Fishing Nude by Martin Auldist

I like to take a minimalist approach to my fishing by doing away with as much of the associated paraphernalia as I can. In fact, I like to fish nude. Don't get too excited, I'm not suggesting that anglers should do away with their clothes. I'm talking about the terminal tackle equivalent of fishing nude: fishing with no lead weight. That's right, my favourite fishing rig is a hook tied straight to the line!

Don't get me wrong - I'm not proposing we do away with lead altogether. However, using too much lead is one of the most common errors that newcomers make when baitfishing. Quite often it's possible to get away with completely unweighted rigs and there are many advantages in doing so.

To understand the detrimental impact of lead on hook-up rates, let's review the basics...