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BALANCE IS CRITICAL!

Tutorials

BALANCE IS CRITICAL! Posted by John Kneebone

John Kneebone explains how and why using our �Balanced Wafter� hookbaits is quite simply a no brainer�

Always check the balance of your Balanced Wafter presentation before casting out

Increased rig performance equals catching more fish

BALANCED WAFTERS: WHAT ARE THEY?

Balanced Wafters

SETTING-UP: THE BASIC GUIDE LINES

Match your hookbait size and hook correctly

Image © Mainline Baits

Image © Mainline Baits

A supple coated braid makes the perfect hooklink material for a long wafter rig in choddy, weedy conditions

Using PVA nuggets will help set the slow sinking rig

Leaving the hooklink coating on the Hair section can add a little weight and help the hookbait kick away from the hook

02 Cut away 14cm of braid, form Hair-loop and thread on a 15mm Balanced Wafter

03 Add a rig ring 1-2cm from the wafter securing in place with an Overhand Knot

04 Pass a size 6 SSSP hook through the rig ring so it sits just before the hook bend.

05 You can now secure the hook in place on the braid using a simple Knotless Knot.

06 Trim off a short 1.5cm section of small shrink tubing and thread onto the braid

07 Position the tubing on the eye of the hook and shrink down over steam like this

08 You will need around 24-26cm of supple Fluorocarbon material for the next step.

09 Fold around 4-5cm of the Fluorocarbon back onto itself to form a sharp loop.

10 Pass the braid through the loop wrapping down and around it six or seven times

11 Take the braid back through the loop and tighten down by pulling this tag end

12 Trim the knot leaving around 4mm of mono, blob the braid to prevent slipping

13 Mould some rig putty around the knot to tidy it up and aid hooking potential

14 With the Combi-Knot complete thread an anti-tangle sleeve onto the hooklink

15 Tie a Figure-Of-Eight-Loop-Knot in the end of the Fluorocarbon and tighten

16 Pull the anti-tangle sleeve back up over the knot and the finished rig is ready!

RIGS, TWEAKS AND PRESENTATION

TOP FIVE FINE TUNING TWEAKS

Image © Mainline Baits

Image © Mainline Baits

Another little tweak that I find works well is having a large blob of putty or a tungsten sinker near the hook on the hooklink. This creates a kind of hinge where the wafter is lifting the hook slightly, but the sinker (or putty) is just holding it back.

Image © Mainline Baits

If you prefer the hookbait close to the hook a good way of adding a little weight to wafter that will also add some movement is to pull the hookbait onto a micro rig swivel using bait floss. Simply trim and blob the floss to secure the wafter.

Image © Mainline Baits

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