Luke Ayres, email

Q I’m off to a big lake in Italy soon for two weeks. I need to beef up my rigs as the lakebed is apparently ‘brutal’ – got any A It’s great that you’ve researched the lake you’re visiting, as this will save you a lot of time, which you can spend finding good fishing spots instead.

Let’s start with your mainline. I’d go for a strong, slow-sinking braided line, combined with 10m of abrasion-resistant fluoro snag leader of 40lb to 60lb. The braid will not sink into snags, but settle on top of them, saving you a lot of trouble when you try to land the fish.

The business end of your rig below the snag leader also has to be really solid, and a leader made from Contour Unleaded (I’d probably go for the 80lb version) is a great idea. On very snaggy lakes I use the 80lb as a leader and the 40lb as hooklink.

As well as being super-strong, Unleaded follows the contours of the lakebed. I’d pair this with a size 4 Solar Stronghold 101 hook, and a lead clip set-up.

Small catfish can be a real spoiler, so I always wrap my baits in pieces of nylon stocking to protect them. Another alternative is to use tiger nuts, which the catfish aren’t crazy about. Good luck – I hope you land your dream fish! Ignace de Roeck, Solar Tackle