Based on a good understanding of the evolution of carp rigs, and the mechanics of rigs, I feel that I can make a pretty heavy statement. In my opinion, and that of friends who have had the opportunity to field-test it, Triggalink is the biggest rig development since the hair.
Over the years, I have played around with many ideas to keep ahead of the carp on pressured waters. The one, I believe, that made the most difference, was my Blow-Out rig which, to my mind, is about as efficient as you can get when it comes to pricking the carp and preventing them from ridding themselves of the hook. I still use Blow-Out rigs to this day. In fact, I have made myself dizzy spending countless hours trying to improve them but I do not believe I can. It was when I came to this conclusion that I started looking at changing the other rig components to see if this could make a difference.
I recognised, a long time ago, how the incorporation of an elastic element into the rig made such a big difference by thwarting the carp’s efforts to get rid of the hook. I’d played around with rigs that included pieces of pole elastic etc for some time resulting in the capture of a significant number of large carp for me. Carp that I consider were ‘extra’ captures.
Incorporating elasticity into a carp rig is messy stuff and is fiddly, to say the least. So, two years ago, I started wondering if it would be possible to make a hook-link that could include the necessary elasticity, have all the characteristics we need from modern hook-links, reasonable abrasion resistance, strength etc and, most importantly, be easy to tie. This is how Triggalink came to fruition.
So, what is Triggalink? Triggalink is a hi-tech, modern carp braid with an elastic core. You will see when you pull it off the spool, that it has no stretch and, like other modern carp braids, it is easy to tie your rigs to an accurate and consistent length. The magic happens when it is immersed in water. After five minutes, or so, it retracts by some 30%. Now it is loaded and ready to trigger! As soon as the carp tensions the rig it will stretch with a build up of resistance, just like a bungee elastic, and the carp now has a big problem. It can’t get rid of the rig.
In the winter of 2004, I gave the first samples to Dave Levy, one of our field-testers and a good friend. I know how he thinks so I knew I could accurately assess his feedback. Dave caught from the word go despite the bleak winter conditions and, indeed, after six sessions, he had caught up with the lake’s full timers, entire season results.
Since, Dave’s results have been replicated by many of my friends. Their take rate has gone through the roof and it is clear that the carp do not know how to deal with Triggalink. I was on a lake recently and some lads came round. I was the only one catching and I told them why. We were talking about the advantages when it struck me, ‘what are the disadvantages of Triggalink?’ There aren’t any. Why wouldn’t you use it?
Triggalink improves your catch rate by (I’ll take a stab at this) at least three times. The elasticity also helps hold the hook in better when playing a carp, especially relevant when using barbless hooks and, acts as a buffer so there is less chance of hook pulls, particularly when using non-stretch braided mainlines. It’s on all my rods and will be for as long as I continue to make hay.
Kevin Nash. |
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