Running paternoster

Dave Barham reveals one of his favourite uptiding rigs, passed down to him by his father. Give it a try and see what you think

Learn how to tie this classic boat rig.

My father taught me this rig more than 35 years ago, and it’s one that I often revert back to when fishing places like the Thames Estuary, Humber and Mersey. It’s a fantastic rig to use when uptiding for rays, bass and cod.

The running paternoster is basically a running leger with a mono dropper to the lead weight, which gives the appearance of a paternoster – hence the name.

It’s important that you use a slightly heavier, stiffer line for the dropper to help prevent tangles. It’s also vitally important that the hooklength is longer than the dropper and sinker combined – again, to prevent tangles.

If you tie this rig to the dimensions given it will rarely, if ever, tangle. Just make sure that when you hold up the rig with the free-running swivel and dropper butted up to the connecting swivel, that the top hook of the Pennell sits below the bottom of the sinker.

HOW IT WORKS

The great thing about this rig when uptiding is that it gives increased the distance between your sinker and your bait. It also allows a fish to pick up the bait and move about while feeling less resistance, which it would do if you were using a plain running leger.

Picture the scenario: you cast out and the lead weight settles into the seabed. You let out some slack and it all comes to rest. What’s actually happening down below is the sinker digs in and the 20in length of mono attached to it falls back in the tide. Then the 30in hooklength, which sits behind the free-running swivel on your mainline, comes to rest, giving you 50in between the lead weight and your bait.

When a fish picks up the bait and moves up or across the tide, the arc of resistance is increased by the length of the dropper connected to the sinker. This gives the fish more time to swallow the bait before it feels any resistance. Give it a go for yourself and see just how effective it is.

COMPONENTS

2 x size 3 rolling swivels 1 x size 2 rolling snap swivel 2 x size 4/0 Sakuma Manta hooks 1 x bead 30lb fluorocarbon 40lb fluorocarbon