End Tackle According To Joe Morgan

The game-changing rig moment which altered everything for me was the addition of solid bags to my armoury. A 4-inch hooklink combined with a small, balanced bait and a 3oz lead is ridiculously hard for them to deal with, and the little package of goodness can include a plethora of attraction. When fished alone, it’s like a little spot in itself.

The last rig-related items I bought and loved were Ring Swivel Bait Screws from Korda, as I’m forever fumbling around looking for Hair stops… not anymore! 

On my wish list for a future end-tackle item is a slightly different adaptation of a hook design. It’s really simple and could make a huge difference, yet no one has done it yet—maybe I should speak to a company about it? 

When it comes to rig influences I have been lucky enough to fish alongside some of the best rig minds in the game. Those who stand out for adapting and trying new things with great results are Adam Penning and Steve Renyard. Both are brilliant thinking anglers who have a proven track record of exceptional success.

I have an excessive collection of hooks, most of which rarely get used! In the last year, I’ve probably used only three different patterns of hooks, and for 90 per cent of my fishing I use a size 4 Korda Wide Gape. I have the utmost faith and confidence in them after using them for so many years.

I think we’ve reached the peak of rig innovation to be honest; it’s more likely to just go in circles now, I imagine. There’s one rig which I came up with, but I’ve only used it twice. However, on both occasions I caught on it—once was actually during a CARPology feature in the depths of winter! It’s completely outside the box, and I’ve not seen anyone use anything similar since, even though that was probably around 10 years ago! Maybe I’ll tie a couple up next time I’m on a pressured lake… 

One small tweak I made to a rig which had a massive outcome was pushing the tubing which trapped the Hair to the shank, right around the bottom of the hook to the bend beneath the barb. I came up with this while playing around with rigs at a Sandown Carp Show during my Korda days. I remember showing Danny, who was suitably impressed. I began playing around with it and had great results when using bottom baits, due to the way it pulled the point round. I was so excited about it I tied a few up and posted them to Terry Hearn, stating ‘I think I’ve found the ultimate bottom-bait rig, mate.’ Ever since, Terry’s used that concept for his bottom-bait set-up and he clearly has a huge amount of faith in it.

Hand sharpening hooks is one of the biggest edges you can give yourself. We’ve seen time and time again that fish do get away with it. However, none would be able to shake the hook out once the barb is in. Before sharpening my hooks I didn’t once put one in past the barb. Since learning how to hone ‘bee stings’, I’ve managed this on a few occasions and now act with extreme caution. 

My preferred hooklink length depends on the type of rig I am using, but for the inline set-ups it’s 3.5 to 4 inches, and with my Spinner Rig it depends on the kind of lakebed I am fishing over, but usually it’s between 7 and 14 inches. 

When it comes to hooklink materials, I favour fluorocarbon, as it simply disappears against the lakebed. It also has an element of rigidity, so it rarely tangles and is super abrasion-resistant. I have a huge amount of faith in it after using it for donkey’s years!

When it comes to mounting my hookbait, I like to screw it onto a ring swivel bait screw, because it just makes life easier, with no needles or bait stops required. It also means that I can use different bait sizes with the same rig. 

When it comes to hookbait choice, I opt for a multitude of different things, depending on the situation—pop-ups, bottom baits, nuts, Peperami, sweetcorn etc. But if you were to pin me down to just one, it would be a Mainline IB Pop-Up, purely because I’ve caught so many on them, and confidence is everything.