A discussion recently on pre-tied rigs got me thinking about any types that we use aboard My Way other than feathers etc. There are so many differing brands on the market, though one thing is for sure you only get what you pay for.
The GO Angling range of rigs is I think competitively priced at between £1.50 to £2.50 each.
Maybe a little pricey when you check out the 10 for £5 offers on certain auction sites for example, but these ‘bargains’ are often too good to be true and only realised when inferior products fail you at the crunch time of landing your catch.
When you consider our rigs are all tied with components from reputable manufacturers such as Sakuma, Kamasan, Tronix and X-line Fluorocarbon to name a few along with being tied in house with quality workmanship – not a bad price in reality.
Occasionally though you have big name rigs that let you down. The Fladen 2 up 1 down ‘International’ edition rigs spring to mind. I’d love to have a look in the tackle boxes of the high status anglers on the packaging of these rigs and see if they have any in their armoury on a pleasure match let alone an international competition. We bought 100+ of these rigs, to buy us a little time when running low on our own boat stock, they came at the right price with a trusted pedigree, so what could possibly go wrong.
Well, the hooks snapped easily, the rigs tangled the worst I’ve ever seen both from the packet and also when retrieved from the sea, the line kinked at every opportunity. In the end I gave 75 away for free, the recipients still complained!
On the other hand, Fladen have come up trumps with the Fladen Maxximus International big hook range for the likes of conger, ling and huss, although I think a conger in excess of 20lb would easily break free from this rigs clutches.
The rig comes in a variety of colours; one we use regular on the boat is built on a length of 75lb mono. The rig consists of 1 large attractor spoon, a large yellow coloured muppet and ending in a 6/0 O’Shaunessey style hook. Baited with a variety of offerings such as whiting, mackerel or squid it has proved successful for a variety of species including huss, spurdog, ling and small strap congers from the depths of Holyhead Deeps.
Looked after, the rig is good for a couple outings. Bite and scuffing on the monofilament needs checking out before each use though. With the hook being attached to the spoon with a short additional piece of mono, you can change the hook and this bite trace at regular intervals.
With a retail of £2.99 the rig is a little too expensive for my liking, but after a quick browse around the internet I found the various styles available on many tackle shop websites for £1.50.
