Avoiding Tangles

Total Carp Staff  |  Feb 22, 2012  |  First Published: Feb 21, 2012

Question: How can I avoid tangles when using braided hook links? My rigs are about 12 inches long, with a 21/2in hair, but even the hair tangles around the hook sometimes. It’s affecting my confidence; please help! Thomas Austin, via www.totalcarpmagazine.com



Marc Coulson says: I would steer clear of using long, braided hook links altogether. I use a lot of braided hook links, but only really sort ones inside a solid PVA bag. Anything longer, and with no bag involved, and the rig will tangle. There’s not a great deal that you can do to avoid it, but one way is to add a small PVA stick to the rig every time you cast out, and then make sure you feather the cast really positively before the lead and rig hit the water. However, there are better alternatives.

Get yourself a spool of coated braid hook link and use that instead. It doesn’t tangle and most of them will offer the combination of stiff/semi-stiff and supple because they’re used with the last couple of inches stripped back.

As for your hair tangling, I do not suffer from this too often, but you can add a piece of dissolving foam before you cast out. This will eradicate this completely.

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