and 8lb and used it for tench, crucians and chub. It's good stuff.
 
Paul Richardson said:
If it works Simon, it works !
It got me thinking so whilst in my shed sorting out wet gear from a gruelling blank I had a rummage to see what I had acquired over time in pursuit of the perfect hooklink
It’s all b********s really
Talk about designed to catch anglers not fish !
When really the truth is for me through trial & error
Mono- long hooklengths
Fluoro- short and snaggy
Braid - when neither of the above workView attachment 16512
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Silkworm going for good money at the moment Paul - sold my last (unused) spool for £15 . . .!
 
Richard Isaacs said:
When I used to fish the swale many years ago I never used anything like these hook links and I didn’t even know what a hair rig was.
10lb maxima straight through to a buried bait. Running leads and feeders.
Used to get plenty of them back then. We move with the times but do we actually gain much really?
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you know my thoughts on this rich regarding rigs i don’t think we as barbel anglers move with the times enough
 
Terry Harman said:
you know my thoughts on this rich regarding rigs i don’t think we as barbel anglers move with the times enough
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Back in the '70's when I first started river fishing all the anglers I met on the Wharfe fished the same way. Running leads stopped by a BB shot and the hook tied 12" down the line on the same bit of mono'. These were the days of Richard Walker and his articles advised the straight through to the hook approach. He argued that the knot was the weak link that would break first.

For my part, after losing hooks and leads that had become snagged under stones I developed my own rig. It consisted of a split pin running on the line, one leg of it cut off below the float rubber that was pushed up to the eye, and the other leg went through the coffin or bullet lead and was then slightly bent to secure it during the cast. When the lead got stuck I could pull the split pin free and save the rig and hook. The hook link was 2lb less than the main line for the same reason.

Other than using a tapered leader when necessary my current rig is very similar to what I used back in 1974. A chod clip instead of a split pin and most times a feeder instead of a lead. But the principle remains the same.
 
Joe Winstanley said:
I've just carefully scrutinised the above pic in the hope of finding some Drennan Sink braid that was surplus to your requirements Paul! 🤣

I'm guessing you've used it all!? Have tried many of the uncoated braids in your pic and not found anything to touch it!
Click to expand...
Is it this one Joe?
 

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Ian Murfin said:
PM me your address and I'll post it over
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Just a heads up on sending a spool of braid via royal mail.
Make sure you pay the correct postage which will be for a large letter,this allows for depth up to 2.5 cm.
I made the mistake of sending Joe a spool first class letter and only allows up to 0.5 cm.Screenshot_2021-10-11-07-44-21.jpgScreenshot_2021-10-11-07-43-26.jpgSorry Joe was meant to pmyou why you didn't receive it but thought I would mention it here.
 
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