Winter Elastic Choice for Commercials
In winter my elastic choice for commercials sees me drop down slightly, as the carp are a bit more ponderous and less likely to charge around the swim. Balancing with the lighter 0.14mm and 0.16mm Cenex Hybrid Power hooklengths that I use in the cold, the Xitan Microbore in Blue / Pearl (2.3mm) rated 9-13, is spot on. For lighter work for F1’s the pink (1.9mm), rated 7-9 is ideal.
I normally use Microbore elastics through my top-two Sphere Multi-kits with a puller bung, enabling me to control the fish as they get within netting range.
Microbore really lives up to its name. It is much thinner than other hollow elastics that I have used in the past, which not only gives it a more consistent stretch, but crucially also means that it is a lot lighter. When fishing long I can really feel the difference that the reduced weight makes; a great edge to have.
One thing to note with all elastics is to tension them by giving them a good stretch before setting up your top kits. This initial stretching will mean that when you rig up the kits the elastic will be at the right tension straight away and won’t stretch a little and droop beyond the pole tip when you have landed a couple of good fish.
If you haven’t tried it yet then give the Xitan Microbore a try. It is my winter elastic choice for commercial fishing.
Jon Whincup
