How should you attach your hookbaits?

D-rig style: Iain Macmillan

“There are a couple of reasons I prefer the rig ring on the ‘D’ to a mini swivel. Firstly, I feel the ring presentation gives far more free movement than a swivel once the bait’s attached. Now I know some people will be up in arms crying the swivel can rotate full circle on the D whereas the ring can’t, and yes that maybe true, but once submerged and actually in an angling situation, I think it happens so quickly that all of that goes out of the window.

“I also think it can make the whole presentation somewhat cumbersome and clumsy and I really can’t see any proven reason why I should be using a swivel over a rig ring. The other factor people don’t realise is the weight of the swivel compared to a ring – it’s far heavier and without doubt will affect the buoyancy and lightness of the finished rig, and again it’s just not needed.”

Mini swivel: Leon Bartropp

“I’ve always been a big fan of giving the hookbait as much movement as humanly possible. I’ve used a standard Hair and D-Rig for many years and they both have their place for certain rigs and angling situations but the one advancement you could say with hookbait movement is the mini swivel ring. I’ve messed around with these when they first came out and was amazed at how much more 360-degree movement these little bits of kit give you. It lets the bait behave more naturally and lets the bait move up and down the hook to help with anti-ejection when the carp tries to blow it out.

“On the rigs I use the mini ring swivel, it can move more freely up and down the shank of the hook letting it do what it’s suppose to do and grab hold anywhere around the mouth or lips, giving me more chance of converting a pick-up into a fish in the net.”

Standard hair: Shaun Harrison

“I tend to use slightly longer Hairs than most others I see cast out. This gives the hookbait a little more natural movement. I have always favoured a soft Hair for all of my rigs and in my opinion the softer the better, to allow maximum separation between the bait and the hook once in the mouth.

“A soft Hair trapped in place instead of using the hooklink material as is usually done on a Knotless Knot really allows the hook to grab. Tie both types and see for yourself. You will be quite surprised how many more times you hook yourself when handling the rig with a boilie on the lighter/softer Hair.

“I personally use rod whipping thread for my Hairs and this allows me to colour-code things if required for easy viewing on the rig board. Rod whipping thread soaks the water in which makes it softer still once wet and certainly performs better than any other Hair material I have tried.”