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Hook length Braid sinking

What are the advantages of a combi rig over a standard hair rig ? Would a shot or tungsten putty not achieve the same thing especially when using a pop up bait?
 
Yes it’s a combi rig. You’ve got several feet of stiff abrasion resistant material (often fluro) tied directly to a soft very short hook length to allow bait movement and interchangeable short hook lengths.
Personally I prefer to keep it all 1 piece of coated braid and strip back the coating a couple inches before the hook which gives the same effect.
The only advantage I can see from a combi rig would be to utilise it as part of a shock leader.
So braided main lines, heavy leads, long casts and a long shock leader to which you could tie your short hook length directly to.

It’s then doing two jobs of protecting you from a crack off and offering the mechanics of a combi rig.
Not going to be a system for me mind as I don’t use braided main lines or have any need for a shock leader.
 
Hi Richard ,
I have been using N trap with stripped hooklink and standard hair ,it works well but I was wandering why so many people seem to like the combi rig ? I have also seen the German rig in use 🤔.i am always looking for ways to improve my presentation,but some rigs appear over complicated .😳
 
Does anyone use Merlin Braid as as hook link without coating , just wandered if it may tangle without some sort of coating ?
 
I don't use braid for hook link, always fluro. But for those of you do, do you use the braid with heavier BS than the mainline or less? Especially when using short hook length?
 
Adam Wylie said:
Hi Richard ,
I have been using N trap with stripped hooklink and standard hair ,it works well but I was wandering why so many people seem to like the combi rig ? I have also seen the German rig in use 🤔.i am always looking for ways to improve my presentation,but some rigs appear over complicated .😳
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I use N trap too Adam.
Just strip it back and away you go. Nice and supple to take the form of the river bed and nice and heavy to keep things pinned on the deck.

If It works I wouldn’t worry too much about changing it.
 
I use 15lb berkley big game from the reel to the hooklink, and generally the hooklink is coated braid (20lb) around30 inch, connected by swivel, with a beadbuffer ,and a beefed up drennan blockend drilled out feeder ,(various weight/holes etc) free running swivel connection, fished in tandem with a clip on homemade backlead , from 1 to 2 oz,
 
If your catching adam, its working, don't break it, (when kryston changed their dark mantis it drove me daft trying to replace it, if i'm honest i still haven't settled on a hooklink, i tried many ,and most are in the garage or bin, i've been using the esp tungsten, and catching using it ,but it does lose colour, and frays easy,,,,,,, bloody nora here we go again
 
Jim Ufton said:
Combi rigs , more places to break, they can see fluro anyway,,,
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Not in the effluent coloured WAvon they can't . . .

The below is just my opinion and helps me sleep at night - how anyone else makes their own rig decisions is their own choice, such is the beauty that is fishing! I personally use 10lb fluro which is a lighter bs than my 12lb mainline mono and the lack of stretch is offset by the mainline . . .this is not a 'stiff' rig

Benefits of fluro over mono - Denser / heavier = sinks better. Better abraision resistance. Better invisibility in clear water but can pick up detrius so needs constant cleaning. Less stretch = more direct feel.

Benefits of mono over fluro - Limper in the same diameter. Stretch to add a buffer if required. Easier to knot / manage. Cheaper

Combi Rig benefits - Improved bait presentaiton and movement / hooking potential at the braided end. Pivot point (with added weight) for the last 4". Potential for quick change hook & hookbait presentations without replacing the primary hooklink.

Combi rigs consistently land fish waaaay bigger than a barbel - so any breakages are down to the individual that chooses the materials and ties the rig in the first place

Each to their own - !
 
Fluro is fine if you can keep it hard down. But it’s too stiff for my liking and I’d be worried about it’s ability to take form and lay flat across an uneven river bed.
Last thing I’d want is for the possibility of clued up wary fish to be making contact with my end tackle.
That said, if it’s working and your catching then no need to worry
 
Regarding Gardner Ultra skin "STIFF" , I have 2 spools that I will never use ,because I don't like it .
If anyone interested it's yours for £15 posted.
 
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Adam Wylie said:
Does anyone use Merlin Braid as as hook link without coating , just wandered if it may tangle without some sort of coating ?
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I have used it very short sections in a combi-rig- very supple so you must use it with a pva mesh sock on the hook to prevent tangles and feather the cast.
Personally I wouldn't use it as a long hooklink as I would imagine you will get tangles on the cast and it's not the best on abrasion
I did use combi rigs a lot and the rationale was simply you could minimise the amount of ( expensive) braid you use, so if you turned a hook, you simply replaced a short ( 4") section of braid whilst retaining the desired overall length of the hooklink.
Other perceived advantages are fluro is stiffer and if you made a big overhand loop, to connect to your quick link, fitted with an anti-tangle sleeve this loop forms a pretty stiff boom to help prevent tangles
Fluoro sinks well and is better on abrasion than uncoated braid. So why waste money on braid hooklinks the fish won't see?
There was also a school of thought in our syndicate that certain braid wasn't good for the flanks of the fish/ splitting fins. Not something I have personal experience , just saying.
And whether you use a swivel or albright knot to connect the supple braid to the fluoro, you had something relatively close to the hook that you could pinch some tungsten putty on, and make sure the business end is pinned on the deck.
Downsides are the rig is only as good as the albright knot / swivel knots.
Never had any issues with them, but to be honest most hooklinks nowadays are simply mono or fluoro with a supple braid hair which is a bit of a faff on but does work well.
 
Adam Wylie said:
Does anyone use Merlin Braid as as hook link without coating , just wandered if it may tangle without some sort of coating ?
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Hi I use the 8lb merlin for chub with no problems ,but then again my chub hooklinks are only 12 inches long which probably helps to stop tangling..
 
I use kryston super mantis 15lb for barbel around 2ft in length especially at night,if I'm doing a day session which is rare I use suffix mono in 10lb ..
 
ESP Camo Sinklink 20lb when the swim isn’t shaggy or rocky. ESP loaded soft with 4” stripped back if there is a risk of hooklink damage.
 
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