PoLE School with Bob Nudd
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pole school
bob nudd
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RIG IT LIKE A CHAMP
ELICATE, accurate and sensitive pole fishing brings you a host of massive advantages. It is the most simple and effective way of catching fish and has won me multiple World Championships! In this booklet I'm going to pass on some of the knowledge and experience I've gained through many years of "fishing the pole". It doesn’t matter if you’ve never picked up a pole before or you’re a regular, I’m sure I’ll suggest things to help you catch more fish. To begin with I’m going to show you how to elasticate a pole properly. An awful lot of people I coach get this critical bit wrong and it will then affect the way they use the pole. I’ve spent many years fine-tuning the best way to elasticate a pole and you won’t need an engineering degree to follow it!
Words: Bob Nudd Pictures: Mick Rouse
Four times World Champ Bob Nudd gives you the definitive guide to pole elastication 2
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pole school
bob nudd
know your pole... Before I dive head-long into chopping back top kits and fitting elastic I want to highlight pole terminology and how they are supplied. From the conversations I have there’s no doubt many anglers struggle to understand how a pole is labelled. Terminology isn’t consistent across manufacturers so it’s no surprise that confusion reigns. Here’s a typical pole package.
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This is a Browning Xitan Z2 Carp Master pole . Like many modern carp or power poles it’s been beefed up to cope with fishing modern stillwaters where carp are the dominant species. For most anglers a pole like this is what you
Beefed up top kits and No.4 sections are made for carp
A match kit (above) takes thin solid elastic, a carp kit (below) holds thicker, stronger laccy
Poles can be made to land small fish or giants
elasticating your pole... 1
To begin, cut back the tip section and fit the bushes to act as a buffer between the pole and the elastic. You need the elastics you’re going to use, superglue, the bushes and a needle file
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Fit the bush but don’t push it all the way in. Dab it with a blob of glue and push it home
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pole to pick. But unless you only fish for small fish, or you have a big enough budget to buy two poles, I’d advise you use a carp or power model and accept that it won’t be perfect for silverfish angling.
want to use. They are more robust than traditional match poles that have been made for lightweight canal and lake fishing. Match poles are very light so they can easily be held at 15 or 16 metres all day. They are also very stiff and perfect for hitting shy bites from little fish. However, to keep these poles so light very thin carbon is used so they aren’t very strong. Hook a bruising carp on strong line and elastic and it’ll probably smash the pole. The sound of splintering carbon is also the sound of pound notes leaving your wallet! So there’s always a slight compromise over what The following sequence is designed to give you the full story when it comes to elasticating a match kit with fine, solid elastic and a carp kit with thick,
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Select the correct bush diameter for the size of elastic you’re using. To begin, I’m going to elasticate a match kit with a solid No.5 elastic so a 1.27mm bore bush is ideal. The elastic should be a neat fit for the bush – snug without sticking – as this will stop water flooding inside the pole tip
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Wipe away any excess glue to leave you with a snug fitting bush that won’t budge
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Most modern poles are marked with the section number and they also have alignment arrows. Due to the construction of poles you should line up these arrows on joining sections to optimise strength.
strong, hollow elastics. Don’t be put off by the number of steps it takes, I’ve literally covered everything you need to know so I
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The tip of your top kit will be too thin for the bush to fit properly so you must cut it back until it grips the tip. Cut the tip with needle file, not a hacksaw. Saws tear at the carbon and splinter it but a fine needle file cuts it neatly. A set of needle files costs a couple of quid and is worth the investment
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For a wide bore carp kit follow the same cutting back procedure. With heavy elastics I prefer an external bush that covers the outside of the pole section as it doesn’t restrict the diameter of the tip
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The top kit you elasticate is called the ‘top 2’ or ‘top 3’ and features the thinnest sections. Most poles are supplied with more than one top kit – a thin match kit which is softer and designed for silverfish and a carp or power kit which is thicker and stronger to handle big fish. This month I’ll show you how to elasticate a match kit and a carp kit as there are subtle differences. It is worth noting that some manufacturers supply joint power/match kits where you use the whole kit if you want a soft silverfish kit or you discard the
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short, thin No.1 section and elasticate just the No.2 and No.3 sections for carp. Many poles such as the Z2 are also supplied with a short and beefed up No.4 section (above). The No.4 is the section where you break down a pole to land a large fish so it’s the part that takes the most strain and is most likely to break. The strengthened No.4 section avoids breakages and it’s a useful addition to a pole.
