Soft, Stiff or Combi

[Polly]

Please can someone explain to a "still learning" but "not so novice" carp angler like myself the benefits of one type over the others. I've tried all three with limited success but cannot work out whic is the best material. Pressumably the all have their own strong and weak points.

[trevor2003]

Hi

I would recomend you get hold of the Korda underwater dvd's and have a look at them, they will not only explain about rigs/material and hooks etc: but show how they work underwater.

Can't recomend these enough and has altered my way of doing things for the better.

Trevor

[Anderoo]

As with everything, it depends on circumstances and to a large extent on what gives you confidence. Stiff hooklengths (mono, coated braids, flourocarbon) are good for distance fishing as they won't tangle, and some would say they're effective because a hook on a stiff hooklength is difficult to eject. Soft hooklengths (braids usually) allow the bait to behave more naturally and give it more freedom to be sucked up. Combi-links are supposed to have the benefits of both.

 

All these hooklength materials = big business and the massive choice combined with perpetual magazine coverage serves to confuse and disorientate people into using the latest wonder material, and seduce them into the latest fad. I'm a big old cynic, as you've no doubt guessed ( ) and I reckon if you choose your swim well, feed it effectively, stay quiet and choose an effective bait, hooklength material is, ahem, largely immaterial. When carping I usually use either Merlin (soft braid) or mono/fluorocarbon (stiffish).

 

I've tried a lot of different materials over the years and I've come to the conclusion that they're just designed to extract pounds from pockets - none of them will improve your angling.

Edited March 14, 2006 by Anderoo

[RobStubbs]

I tend to use stiff rigs at range and combi or braid close in. Purely because of the anti tangle aspects. With braid I tend to use PVA bags or stringers.

 

Rob.

[Polly]

Did I read somewhere (or maybe I dreamt it) that someone's marketing a PVA spray that you can apply to soft braid hook lengths to give them the "stiff" effect whilst being cast and then obviously as the PVA passes through the water to the lakebed is dissolves to leave a soft braid hooklength?????? sound ingenius and viable but did I dream it?????

[RobStubbs]

Did I read somewhere (or maybe I dreamt it) that someone's marketing a PVA spray that you can apply to soft braid hook lengths to give them the "stiff" effect whilst being cast and then obviously as the PVA passes through the water to the lakebed is dissolves to leave a soft braid hooklength?????? sound ingenius and viable but did I dream it?????

 

Very do-able but never seen it. Kryston did (still do ?) a liquid PVA that you could dip hooklengths in.

 

Rob.

[Polly]

Very do-able but never seen it. Kryston did (still do ?) a liquid PVA that you could dip hooklengths in.

 

Rob.

 

Perhaps it was a liquid now I come to think of it. Surely it was intended for just that (dipping hooklengths), can't think of another use can you?

[Severn Wolf]

I had some of that stuff.

 

It was awful.....

[Dick Dastardly]

Yes it was a liquid.It was intended to be used with the origonal multistrand to stop it tangling on casting.Cant remember what its called,dont know if its still avaiable but Ive got a trade pack up in the attic still if anyones interested.

[Guest Josh Iddon]

what would be the difference in a liquid PVA from kryston and a normal PVA glue?