End Tackle According To... Scotty K
In this short interview, Scott reveals where his mind is at when it comes to rigs in 2022…
The game-changing rig moment which changed everything for me was actually a rig I’ve been using less and less in recent years. But the real game-changer for me was back in the winter of 2003. After playing around with some 20lb black Sunset Amnesia with a critically balanced D-Rig presentation on a local pond, I couldn’t fail to notice the consistency of firstly my catch-rate, and secondly my hook holds, which were both solid throughout the coldest months. The way I set it up slowly evolved over the next 3 years, but wherever I took it, it seemed to work the same. It seemed if they’d not seen it before, it really was deadly. It out-performed any rig I’d previously used. Not only was it highly tangle-resistant, the hooked-to-landed ratio was nigh-on 100% too.
The last rig-related item I bought and loved was a Zig Magnet. I use it on a long extendable storm pole and find it invaluable for keeping my fine Zig line nice and clean and out of the mud or away from the brambles in tighter, more overgrown swims. For casting out a long delicate Zig into the winter winds, it is always reassuring to glance back over my shoulder and see that everything is clear and out of harm’s way before committing to a cast.
On my wish list for a future end tackle item is a smaller lead clip that will pass through the rings when packing up and landing fish on long Zig Rigs!
There have been many anglers who have influenced my own rigs over the years. Usually it’s just a little tweak, or adjustment, that I’ve ‘borrowed’ making something work slightly more efficiently, or simply just easier to adjust. Names that spring to mind would be Paul Claridge, Alan Appleyard, Lewis Read and undoubtedly Ben Hamilton.
I have an excessive collection of leads! Over the years, the temptation to pick up a couple of spares has just been too great. I’m now in possession of two old lead pouches, between them they contain enough variations of leads to sink the Titanic! Thankfully neither have a place in my rucksack!
Where are we regarding rig innovation? I’m a big believer that most new rigs are a re-invention of an old concept, and things tend to come full circle. There always seems to be a rig that has long since gone out of fashion, that will trip up a carp that’s attuned to dealing with the latest trending rig. Bring back the simple ‘Knotless Knotted’ supple braid rig I say!
One small tweak I made to a rig which had a massive outcome was using C-Clip breakaway links on Dinton instead of knotting the lead onto my leadcore helicopter rigs. They really were a game-changer when it came to extracting carp from the dense weedbeds. I favoured the 3lb versions, combined with 2.5oz distance leads, and generally fished them up to 80yds maximum. With my fluorocarbon main line it was the perfect balance, and my leads very rarely detached during casting and leading. After applying pressure to a weeded fish, the lead would soon detach, sending a slight ‘hook-pull-like’ twang up the rod, before the whole lot would start making its way to my waiting net.
Back in the day, I always used to ‘fish out’ what I felt were the sharpest hooks from a packet and would always be left with three or four minimum that I knew I’d previously rejected and ‘man-handled’. I was forever throwing away half packets of hooks and buying more, so my introduction to hook sharpening was initially undertaken from a financial perspective!
To be honest, I’ve gone through various methods of sharpening, from stones to diamond rubbers, nail files, honers, Swiss files and dedicated angling files. Oddly, my technique seems to evolve from season to season. In later years, I’d probably say less is more. As long as that hook point is true and sticks to my thumbnail, I’m happy. If I’m fishing a pop-up, I will be more inclined to thin the point down, but if I’m fishing a wafter or critically balanced bait hard on the deck, then I may only buff away the coating on the last 2-3mm of the hook point to reveal a sticky sharp, bare metal point.
My preferred hooklink length is probably around five-inches. That would cater for my standard ‘D’ and combi rigs I fish with wafters. For the use of Hinged Stiff, Multi or 360º Rigs, I’d be more inclined to tailor the length of the boom to cater for the bottom that I’m fishing over.
When it comes to hooklink materials, I favour something nice and stiff for my pop-up sections—30lb TA Recoil is my current favourite. For my wafter and D-Rig fishing, 30lb Think Link is the closest match to my old favourite 25lb Clear Amnesia. Our latest hooklink, ‘Tint Link’ is a tinted fluorocarbon, which is nice and easy to straighten, and still offers a degree of flexibility to make it suitable for a D-Rig presentation.
I’m a bit old fashioned when it comes to mounting my hookbait. I still favour the classic floss loop with a rig ring on the D. I do use Hook Ring Swivels for other rigs, but when it comes to Hinge and D rigs, I like to stick to what I know, which has served me well for years.
When it comes to hookbait choice, if a spot is clean enough, then I’ll opt for wafter on the deck, as long as I’m sure there’s no silkweed about.
