OUR EXPERTS ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS EVERY MONTH
Q
Why do some anglers use chains and small bobbins, while others use cords or even stiff arms, and hangers or big bobbins? Is it just mainly down to personal preference?
A
Bite indication has evolved dramatically over recent decades. I can think back to when we used washing-up bottle tops hung on the line, or even a lump of bread dough that you’d watch intently like a hawk for hours, hoping for a lift or a drop to give you an idea of what was happening out in the pond!
Then came the introduction of ‘monkey climbers’, since when there have been all manner of hangers, ‘springers’ and ‘swingers’ hitting the market in a huge range of shapes, sizes and configurations.
Although they essentially all serve the same purpose, some are definitely more suited to particular scenarios or applications.
For example, stiff-armed swingers with added weights are best when fishing at extreme long range. The weight and rigidity of the swinger arm allows the bobbin head to sit in a position that still offers positive indication, while at the same time countering the tension created by the amount of line out in the water and the ‘drag’ from undertow and wind (where an ordinary lightweight bobbin on a cord would end up tight to the alarm, rendering it less effective).
However, taking the polar opposite situation to this – such as when fishing a slack line at close range – a tiny little lightweight bobbin like a Nano Bug would work far more effectively because in this scenario there is little drag or tension on the line, and the combination allows the line to stay slack while still allowing the hanger to hold in a suspended position and give adequate indication.
This is just a general guide, and suffice to say that unless you’re fishing at great range, or in big undertows/currents (including on a river), then a conventional bobbin on a lightweight chain will suffice for most fishing situations.
Ian Lewis, Gardner Tackle