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pinning the hooklength down

S

Steve Brand

Senior Member
Does a long hooklength or a short one for that matter get pulled down to the river bed in a strong flow?
I am just getting into fishing for barbel on powerfull big rivers like the trent and I am concerned about the hook link wafting up off the bottom any ideas.

Thanks in advance
 
it normally does get pinned down in the strong flow but to make absolutely sure..you could use fast sinking braid hooklinks... or mould some rig putty a few inches from the hook.... i wouldnt use leadcore...just asking for trouble on the rivers....
 
In "normal" conditions, the flow is relatively slow on the river-bed and with the uneven nature of the substrate, the link tends to lay flat anyway. Probably more so with braids and fluoro, less so with a mono link with poor memory.

Since there's no tension as such in the link itself, the fish are unlikely to be spooked by touching it. I've never bothered with adding shots or putty other than very occasionally on very long links in heavy flood e.g. 3ft plus where I want the bait and the link to swing around in the flow naturally.

Nothing to worry about.
 
On longer hook links, a simple way to pin it down is to use fine lead wire (10-15mm), say from inside leadcore, & coil this tightly onto the hook link. Its very unobtrusive, does not damage the link, does not effect the flight of the rig on casting & never causes tangles. One could use a marker pen to dull this down to limit any glint too.
 
I use putty to pin my fluoro hook length down. A little over the albright knot on the combi and a little more halfway up over a float stop.
 
I just ensure my hook length is as straight as possible, the last time i added some weight i kept getting snagged, then again i do fish with a slightly longer hook length. Trent and TT regular.
 
what's wrong with a bait wafting about in the current.??, surely on a river like the trent it would present a bait more natural than one that is pinned down.
 
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