When should we use fluorocarbon as hooklinks and when not to?
Over the years on many different pressured waters in the UK I have tried and tested many different hooklink materials to suit my style of fishing. Waters that I target are gin clear, especially in the colder months, and this makes the carp are very tricky to catch due to the the fact that every little item of end tackle can stand out on the lake bed, making it very easy for Mr carp to suspect danger and move away. I made a massive step forward when I started using Fluorocarbon in 10lb and 12lb.
At all times we are trying to improve our chances of getting that all important pick up and due to the fact that fluorocarbon is transparent to the lake bed, regardless of whether your hooklink is laid upon silt, weed, gravel, or clay, it gives you a massive edge. I believe using this material correctly you can put 30% more fish on the bank.
Your lead arrangement can also play a vital role; should we choose inline, lead clip system, helicopter or running rig? All have there place… but at all times make sure that in any case of cracking-off or snagging-up your end tackle is safe and the lead will be dropped every time.
Hooklink lengths using the fluorocarbon can vary from 2” to 12” depending on the situation i.e. what you’re fishing over and the bait you’re placing on the hair. Does the hair have to be fluorocarbon?
No is the answer, you can quite easily tie a 3” hair using supple braid to the shank of the hook using a small 3mm piece of silicone to the curve of the hook or a small ring tied as blow back style allowing movement of the bait.
Tying a small loop at the swivel end of the hook link can also help the movement of the fluorocarbon, enabling the hooklink to go into the carp’s mouth as far as possible giving you a better chance of a good hook hold.
Over weed, silt or debris I personally use a 6” to 12” hooklength of 10 to 12lb fluorocarbon, mainly helicopter style with the lead being tied on with 4-6lb mono depending on size of lead and distance of the cast. This is so that when I get that all important take my lead (that is normally sunk into the bottom of the lake bed in weed or silt) will snap off on the take, giving me direct contact to the fish.
When fishing fluorocarbon over a hard bottom, e.g. gravel or hard clay, the hooklink can be very short and I have used as little as 2” with an in-line lead drop off, running in-line lead. Alternatively use 4 to 6” using a lead clip system, again making sure the lead comes off at the point of the pick up.
One problem you can get with this is that the hook bouncing around the gravel bottom can blunt the point of the hook. In this situation I use the “jingly jangly rig” which is basically a small 4” to 5” boom of fluorocarbon that lies on the gravel with a small loop at the other end (or a ring). The hooklink is 2-3” of fluorocarbon, presenting the hook in a similar set up to the Chod Rig or D-Rig, using a tiny bit of putty to hold your chosen pop-up down. This then keeps your hook point away from the gravel at all times.
I really believe that using these kind of set ups as your business end you will catch the more wary carp in your lake. When the water is very clear try placing your chosen rig in the water’s edge and see for yourself how stealthy these rigs really are. If you find they glint slightly don’t be afraid to use brown, green or black coloured marker pens to blend them into the lake bed even more.
So, keep thinking and good luck!
Marc Twaite
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