STRIKING THE ELASTIC BALANCE

“I’VE seen a lot of anglers suffer hook pulls as a carp hooked in the edge powers off into open water. The reason for this is that their elastic isn’t the correct grade relevant to the size of hook being used and size of fish they’re hooking.

“A hooked carp will kick and move off aggressively into open water, so my plan is to balance the elastic so the fish come under control progressively rather than immediately, which is where losses can occur.

“For carp in the 3lb-8lb range – typical margin carp – Middy Reactacore in grade 20-24 fished through a long top kit is ideal. This has enough stretch to let a fish run off at its leisure without the hook pulling, but there’s sufficient power to gain the upper hand once it begins to tire.”