Some poles are also supplied with a mini extension, a ‘dolly’ section. When your rig is a little short of a key feature in the water this section comes in handy. It is also good for fishing just past the area you’ve fed. Fishing just beyond your feed is a tactic that often produces bonus fish for me and the mini extension helps you do this.
haven’t left out any of my personal tips. What you see here is how I elasticate my own pole, I start by cutting back the top kit and fitting the bush...
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Cut back a bit at a time and test the bush to see if it fits snugly. If you do it carefully the bush should be too tight to fit
Cut off a little bit more and repeat the bush fitting until it fits tightly inside the tip. This is called an internal bush because it goes inside the tip. I prefer these with light elastics
Smooth off the edges with a fine needle file
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Once you’ve got a neat fit chamfer the edge of the carbon with a fine needle file. It is common to discard the whole of the No.1 section when fitting a carp elastic so the bush often fits straight on to the No.2 section
Push the bush on a little way, blob the pole with glue and push the bush right on. Wipe away any excess glue
Here’s the fine bore match kit fitted with an internal bush (left) and the carp kit with a large diameter external bush (right)
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pole school
bob nudd
how to elasticate a pole... (cont) With the pole cut back and bushes fitted it’s time to fit the elastic. I'll show you how to run solid elastic through a thin match kit then I'll detail how you elasticate a carp kit with hollow elastic. The key thing to note is that you must use different knots with solid and hollow elastic.
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To elasticate a top kit you need small and large bungs, a hacksaw, elastics, diamond eye threader, scissors and elastic connectors
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Bungs come in different diameters to fit carp and match kits. Push the bung into the base of the top kit and mark with a pen where it stops
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Place the hacksaw half a centimetre above the mark. This is three or four steps up the bung. Hacksaw through the bung, reducing its diameter
Use a bung extractor rod to push the bung into the top kit. It should go 6in-7in inside so that when the next section is pushed in it doesn’t hit the bung
To elasticate a match kit with fine elastic slide the diamond eye wire threader into the tip and shake it down until it comes out the other end
Run your elastic through the wire diamond eye. If you’re using elastic rated number six or less tie an overhand knot in it (inset) to stop it sliding out of the wire loop
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Pull the wire to drag the elastic into the tip and through the top two sections. For a match kit with light elastic you only run it through No.1 and No.2 sections
The knot will have slid up to the loop as you pulled the elastic through. Snip it off
Put the elastic through the small hole on the end of the bung
For a solid elastic only (hollow elastic needs a different knot which I’ll show you later). Create a normal overhand knot
Pull the elastic loop to partially close the knot but don’t fully tighten it
Ease your knot down to the top of the bung. Pull both ends of the elastic to tighten it. The coils of elastic actually bite into each other and form a vice-like grip
Trim off the tag end to form a neat knot on the connector and give the elastic a final tug to make sure it doesn’t slip
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Browning bungs have a winder section to hold extra elastic. Wrap six turns on winder, thread elastic through runner on the top of bung and push into pole
Now grab the elastic coming out of the tip and give it a few good stretches. New elastic is extra stretchy and it helps to take out this softness
Decide where to tie the rig connector. Pinch the laccy and pull it. Attach the connector at a point where the elastic pulls back smoothly into the pole
Once you’ve found the spot where the tension in the elastic smoothly pulls it back into the pole, cut it
Get a mini connector that’s suitable for using with fine lines and light elastic and slide the bottom sleeve section on to the elastic
Now put the elastic through the hole in the bottom of the top section of the connector
Tie an overhand knot in the elastic (the same as used to attach the bung) but don’t pull it tight
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Ease the knot down to the connector and pull both ends to fully tighten the knot and nail it to the connector
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Thread the top section of the connector on to the elastic. The size of the connector should match the thickness of the elastic and be a snug fit
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Trim tag and slide connector sleeve to cover knot. Sleeve should double click into place to stop collar on top of connector slipping when you hook a fish
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Now you tie a different knot. Wrap three turns of the elastic tag end round the elastic coming out of the pole tip
Elastic should pull back smoothly into the tip. If it snaps back hard or is floppy and doesn’t pull back into the tip you need to alter the tension
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Tuck the end of elastic through the hole beneath the connector. Pull the knot really tight to make it small enough for the connector sleeve to push over the knot
Use the bung extractor to remove the bung and wind more elastic on to it to increase the tension, or unravel some laccy to release the tension
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Hollow elastic is quite thick and can make bulky knots that would stop the connector slotting together neatly. This knot tightens down well
fitting hollow elastic to a carp kit
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Hollow elastic has one great advantage when you are pole fishing for carp – the extra stretch it provides is far better at absorbing the power of the fish and ensures you land more of them. While it isn’t good when you’re fishing up to snags like lilies (the extra stretch helps big fish reach sanctuary) in open water situations size 10-20 rated hollow elastics can’t be beaten. However, there are a few subtle differences you need to note about elasticating a pole with hollow elastic.
