best rig for landing good cod through kelp

[NICKY]

Never had a problem using 30lb straight through to get fish in the rough stuff !

[CHUKKA]

what about when you need distance ? i struggle to thump 30lb line straight through i have to use a 80 shocker

Rotten bottom with heavier sinker length, clipped if necessary! Sakuma mantas or vikings and you can generally straighten them even on 18lb line.

[codman56]

I use 100 lb braid 40 lb on my hook 30 lb bottom bottom and have very little trouble pulling threw the kelp

[Deans]

There's a lot of variation mate, everyone'll have their own opinion. This summer I tried something different, used the same rig in all 5 of my summer league matches. I had a hook length of about 3ft 6in tied 4ft above the sinker. My thinking was that in the kelp, some of the shorter rigs I'd been using might have been pulling the hook into the kelp as the sinker made it to the bottom, resulting in an instant fast-had in the kelp. Reasoning that kelp tends to stand about 6ft in the water, I figured that with the longer rig the sinker could make it to the bottom with the bait dropping slowly behind to settle wherever...and it seemed to work. Had fish every match, winning one, and finishing fourth overall, so I was pretty happy. Rarely lost much gear and missed very few bites (and had quite a lot of undersize fish!) - if snagged the rotten-bottom usually did it's job. I don't think I lost more than two or three leaders while fishing Beadnell, Newton & Howick.

Of course I could be completely wrong and am always happy to try new things, but they're generally variations on the classic, simple one-hook paternoster. Oh, and I never use a pennel hook in the kelp!

Gary

cheers gary.

[ozzy37]

i've always been told by my dad who fished pretty much just kelp all his life, 1ft hook length coming directly off the weight, been to some heavy kelp marks and lost nout where all the other people fishing with fancy rigs rotten bottom and pulley rigs either side get snagged every cast. my thought on it is that the hook is close behind the weight so if the weight goes through a gap in kelp the hook will make it through too with it being more streamlined.. seriously try it, it really works, but i bet tackle dealers wouldn't tell you that

[Rocker]

I use pulleys in rough ground.
I use 6 foot of 80lb mono, home made rotton bottom bait clip combo on one end then a piece of electrical flex (to act as a buffer against the knot if I get a good fish on), then a bead, swivel , bead, crimp, 5/0 sakuma manta,
After putting the hook in the bait clip I pull hard on the line to crease the heavy mono on the swivel, making it fish like a paternoster, and only act as a pulley under heavy pressure! I find its better to use 6oz rather than 5oz leads as well.
The main thing imo is to use a sharp hook and ensure it can't be masked by the bait.
I find if I get a bite, the fish is already hooked!
Sorry to slaver on!

[Cod Commando]

Minimal tackle

Theres a few lads using good set ups for kelp however, you cant pull a rock up when your gear is dug in hard. No matter what breaking strain is used, either the lead rotten bottem snaps and does its job, or the hook snood snaps and does its job or the line snaps at a weak point after wear and tear as you all know. Minimal tackle is the way to go as lads have mentioned: 36inch trace body 60,70,80lb, 6 inches from top tie a blood loop then 24inch snood 30lb/40lb clipped to a rotten bottem. Still use pullys but favour the above for the tackle grave yard marks.

[g-force]

i've always been told by my dad who fished pretty much just kelp all his life, 1ft hook length coming directly off the weight, been to some heavy kelp marks and lost nout where all the other people fishing with fancy rigs rotten bottom and pulley rigs either side get snagged every cast. my thought on it is that the hook is close behind the weight so if the weight goes through a gap in kelp the hook will make it through too with it being more streamlined.. seriously try it, it really works, but i bet tackle dealers wouldn't tell you that

That's pretty much how I used to fish my kelp rigs - fairly short & simple. But late last summer, when the fishing was slow one day, I got to thinking. I'd noticed some people seemed to favour the short rig, others would fish the bait above the sinker and others below. So I got out a spare reel, clipped on my spare rig and tossed it into a deep pool that was full of kelp. I noticed that, as often as not, the hook would go straight into a leaf or stalk of kelp before the sinker made it to the bottom. I figured this could account for some of those good bites you'd get that would never hook up - as the hook point was already buried in the weed. I debated the point with a few lads and nobody really had a definitive answer, so that's why I thought I'd try the "long" approach this summer.

I think the thing with pulley-rigs is that they're probably a south-coast invention, where their rough ground is very different. They might have their place in deeper water, fishing over boulders and other sea-bed snags, but pulling fish through fifty yards or more of standing kelp there are potential snags all around, above and below. Here, I'd rather my sinker was trailing well away from the fish, so that if it does get hung up, the 20lb or so rotten-bottom line that I use should break off pretty cleanly with a minimum of fuss. With a pulley rig, your sinker is up front when you've got a fish on - and if it's got a short length of rotten-bottom line attached I've found this has a tendency to wrap around the rest of your rig body, rendering the rotten-bottom pretty in-effective.

Just my thoughts, but it's always interesting to see how different people deal with it.

Gary

[GPO]

I'm with Andy on the pulley rigs.horrible things,the amount of missed bites is massively noticeable.

[bandit]

In 40 yrs of fishing i've only used pulley rigs a few times i've also found that you miss to many fish with them than so i stick to my trusty old rig thats served me all well over the years. 30lb bronze swivel with 30lb to the sinker about 2ft long attached to the bottom eye of the swivel, from the top eye a 3 1/2 to 4ft snood 70-80lb with a 4/0 or 6/0 mustard viking, this is attached to the main line normaly 35 - 40lb with a 3/0 oval split ring. Over the years i've had fish from undersize to 15lb with out an trouble.


Its also nice get out the old scarbarough rod with a 8in oil bath reel and 80lb line 40lb to the weight and 70-80lb snood no swivels just a blood loop for the hook snood and a normal loop for the weight,there's not a lot you can't pull in using this

As far as pulley rigs rotten bottoms and other fancy rigs i've seen people use there's so much clutter on them its just more money to loose when you snap off as well as more to get snagged up on in the kelp.

[Billzo]

i used 2 use pully's alot but 4 the past 3 years ive used this cascade slider i call it.

i use 80lb braid as main line & this rig acts like a pully when retreiveing a fish, when a fish picks up the bait &moves off it lifts the lead straight up from any rocks rather than draging the lead across the rocks & snagging up, the bait is fished tight on the sea bed below the lead like an up & over. the good thing is u can just ajust the lenghth of your snood as u like.
if the fish swims 2wards u the cascade swivel just slides up the rig body until it hits the swivel so the fish dose'nt feel any resistance until it hits swivel.
the longer the snood the better i say the fish will swallow the hook with out feeling anything until the rig tightensup or u strike or with braid no need 2 strike just lift in2 it.
hope the image works- i was shown this rig 3 years ago any many good anglers i know do use it.
the only thing i do find with this rig is hook might fast up when pulling in with out a fish on with the hook b-ing draged behind the lead but with braid it is'nt a great problem.
bill.

[codseeker]

best rig iz the one you make yourself .if its pulling in fish without any problem its a goodin

[lee2010]

totally agree, the best rig is the one you are most comfortable with and have tried and tested yourself, watched 2 good match anglers one year at the hare point newbiggin, 1 using a pulley, the other your standard basic rock rig, both caught a few decent cod and nearly won it, best to be confident in your own rigs is my advice

[Limpet]

Not naming names but one of the best rock men doesn't even use a rotten bottom! 3 way swivel 3 ft to hook, 2ft to sinker, plain but simple and effective!

And the same man is not a big caster, uses a rod that everybody slates for snapping and is not up his own ar5e like many so called top anglers

[fish fingers]

geoff king