Jon ‘Shoes’ Jones looks at the much-aligned Bent Hook Rig, and considers how its principles can still be seen in some of today’s set-ups

Have we really banned the Bent Hook Rig forever, or are we still using it? Well, just take a look at the most commonly used rigs at present, and I would have to say no, it’s not banned, its design basics definitely live on.

HOW IT STARTED: The birth of the Bent Hook Rig

Before you go mental on me and say the rigs used today are not the same as the true Bent Hook Rig, I would have to agree with you, in that they’re not exactly the same, but the concept is the same. Let me explain in more detail.

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The original Bent Hook Rig was invented by… well, to be honest, I don’t think anyone actually knows, but according to what is written in Rob Maylin’s book, Fox Pool, it is accredited to ‘Secret John’, or several of the Longfield Drinking Team. Nonetheless, it came about after Len Middleton had played around with hooks in the early eighties. Anyway, a few of these guys experimented with the concept of a bent hook. Why? I think you need to read Fox Pool to find out why, but it was the first rig that turned when pulled over your finger. I used the rig many times in my early carping years, and found that it worked everywhere I went.