Leighton mac sent a question about trebles on a dead bait rig.

Is it possible to fish just one treble hook on a dead baiting rig rather than two?

Thanks for the question Leighton. The main thing to do is match the rig to the size of the bait.

Standard Dead Bait Rig

A standard dead bait rig for five to ten inch baits like a full or half mackerel, sardine or lamprey will have two trebles spaced about a hand width apart. The top treble is placed into the tail root to take the strain of the cast. The end or bottom treble is lightly hooked into the flank of the bait.

Small Baits

When fishing with a smaller bait like a sprat, gudgeon or small smelt, you can fish with one treble or stick to two. Two trebles in very small baits looks untidy and is also a bit unnecessary. When a pike snaffles a bait you want the hooks in the mouth. With very small baits you can be sure that the whole bait will be in there along with the one treble.

Singles?

In recent years there has been lots of talk about using single hooks on a hair rig. I think Mick Brown suggested it on his kebab rig. It certainly doesn’t float my boat and I won’t be trying it anytime soon.

Partridge Doubles Pike Rig

I like to keep rigs simple and use a tried and trusted method. That is why I use either a pair of trebles or, quite often, two Partridge doubles on my rigs.

Thanks for the question Leighton and good fishing.

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