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PENNEL RIG -
Basically it is an ordinary rig but with the addition of an extra hook on the main snood. Before tying on your main hook thread your line through the eye of a second hook. Keep this in place by sliding a piece of sleeving (outer covering of flex wire is ideal ) down the line and over the hook as shown opposite.
Tie on your main hook. The top hook can be carefully slid up or down the snood to suit bait size etc. This type of rig, in my opinion, works best with worm baits. There is no need to bait top hook but it's up to you. You may wish to thread a piece of whiteworm on it if you are using lug on the main hook. A lot of fish are taken on the top hook of this rig. Choice of hook sizes is up to you. Possible combination is 4/0 main hook 2/0 top hook. My choice is 2/0 and 2/0.
My choice of trace length for the Pennel is
Main Trace to sinker - 40"
Hook snood - 33"
I also have Pennels with hooks snoods a short as 12" for fishing in rough seas
ROTTEN BOTTOM
The Rotten Bottom is part and parcel of some North East angling. My version is designed for simple lob casting over short distances. The trace ends in an oval split ring above which is a large round bead kept tight against the spilt ring with a crimp. Attached to the bottom of the spilt ring is a short length of main line which is formed into a loop.
Also a longer length of weak line is attached to the split ring. An oval split ring is also attached to the sinker. To operate - the loop of line is put through the split ring on the sinker and looped over the upside down bait clip. The weaker line is tied direct to the sinker split ring. When the sinker hits the water the loop lifts off the upside down bait clip and slides back through the sinker split ring. This leaves the sinker attached only by the weaker line which can easily be snapped off if the sinker becomes snagged. My choice of trace length for the Rotten Bottom is Main trace to split ring -- 24" Hook trace -- 16" Loop of main line -- 12" Weak link -- 12"
GEMINI SRT SPRING RIG
I've never been a "gimmicks" fisherman. I was born in a mining village, less than 5 minutes walk from the North Sea and fishing was a way of life. Tackle was a hand line, sinker, which was any stone with a hole through it, and bait - well - mussel, mussel and more mussel. The thought of decorating my traces with rattling beads and sequins is a little strange to me and when I first saw Gemini's SRT spring my reaction was "Whatever next?" - I couldn't believe it. However, this small spring is, in my mind, one of the best ideas to hit the angling world.
It's one of those ideas that is so simple you wonder why no one ever thought of it before. We've all used clip down traces, tied so that the hook fits onto the bait clip perfectly. Then, after a couple of casts, simply due to line stretch, you have to start sliding the bait clip up or down to even hold the hook in place. The Gemini SRT spring solves this problem very easily. When you cast the sinker snood stretches, the hook snood (clipped to the bait clip) would normally be stretched as well. The spring allows the hook snood to move without stretching (See diagram). No matter how many times you use the trace the hook will always fit perfectly onto the bait clip. My Verdict - 10
1 UP 1 DOWN RIG
A Simple rig incorporating 2 hook snoods. 1 of the hooks is tied at the top of the trace length and the other tied at the bottom. This rig obviously doubles your chances of fish but also allows you to fish 2 different baits at slightly different depths.If fish constantly come to one hook then it would seem the bait on that hook is the one to use. If you omit the bait clips then the rig (now called a flapping rig) can be used for lob casting over short distances.
Various configurations of this rig are possible -- 2 Up and 1 Down is another example either clipped or flapping - incorporating 2 hook snoods up the trace and one at the bottom. Length of the snoods is important in that they must not be so long as to tangle with its neighbour too easily.Try crab/mussel on one hook and worm on the other. My choice of trace length for the 1 up 1 down is Main trace -- 40" Top hook snood -- 14" Bottom hook snood -- 18"
UP AND OVER RIG
The Up and Over is a rig which allows you to use a long flowing trace which will sit near to the sea bed. The hook length is attached via a swivel at the bottom of the trace and is looped over an upside down bait clip at the top. A bait clip positioned near the swivel allows the hook to be clipped down during the cast. Hook arrangement can be a single hook or a pennel type rig. On entering the water the hook length is freed from the upside down bait clip and flows out attached close to the sinker.
On retrieve the rig has the same advantages as the pulley rig in that the sinker is lifted clear of the bottom if a fish is on. I would recommend the rig be used on clean beaches where snags are at a minimum Though not shown in the diagram I feel that the rig works best when used with a grip lead as the fish seem to hook themselves better. My choice of trace length for the Up and Over is Main Trace to sinker - 40" Hook snood - 60"
PULLEY RIG
The Pulley rig shown opposite uses a pennel type hook set up but can be used with a single hook.
The advantage of the pulley rig when used on snaggy bottoms is that once a fish has been hooked the weight of the fish pulls the line through the top swivel and thus lifts the sinker away from the bottom. With the addittion of a bait clip the rig can be cast clipped down for extra distance.
I alter the length of the hook snood depending upon conditions and may go down to 1' in length when fishing in heavy seas. The shorter length having the advantage that it is not " swept" around to much in the heavy conditions, and so, in theory, should not get snagged or tangled easily. I will opt for a much longer snood in calmer conditions where the snood is more static on the sea bed. With a longer hook snood a longer sinker snood is also required. My choice of trace length for the Pulley rig is Calm/Snag free conditions Trace to sinker - 32" Hook snood - 25" Rough/Snaggy conditions Trace to sinker - 18" Hook snood - 12"
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