Rig guides · part of the rig library
How do I mount the bait?
Which hook takes which bait, and the six ways to mount them, from a maggot hooked direct to a screw on a wafter.
Part of the rig library: the rig specs carry the recommendation for a given rig, this page carries the facts.
What hook for which bait
| Bait | Hook | How to mount it |
|---|---|---|
| Maggot, pinkie, squatt | Fine wire, size 18-22, direct through the blunt end | Direct |
| Caster | Fine or medium wire, size 16-18, burying the hook inside the shell or nicked through the end | Direct, or banded on a shallow rig |
| Hard pellet | Medium wire, size 14-18 | Bait band. A hair-rigged band for the method, a lasso or a band on the shank for the pole |
| Expander pellet | Medium wire, size 16-18, hooked once through the side | Direct, or a Quick Stop on a short hair |
| Sweetcorn | Medium wire, size 14-16 | Direct through the side, or hair-rigged for bolt rigs |
| Meat cubes | Medium or heavy wire, size 12-16 | Direct, hair-rigged, or a bayonet pushed through the cube |
| Paste | Medium or heavy wire with a wide gape, size 10-14 | Moulded round the hook with the point clear, or on a paste spring |
| Bread punch and flake | Fine wire, size 16-22 for punch; medium size 10-14 for flake | Direct, pinched round the shank |
| Worm | Medium wire, size 12-16 | Direct through the head, or a segment threaded on |
| Boilie and wafter | Heavy wire wide gape, size 8-14 | Hair rig with a hair stop, or a bait screw |
| Dead maggot on the feeder | Medium wire, size 14-18 | Direct, two or three, or a maggot clip |
The ways to mount
Direct on the hook
Soft baits and anything the fish takes fully into the mouth: maggot, caster, expander, punch, worm. Fastest to rebait, best presentation on the drop.
Bait band
Hard pellets that cannot be hooked. A latex band round the pellet, on a short hair for the method feeder or on the shank for pole and waggler. Match the band to the pellet: a 6 mm band on a 6 mm pellet.
Hair rig
Any bait fished on a bolt rig: method, hybrid and pellet feeders, pellet waggler, meat and corn in the margins. The bait sits below the bend so the hook point is clear and the fish hooks itself.
Bayonet and bait spike
Meat cubes, boilies and hard baits where a band would slip. Pushed through the bait so it sits tight to the hook with the point clear.
Quick Stop and hair stop
Hair-rigged expander and hard pellet, boilies and wafters. Faster than a baiting needle on the bank.
Pellet lasso and bait screw
A lasso holds a hard pellet without a band on the pole. A screw holds a boilie or a wafter and can be swapped without re-tying.
More guides
What elastic should I use?
Solid, hybrid, hollow and liquid, and how to look after them.
What line should I use?
Mono, fluorocarbon and braid, and the diameters that pair with each hook.
What hooks do I need?
Fine, medium and heavy wire, and the line each one pairs with.
How do I shot a rig?
Round shot, Stotz, Styl and olivettes, fixed or movable.
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