When it comes to tricking wily chub there is one rig that does the business and that’s the mag-aligner. The rig was devised by two hugely successful big carp anglers who cleverly incorporated an Enterprise Tackle Mag-aligner grub slid over the eye of the hook, creating a line aligner effect which ensures that the hook turns in the fish’s mouth making it a very efficient hooking mechanism.
A size 12 Covert Mugga hook really takes some beating when using this style of hooking arrangement. The curved shape of the hook helps to enhance the hooking mechanism and the straight point takes hold at the slightest opportunity. This pattern of hook also has the bonus of being available in our new Covert finish – a special camouflage plating.
A supple hook length is important as it gives the flexibility to allow the mag-aligner to work to its full potential, which is why I choose to remove the outer coating from a length of the Gravel coloured Speciskin. It’s the ideal colour for fishing over gravel and it’s really soft and smooth and doesn’t inhibit the relatively small hook from doing its job, turning and pricking the fish as soon as the hookbait is inhaled.
Tightly woven Gardner Micromesh PVA is absolutely essential when tying up PVA bags of maggots, so they do not wriggle through the holes and escape. The PVA bag is sealed by wrapping Fishnet PVA Tape around the swivel on the lead which is held in place with a couple of overhand knots. If you tie a tightly compressed bag of maggots to the lead and you can nick the hookbait onto the PVA (being careful not to puncture any of the maggots inside) and this effectively stops any tangles and ensures the hookbait is surrounded by a visual and highly attractive patch of freebies.
If you are unsure how to tie the rig or have limited time and would rather be out on the bank fishing than sat at home tying rigs Gardner produce a ready-tied version which can act as a good guide.
How To Tie A Mag-Aligner Rig
Step 1 – Strip the coating off 16 inches of Target Gravel Speciskin using a Gardner Stripper Tool.
Step 2 – Tie a size 12 Covert Mugga on with a knotless knot and ‘blob’ the tag end (optional).
Step 3 – Using a sewing needle pierce the rubber grub (orientation as shown) and carefully thread it onto your hooklink.
Step 4 – Push the grub over the hook eye, making sure the hooklink exits in line with the hook point.
Step 5 – Test it’s lined up correctly by gently drawing the hooklink over your finger. The hook should flip over like this every time when it’s right.
Step 6 – Carefully nick two maggots onto the hook.
Step 7 – The finished rig.
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