What elastic?

[Mark Wintle]

Not sure where this fashion for doubled elastic has come from but some silly claims are made for it. I researched and wrote a book on pole fishing four years ago and did some work on understanding pole elastic. Solid elastics, including latex, stretch about 6 times original length. Doubling it up makes no difference to its stretchability. Hollow elastics, including Hydro, stretch about 10 times length. Doubled solid no. 4 is about the same as solid no. 6, not no. 8, so why not use no. 6 in the first place? Doubled elastics did have a benefit in the ancient days of pole crooks when half the length was doubled but pointless today. The short answer to what the best elastic in the circumstances is to experiment until the best compromise is reached. Varying how much elastic is used, as well as the strength and type, are all factors in finding the best one. How the fish fight varies, too. Carp in mid winter are very different to what they are like in summer. How hard you pull them makes a difference too.

[Dick Dastardly]

Not sure where this fashion for doubled elastic has come from but some silly claims are made for it.

 

 

Totally agree Mark.I cant even remember now why we doubled the first part when we used crooks? Maybe simply because that was the fashion!

[RUDD]

Not sure where this fashion for doubled elastic has come from but some silly claims are made for it. I researched and wrote a book on pole fishing four years ago

 

And a good book it is too.

I use it for reference and the first time I read it I learnt something.

That something is the part about fishing in deep water, I have always used the principle of a no 8 shot for every foot of water (in perfect contions) and rarely fish pegs over ten feet deep but at times I do and now use no 6 droppers and up my float capacity by 0.5g for every foot of water.

[tony tinca]

Not sure where this fashion for doubled elastic has come from but some silly claims are made for it. I researched and wrote a book on pole fishing four years ago and did some work on understanding pole elastic. Solid elastics, including latex, stretch about 6 times original length. Doubling it up makes no difference to its stretchability. Hollow elastics, including Hydro, stretch about 10 times length. Doubled solid no. 4 is about the same as solid no. 6, not no. 8, so why not use no. 6 in the first place? Doubled elastics did have a benefit in the ancient days of pole crooks when half the length was doubled but pointless today. The short answer to what the best elastic in the circumstances is to experiment until the best compromise is reached. Varying how much elastic is used, as well as the strength and type, are all factors in finding the best one. How the fish fight varies, too. Carp in mid winter are very different to what they are like in summer. How hard you pull them makes a difference too.

 

If you do do matches week in and week out you get very familiar with your pole and the way elastic works , now a few years ago alan scotthorne who is an innovator of so much we matchfisherman do today started using doubled up elastics and then steve ringer tried it and agreed that it worked better in lighter elastics and now it has a big following .

Alan scotthorne doesnt use things that serve no purpose and i know that he and steve ringer do use doubled elastics as do alot of matchfisherman .

Now the argument for double elastic is that say you are using a double 4 and hook a 5lb carp then on the initial strike and first few inches the elastic behaves very soft and avoids hookpulls , then as the elastic stretches it progressively becomes more like a no10 ( not a no 8 as you would think ) but wont bottom out as quickly as a no8 or 10 so you do feel as thou your using an elastic with a rating between i would say 5 and 10 .

The main thing i have found is that when you are about to net the carp holding your top kit up in the air it traps it in position better and stops the carp from diving and starting a run .

I find that blue hydro will just keep stretching and stretching because the fluid inside stops this trapping action so you have to stand on your box to net the fish or add your no4 section which just gives you less control .

Its worth bearing in mind thou that these double elastics only really work when using double 3 up to a double 7 max and then your far better off using black hydro with a pulla bung.

In the winter thou i do use white hydro as im not trying to rush things and just want the smoothest fight i can get , but this would only be on a carp venue , if i were after silvers and small f1s as well as the bigger fish then i would always go for my double 4 or 5 as i dont want to bump the smaller fish.

 

Just realised that this is getting long and it is a difficult thing to describe and the simplest answer is just try it and see how you go but never do anything that you have no faith in and it would always be better to stick to what you know and what works for youself .

Edited March 14, 2011 by tony tinca

[Tench-man]

Got it all wrong today

 

Was fishing a new venue today on the pole. I'd heard it was full of 5lb carp so i took my 2 top kits...

10-12 middy pink

14-16 middy red

 

Turns out the average fish at this venue is a 1lb-2lb carp

 

What elastic would you be on? I was obviously WAY over the top

 

hi i havnt got much experiance in pole fishing i only been doing it about a year now but i go about 3-4 times a week so ive learned qite alot in that space of time .. the place i fish have alot of small carp average being 1lb - 5lb and i use a 8 elastic and it handles the carp fine aswell as the small chub thats stocked where i fish ..

[the real steady eddie]

Got it all wrong today

 

Was fishing a new venue today on the pole. I'd heard it was full of 5lb carp so i took my 2 top kits...

10-12 middy pink

14-16 middy red

 

Turns out the average fish at this venue is a 1lb-2lb carp

 

What elastic would you be on? I was obviously WAY over the top

Hi ed personally i would have used a 5 through the top 3 sections and had some fun with the pasties,best regards and tight lines,eddie court

[Mark Wintle]

If you do do matches week in and week out you get very familiar with your pole and the way elastic works , now a few years ago alan scotthorne who is an innovator of so much we matchfisherman do today started using doubled up elastics and then steve ringer tried it and agreed that it worked better in lighter elastics and now it has a big following .

Alan scotthorne doesnt use things that serve no purpose and i know that he and steve ringer do use doubled elastics as do alot of matchfisherman .

Now the argument for double elastic is that say you are using a double 4 and hook a 5lb carp then on the initial strike and first few inches the elastic behaves very soft and avoids hookpulls , then as the elastic stretches it progressively becomes more like a no10 ( not a no 8 as you would think ) but wont bottom out as quickly as a no8 or 10 so you do feel as thou your using an elastic with a rating between i would say 5 and 10 .

The main thing i have found is that when you are about to net the carp holding your top kit up in the air it traps it in position better and stops the carp from diving and starting a run .

I find that blue hydro will just keep stretching and stretching because the fluid inside stops this trapping action so you have to stand on your box to net the fish or add your no4 section which just gives you less control .

Its worth bearing in mind thou that these double elastics only really work when using double 3 up to a double 7 max and then your far better off using black hydro with a pulla bung.

In the winter thou i do use white hydro as im not trying to rush things and just want the smoothest fight i can get , but this would only be on a carp venue , if i were after silvers and small f1s as well as the bigger fish then i would always go for my double 4 or 5 as i dont want to bump the smaller fish.

 

Just realised that this is getting long and it is a difficult thing to describe and the simplest answer is just try it and see how you go but never do anything that you have no faith in and it would always be better to stick to what you know and what works for youself .

 

I think what you've said is right. At the time I researched the book doubled elastic was not being used widely. The rating of doubled elastic is double the square of the diameter in the equivalent rating which for no. 4 is nearest to a number 10, or no. 3 becomes no. 8. The problem with Hydro or hollow is this stretch factor of 10 times. For top match anglers the advantage of an extra 5% is the difference between winning and losing so for Scotthorne, who I rate as our best ever match angler, this is important. For an average club or pleasure angler pole fishing it is better to keep it simple as there are many other things that would help far more.