Making rigs

[taffthebass]

Up until now I have bought my rigs from tackle shops at about £2.50 a time & gone out at low tide to scrounge other anglers gripper leads. For some time I have had all the bits to build my own but just found it easier to open the pre-made packets, well I decided that I had been lazy for long enough & got all the bits out & had a go.

I had watched the video 'rig basics 1 & rig basics 2' which I got from Veals in Bristol several times & also studied the Sea anglers 'baits & rigs'. I can thoroughly recommend the video but I am not sure if the shop still sells it.

Just a point here, many people think that Veals mail order & the Veals shop in Old Market street in Bristol are the same company with the same stock & prices ect. If you go there they will tell you that this is not the case, they may have originated from one company but are now different, however both are good. ( I have no connection with this company).

Anyway I got the bits out & was suprised at how easy it actually is to make up these rigs. As a beginner at this I would offer this one tipline use the Veals soft copper stops with a very small pair of round nosed pliers & a very GENTLE touch. This way you can make your rigs adustable & avoid damage to your line. I was using amnesia line which I found soft silky & easy to work with & knotted a treat.

Making your own rigs is satisfying, akin to a fly fisherman tying their own flies,& it costs less than half the price of those packets in the shops. I'll still go down at low tide & collect other anglers weights though, some of them may be yours!

[learner]

I have been making my own from about 1 month after starting fishing. It may work out more expensive when you buy all the stuff but it has saved me loads in the end.

I even try making my own type's of rigs only to find they are a mix of others. It is still better to catch on a rig you make up yourself and if it is a mix one then all the better.

It as also helped me to realise how and why some fish better than others!

[andyclarke]

i like to make rigs, i find it quite relaxing tucked away in the spare room tying knots and crimping.
my first fish was a bass caught on one of my rigs, admittedly i was advised to change the hook size at the beach,[never realised how big a basses mouth was] but the sense of achievement was immense in fact it just made me smile thinking of that moment again ;D ;D, tight lines are great,
tight home made lines are better. ;D ;D ;D

[ritchieboyd]

Ive been making my own rigs for years, it give me the flexability to try new things.

Plus it kept me out of the pub, I dont know about saving money, cos I tended to by better hooks then the prepacked stuff, But I did start making my own Mackeral trace and they seemed to work better.