Pole elastic

[Anderoo]

What size pole elastic would you use for crucians up to (possibly) 3lb? Using a normal pole (i.e. not a strong one designed for carp), light floats, and hooklengths of max 2lb?

[Phone]

Anderoo,

 

I just remember this. Never European style pole fished in my life. The answer I remember:

 

Twice as heavy as the hooklength in the lower weights. Is that to general?

 

Phone

[kenj]

I use a number 6 blue latex on my 11 metre pole, which I use on canals and ponds. This elastic copes well with crucians, but 5lb commons can cause problems!

 

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This was my blog post for this winter carp session. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/bread-punch-fishing-finds-some-winter-carp-and-crucians/

[Kappa]

I would probably go for a 12 or 14 solid one, probably 14

[kenj]

Too heavy and you can pull out of a crucian due to their soft mouths and they give a juddering, spinning fight, which is absorbed by the elastic. Common carp on the other hand, tend to make power runs, which you need to slow down with a heavier elastic. My No 6 elastic is through the top two and set quite tight, giving a compromise.

[Kappa]

6 is way too light if a decent tench turns up

[Anderoo]

Cheers - I've been looking at old bits of elastic I have knocking about and I think the answer is somewhere between the two. I reckon 6 is probably a bit too light as there is a chance of bigger tench, but 12 is probably too strong. I don't want to bump them off. So I will probably go with an 8 to start with and see how it goes.

 

I'm quite looking forward to some pole fishing, it's been a while!

[Kappa]

I'd worry about an 8 I find the big perch quite a handful on number 8! Maybe if it was really tight?

Edited April 5, 2014 by Kappa

[kenj]

I thought the aim of Anderoo's post was to find an elastic capable of controlling up to 3lb crucians on 2lb hook line. More likely to get broken on 2lb line with a running tench, carp, or perch on a 12, than a 6. It's related to what you expect to catch. Where I caught the fish in the pic, the average size is one and a half pounds, but I have also landed five pounders and been broken by two pounders, it is very shallow and the commons, etc run, but the crucians stand and fight, which again was our target fish. Too heavy a bottom rig and you won't see a crucian bite all day.

[Anderoo]

I think the odds of large nuisance carp and tench is quite small actually, so although I do want to give myself a bit of a contingency, I'd rather tackle up just for the crucians and accept that occasionally a big fish might cause problems.