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You don’t need a threader. The weight of the elastic means it can be shaken through the No.2 & 3 sections
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Bung and connector are attached with a different knot to that used with solid elastic. To start, thread the hollow laccy through the connector sleeve
Hollow elastic is great for controlling carp of this size
There should be no elastic sticking out of the connector which sits square to the pole tip in the perfect position to have the rig attached
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pole school
bob nudd
Test tank trial Words: Bob Nudd Pictures: Mick Rouse
To be successful on the pole Bob urges you to tie your rigs at home and test them in a tank of water. Here’s why…
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IME is precious, and fishing time is even more so. It therefore makes sense to do whatever you can to avoid wasting it. To help you achieve this I’m going
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to show you how to tie the perfect pole rig at home. There are two reasons for doing this. For a start you will tie a better rig when you’re sat comfortably indoors than you will on the bank, especially when the wind’s blowing and it’s raining. Second, if you tie a rig at home with a body of water to hand – use a tall pasta jar or glass vase – you can create a rig that is perfectly shotted the second you drop it in your swim on the bank. If you’re not wasting time setting up your pole rig by the water you’ll have more time to catch fish. Here’s my guide to how I make up a rig at home proving it’s easier to be a precision-made pole angler than you might think…
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pole school
bob nudd
making a pole rig This step-by-step sequence shows you a foolproof way to tie the perfect pole rig – the process I use for every rig I ever use. Time-wise it won’t take you long to tie a rig – a few minutes once you’ve got the hang of things – but it will make a huge difference to your fishing as your hookbait will spend a lot more time in the water. I know some newcomers to pole fishing will think that the idea of shotting up a rig at home is crazy, a step too far in dedication to fishing. All I can say is that it will make your actual fishing time more pleasurable and more productive so it’s surely worth what little effort it takes. In these photos you’ll see my test tank. This is a plastic tube I’ve had for years, I can’t remember where I got it from! A simple alternative to this is a tall pasta jar, the type used for storing
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Fill your vase or pasta jar testing tank with water and drop the float in it
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spaghetti, or a cheap glass vase. You can even let the missus borrow it for flowers when you’re not using it! Believe me, once you’ve started making your rigs at home and preshotting them you will soon realise what an advantage it is. No matter how well floats are made they are mass-produced and are constructed from different materials, including variable ones like balsa. A tiny variation in any component will affect the shotting capacity so it makes sense to shot the float at home rather than waste time on the bank when you discover the float takes a different amount of shot than stated. Here’s what you do…
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A fraction of float body should stand proud of the water – dropper shot will dot this down
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Check the size of the float capacity and select shot or an olivette slightly less than the capacity. As a general rule my float choice is governed by the depth of water I'm fishing multiplied by 0.1 gram. So, in a five foot swim I use a 0.5 gram float. For a 10 foot swim choose a 1 gram float. If the float I choose has a capacity over 0.5 gram I use an olivette as the main weight, they’re neater and less tangle prone than a string of shot (see my guide to shot on page 22)
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Thread the mainline you’re going to make the rig from through the eye of the pole float
Thread the pieces of silicone tube on to the end of the mainline and slide them down to the float
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Browning olivettes are wedged with a tiny bristle of carbon to plug into the silicone tubing running through the olivette
There’s still 0.1gram of the float’s shot capacity to add. Add three No.11 split shot
