Hybrid & Microbore Elastics for Carp
Although I have been using Browning’s Microbore elastic for most of my commercial carp fishing over the last few years I have to admit that after experimenting with the new Hybrid elastic I can honestly say that I’m now torn between the two, especially for certain methods such as mugging.
When mugging I have two basic setups, a light rig and a heavier rig. I always start of on the heavier rig, basically because if the carp are feeding aggressively then this rig will allow me to get them under control and in the net quicker, however if they are a big spooky and I need to fine things down to keep the bites coming then the lighter rig comes into play.
Let’s first talk about the elastic used for the heavier rig. The elastic used here is the Microbore 2.3mm blue/pearl elastic that has a rating of 9-13. It’s used in conjunction with a pulla kit and has a 7x stretch factor. I like this elastic as it has a very thin bore, feels really light through the top kit, is far stronger than most other elastics for its diameter, is long lasting and as it doesn’t flatten under pressure against the bush it runs so much smoother under load. If you haven’t tried Browning’s Microbore elastic yet then you need to as the difference in feel when playing a fish is unbelievable!
For the lighter rig I use the Hybrid 2.0mm which is a brilliant all purpose carp elastic with a rating of 14-16. It’s really good for bagging medium sized carp as; once again in conjunction with a pulla kit, gets those carp under control quickly. Coming in 6m lengths there’s enough for three short or two long top kits and it powers up nicely and is very smooth, certainly one that you need to take a look at if you prefer solid elastic!
Alex Reynolds
