THREE WAYS TO HOOK A GRAIN OF SWEETCORN

If you want to get the best from sweetcorn when you are fishing with it you ought to know how to hook it correctly as that will ensure that the hook hits home every time you strike your rig.

There are three ways to hook sweetcorn - two involve placing it directly on the hook, the other is to hair-rig it and have the bait positioned hanging from the bend of the hook.

Hooking the bait straight on to the hook is absolutely perfect when pole fishing and what fishing with a waggler or stick float. In these conditions just a single grain of corn will most probably be used, and you won't be waiting too long for a bite - hopefully - so threading the grain straight onto the hook as shown below will gain maximum results.

If you are legering with sweetcorn as bait you could either side hook the bait or use a hair-rig set-up - the choice is yours. If bites are fairly quick in coming the best way would be to side hook the baits, but if you're having to wait a fair while for a take then try hair-rigging your sweetcorn.

If you're intending to use two, three or even four grains of corn for a big fish, and you want to avoid the attention of nuisance fish, the best way would be to use a hair rig.

Here's the three ways to hook sweetcorn...

Side hooking corn 1

Slide the point of the hook just beneath the domed skin of the sweetcorn.

Push the point out of the skin so that it is entirely exposed.

Side hooking corn 2

Bury the hookpoint deep inside the domed top of the sweetcorn.

Thread the hook out of the bottom of the grain, twist it and gently pull it tight to the skin to anchor it for casting.

Hair-rigging corn

1. Tie a small hair loop in the end of a 40cm (16-inch) length of 0.16mm hook line

2. Thread on a small piece of 0.5mm silicone tubing - the type you use for pole float stems

3. Thread on an eyed size 18 or 20 hook and leave it free to move up and down the line

4. Place the point of the hook in the silicone and thread it on to the back of the shank

5. Wrap the line round the shank six times before pushing the end of the line through the eye towards the hookpoint. This is the ‘knotless knot’

This is the finished product. Using a set-up like this allows you to use one or two grains of corn. Varying the number can buy you bonus bites

The hooklength is now ready to be attached ‘loop-to-loop’ style to your float or leger rig. With this set-up you can alternate between fishing one, or two, pieces of sweetcorn. You won’t be expecting loads of bites in winter, so vary the number. Sometimes the fish will want a single grain, sometimes two will tempt them.