Rig guides · part of the rig library
What elastic should I use?
Four families of pole elastic: what each one is, where the grades run, and how to look after it.
Part of the rig library: the rig specs carry the recommendation for a given rig, this page carries the facts.
The four families
| Solid (latex) | Hybrid | Hollow | Hollow, liquid-filled | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Available in | No.1 to No.20, some brands to 22. Preston Slip runs No.2 to No.16 (size 2 is 0.67 mm) | About No.3 to No.23. Preston Dura Slip Hybrid 3 to 23; Guru Impulse Hybrid Solid No.5 to No.20 (1.2 to 2.8 mm) | About No.4 to No.24. Preston Hollo is graded 7H to 19H (1.9 to 3.0 mm); Connekt is graded in pairs (16-18 is 2.75 mm) | Rated by colour or diameter rather than a number. Daiwa Hydrolastic (colours), Guru Impulse Liquid Hollow (nine grades, 1.5 to 3.4 mm), Elasto Liquiflow (3-5 up to 20+, colour coded), NG Aqua Flow |
| Stretch | Least, about four times its length | Middle, about six times its length | Most, up to eight times its length | Most, and consistent along the whole length. The liquid damps the recoil |
| Feel | Soft in the low grades, hard in the high grades | Soft on the take, then firms up | Self-adjusts to the size of the fish | The smoothest of the four. The fluid lubricates the elastic from the inside, so it runs slick through the bush without going sticky |
| What it gives you | Direct, precise control. The fish is on a short lead, so you can hold it off a snag or steer it away from the shoal. Hardly notices the cold, so it works the same in January as in July. Wears slowly and predictably, with no air bubbles or flattening to go wrong. The lightest of the four in the top kit | Solid-type control with most of the stretch of a hollow. Soft enough on the take for a fine hooklength to survive the first lunge, then it powers up and pulls like a solid. Lighter than a hollow of the same rating, which you notice at 13 m and beyond. Nearly as cold-tolerant as solid, so it keeps working through the winter when hollows go stiff | The most stretch and the softest feel for a given strength. It retracts fast, so fine hooklengths and small hooks survive the strike, then it soaks up the lunges of a big carp that would snap a solid. A tube rather than a strand, so it is the one that lands the fish you were not expecting. Synthetic grades are UV-stable and last for years | A hollow with a sealed fluid core. The fluid damps the recoil, so there is no kick-back at the hook when a fish turns, and it makes the resistance progressive: soft for a small fish, powering up the further it stretches. One grade covers more fish sizes than a plain hollow, and it keeps that little more stretch when the others have run out. Because it is lubricated from the inside it stays smooth for longer, does not dry out between sessions, and outlasts a plain hollow of the same grade. The fill also stops the flattening a plain hollow shows at full stretch |
| Watch for | The least forgiving when a bigger fish than you planned for turns up: it runs out of stretch and something gives. Goes sticky without regular lubrication | Does not cushion the very biggest fish the way a hollow does. The slick coating wears off with use and needs topping up with lube | Stiffens in cold water until it has been worked through a few fish, so it is not the winter elastic. The heaviest of the four in the big sizes. Can pick up air bubbles that make it run unevenly, softens over a heavy season, and wants a puller kit to re-tension it | The fluid performs best warm, so it is affected by cold like any hollow. Thicker, heavier and the dearest of the four. A nick lets the fluid out and the elastic is finished, and a puller kit wears it from both ends |
| Longevity | Shortest. Latex perishes in UV and heat: it goes sticky, loses stretch and snaps without warning. A season at most in a top kit that lives in the sun, less if it lives in a hot car | Short to mid. The latex core has the same UV problem as solid, so store it the same way | Longest. Synthetic and UV-stable, years if it is kept lubricated | Long, and longer than a plain hollow: the liquid keeps it lubricated from the inside, so it does not dry out or go sticky. Hydrolastic is synthetic and UV-stable and is reported to give several seasons. Guru Impulse and Elasto Liquiflow are latex based (Liquiflow carries a UV treatment), so store them out of the sun. A nick lets the liquid out and the elastic is finished |
| Cost | Cheapest | Mid | Higher, and it wants a puller kit | Highest |
| Examples | Preston Slip, Drennan, Middy | Preston Dura Slip Hybrid, Guru Impulse Hybrid Solid, Matrix Slik, MAP TKS Hybrid | Preston Slip Hollo, Matrix, Middy Hi-Viz, Connekt Hollow | Daiwa Hydrolastic, Guru Impulse Liquid Hollow, Elasto Liquiflow, NG Aqua Flow |
Looking after it
Lubrication
Pole elastic needs to be slick to shoot out and return cleanly. Commercial lubes work; so does a homemade mix of unscented hair conditioner and water, about 1 part conditioner to 4-7 parts water. An old washing-up liquid bottle makes a good dispenser. A squirt into the top kit before each session, then work the elastic through. Do not leave it soaking: some anglers report conditioner perishing latex over time. It is a lube, not a preservative.
Storage
Latex-based elastics (solid, hybrid and some liquid-filled) degrade in UV and heat. Keep top kits in a holdall out of the sun, never in a hot car, and re-elasticate every spring regardless of how the elastic looks.
Tension and wear
Hollow elastic goes slack with use: re-tension it at the puller. Check the bush and the connector for wear, since a rough bush wears any elastic from the outside in.
More guides
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 mount the bait?
Direct, bands, hair rigs, bayonets and screws, bait by bait.
How do I shot a rig?
Round shot, Stotz, Styl and olivettes, fixed or movable.
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