Gardner Tackle Hinged Stiff Rigs
Fancy becoming your water’s answer to Terry Hearn or Lewis Read? Then head down to your local Gardner stockist now because the best ready-to-use Hinged Stiff Link has just hit the market
Times have changed. A decade ago the only ready-to-use product was boilies. Today’s angler gets pre-spliced leaders, perfectly prepared particles, and now you can use a Hinged Stiff Link that’s tied in exactly the same way as one of the original developers of said rig, Lewis Read. Seriously, yours won’t be better!
The big questions
Is the Hinged Stiff Rig really that good or is it just media hype?
We’re not sugarcoating when we say it’s one of the most effective pop-up rigs going. And it’s not just legendary because it’s “the rig Tel uses”, either. It’s accounted for an incredible amount of big fish over the years; it’s tangle-free; it resets itself; and it’ll present over most lakebeds. However, there is one catch: if it’s not tied correctly it’s nowhere near as effective, and unfortunately it’s not an easy rig to tie correctly…
How are these tied then?
To the same spec as Lewis Read’s – one half of the duo (the other being Terry Hearn) who developed it in the 90’s to how you see it tied today. They’ve been tied in the most versatile format: the boom is made from one of Gardner’s Skinned hooklinks which is stiff enough to kick the hookbait away from the lead but supple enough to lay over if held up by a stone or twig on the lakebed. The Chod section is made from their tried and tested 15lb Trip Wire and features a lovely progressive curve, whilst the Chod Hook is razor sharp.
So it’s effectively ready-to-go then?
Almost. Apart from the obvious – attaching your hookbait to the rig ring on the ‘D’ – you just need to add some putty to counter-balance it. Here’s a tip for you: take a piece of putty, roll it into a sausage between your thumb and forefinger, pass one end through the top eye of the swivel (where the knot to the hooking section is) and then wrap it around, moulding it into a nice barrel-shape. This will now never fall off.
It all sounds great but what if the boom gets kinked, does that mean the rig’s ballsed?
Not at all. Should the 25lb Chod Skin boom section become kinked, all you need to do is hold it over steam and it’ll return to being dead straight. The same applies to the curve in the hooking section: steam and then use the back of your thumb to put the curve back in.
What’s the range like?
The Hinged Stiff Link from Gardner is available in barbed, sizes 4, 5, 6 and 8, and in sizes 6 and 8 in barbless, and each one retails for £2.50. gardnertackle.co.uk