Bang up to scratch
This rig has almost in nite permutations to cope with the state of the tide and the mood of the sh. It saves a lot of time and tangles too
This hassle-free rig saves time and tangles.
Few things are actually new in sea angling so, more than likely, what I’m about to chat about here will have been aired elsewhere – but not by me, however. Regular Sea Angler readers might recall me writing about a short Pennell bolt rig specifically for fishing the fast waters of the Mersey for winter cod. It was put together by Jensen skipper Tony Parry a couple of seasons ago and was made available to clients aboard his boat.
I was given an updated version of the rig last time out on a day that produced 43 cod in the heart of Liverpool city centre.
What I was also given was a three-hook scratching rig for the dabs and whiting, which come into its own there as the tide slackens between the early morning and late afternoon cod sessions.
Scratching rigs come in all permutations, with their three hooklengths above or below the lead weight, or spread either side. As such, they can be matched up to suit and take advantage of whatever small species dominates on the day. Whiting, for example, tend to take baits either touching or just off the bottom, whereas dabs prefer not to have to move up too far, although they will do so at times if need be.
MIX and MATCH
The trick is to make just the right call in terms of dropper spread and hook size, which sometimes only becomes apparent as the day ticks along.
That determined, you must then swap the trace, if need be, for the most suitable version, which is what most of us have been doing for years.
What if you didn’t have to swap, though? What if you could simply mix and match not only hook sizes, but also their positioning around the sinker, without having to change the trace? Well, this is where Tony Parry comes in again.
There are two basic components to this trace, the main body or spine, and the droppers. The body section is a straight length of 100lb Triple Fish or Trik Fish mono for rigidity. At the top is a swivel and at the bottom a Gemini Genie Bent Link Clip (G3002/2).
Three further link clips are fixed along
“There are two basic components to this trace”
“Length and spacing is down to individual choice”
the length of the mono spine at evenly spaced intervals, trapped by two micro-beads held in place by mono crimps. The length and spacing is down to individual preference. The one I was given was around 42in overall length, with the link clips 14in apart.
AVOID SELF-TANGLING
The important thing with the actual dimensions is to ensure that the spacing of the dropper links is greater than that of the droppers themselves, to avoid self-tangling.
Tony likes to tie his droppers or snoods from 50lb Triple Fish mono with an overall rigged length of 12in. Each dropper then receives a Sakuma hook, some bling, and a swivel with a piece of plastic tube over it for rigidity, all tied using a neat uni knot.
One of the strengths of this idea is that you can prepare a range of droppers with different hook sizes and combinations of bling beforehand, which can be fished as a team, or mixed and matched on the day. Simply unclip one and put another on in its place.
This level of choice also goes for which of the four link clips are chosen for the droppers, and which one is used for the lead weight to get the right layout of hooks above and below. Again, these can be experimented with and switched around as required.
What I particularly like is that when a fish comes aboard, the dropper is clipped off and another one already prebaited goes on in its place, leaving the fish to be unhooked after the baits have gone back down looking for more.
You could just have a second trace baited up ready to go, but that unfortunately can lead to tangles. You won’t get those with three prebaited short droppers on the bait board.
This version of the scratching rig doesn’t promise better results simply because of its innovative design, but it will bring more fish when you factor in the time saved, particularly when what you’ve opted to start with would have been better in a different incarnation.
It takes just seconds to switch the positioning of the droppers and sinker to what is required and, of course, back again later, should the changing tide cause fish to react accordingly.