Rig? A paternoster or a running

IS A PATERNOSTER or a running rig better for bream on the feeder?

Nigel Crampton, Brownhills

THE paternoster is a classic bream rig but is prone to tangling on the cast and retrieve. For that reason, more and more match anglers after bream on big lakes use a running rig, or one where the feeder runs inside a loop.

That’s because bream bites today are much more positive than those trembling knocks on a quivertip that we used to get when fishing small hooks and baits.

A braided mainline exaggerates the bite, and fishing with bigger hooks and larger baits such as corn, banded pellets or whole worms will give you a more positive indication. These baits produce a decent stamp of fish and will avoid smaller skimmers.

By having the feeder running on the mainline, the bite is transferred directly to the rod-tip without the fish feeling much resistance compared to a paternoster, where there’s the risk of the feeder being moved. A running rig is tangle-free and safe – if you suffer a mainline breakage when playing a fish, the feeder will be ditched.