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Use the figure of 8 knot to put a loop in both ends of the line then attach a hooklink with the loop to loop knot. The rig is finished and just needs to be stored
Slide the float and shot up the line then snip off the piece where the shot was pinched to avoid using damaged line
Ensure the spit shot or olivette isn’t wrapped around the end of the winder. This can knock the shot off the line or damage the mono
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The shot/olivette should be on the line in the centre section of the winder
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Attach a soft rubber pole anchor to the loop in the end of the pole rig
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Slip the other end of the anchor over the peg on the end of the
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If the tip or body sticks out like this it will get broken
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Slip the hook into one of the holes in the winder body. Then wrap the line round the winder
Cut two pieces of micro diameter silicone pole float tubing, one slightly longer
Pull the olivette off the float and slide it down the line with the thicker end nearest the hook
The olivette and dropper shot are now placed near the end of the line just below the float
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Push tubing on to the stem. Put one at the body base, one half way down and the longer piece overhanging the end
I use spring loaded long-nose pliers to attach shot to the line, easier than using your teeth!
Now that you’ve tied a rig you’ve got to store it without it getting damaged. This means putting it on a winder of which there are several types. Here’s how to safely store your rigs
Make sure the winder is long and deep enough so the float doesn’t overhang it
This is a 0.6gram float so I push a 0.5gram olivette on to the float stem to test the shot load
Put the float in the testing tank and alter the shot until you get it sat with no more than half the bristle showing
storing a rig
Some winders don’t need a pole anchor thanks to a sliding device that holds the rig loop Attach a sticker to the winder and detail the shotting capacity, line diameter, breaking strain, hook size and the length of the rig
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pole school
bob nudd
shotting up a pole rig One of the biggest differences between pole and float fishing is the size of the shot used and the total loading applied to the line. Because a pole float is lowered into the water rather than being cast like a waggler float, there’s no need to use a large float carrying a heavy casting weight to propel the rig. Although small sizes of round split shot can be used different types of tiny shot are also available that make fine-tuning of pole rigs easier. To avoid confusion here’s a guide to what types of shot are available and what they weigh. Any shot larger than a No.8 (0.06gram) up to 1oz (28.35gram) must be made of non-toxic material rather than lead or you could be fined £5,000!
split shot
Round with a central split cut into it, this is the classic type of shot. To shot a pole rig you need small ‘dust’ shot between size 11 and 8.
Styl
This long thin, barrelshaped weight was designed by continental European anglers to allow finetuning of very delicate pole rigs. Available in tiny sizes so they allow the rig to fall through the water olivette slower than comparable sizes of round shot, These are streamlined bulk weights the downside is they are fiddly to attach to the that are threaded on to the line so line and are not often used by the majority of pole the nylon runs straight through the weight or is pinned to the outside of anglers in the UK. However, many pole floats still have their shotting it by rubber sleeves. Available in sizes from 0.3gram to capacity stated in styl weights so it is necessary to know what 12gram they are used to ‘bomb’ the these weights are. Styls are classified in the reverse of split shot, the higher hookbait to the bottom, usually in the number the larger the shot. Lead styls from No.12 to water at least five foot deep. No.20 are illegal in the UK. No.7 = 0.01g, No.8 = 0.017g, No.9 = 0.025g, No.10 = 0.035g, No.11 = 0.048g
You can see the full range of Browning poles and pole accessories used by Bob Nudd plus lots more fishing and tackle tips from Bob Nudd and our other expert anglers at www.browning-fishing.com.
Code 9963 599
This issue was presented by:
Zebco Europe Ltd 9400 Garsington Road · Oxford Business Park Oxford OX4 2HN · Tel. 0808 / 23 44 519
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