The Critical Angle

Have a go at this, it's fairly simple in its construction and it really does work.

I use it for fishing baits hard on the bottom.

(It's probably easier just to study this picture and make the rig, rather than follow any instructions.. but here goes)

Make a longish hair (to suit the bait you are going to use) to allow about a 5mm gap between the bait and the hook. The idea is to allow the hook/bait to move freely of each other.

The hair has to come off the back of the hook near the eye

Tie a knotless knot and pull everything tight.

Cut a piece of shrink tubing and slide over the hook and knot, allowing approx 4mm to protrude past the eye.

With a pin, make a hole in the shrink tube and then pull the hair out of the tube (I use a needle threader to do this). It's a bit fiddly, but with a little practice - it's easy enough.

Heat the tubing in a jet of steam from a kettle and bend the top to the angle shown in the pic.
There you go...

Test it by looping the braid over your hand and gently pull the hook back over the edge of your finger. The angle of the shrink tube should cause the hook to flip over and snag.

Try experimenting with the angle to see what happens... try different hooks, different braids - until you have confidence in the rig.

I use Kamasan, Drennen Specialist and Raptor hooks for this rig, it's all down to your personal preference, but they all have to be very, very sharp for best results.

If you try this rig, let me know how you get on...

Good fishing

Kevin Miles