Solar tackle are mostly known for their superb range of stainless steel metalware, but for many years now, Solar have produced a wide range of terminal tackle and baits which are very much under estimated by the general angler when picking their rig bits & pieces. Solar have come up with some very good and innovative ideas over the years with the terminal tackle, and I have been using some of these items in my own rig construction for as long as I can remember, which undoubtedly have caught me additional fish where others fishing have failed.

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Solar Advanced Rig Gear!
Part 1. Review by Darren Wilson

Solar Stronghold Hooks

The Solar Stronghold hooks are available in two patterns that are suitable for virtually all rig construction purposes & situations that the specialist angler might encounter on the bank.

The first is the Extra Wide Gape pattern. This pattern is extremely strong in the wire being forged, but is also surprisingly light in weight for its gauge.  Finished with a straight eye that is suitable for use with both pop-up and bottom bait presentations, the short shank leads the hook to being especially suited for stiff hinge rigs or Chod rigs. The straight point is seriously sharp, and Solar have bucked against the current trend of Teflon coating their hooks, which if I am to be perfectly honest I prefer the “naked” wire of the hook as a sharper point can be obtained and touched up with a carborundum stone should the need arise without removing the coating.

 The barbs (on the barbed versions) are a little inconsistent in size on a couple of the boxes I have here, but none of the hooks have any over or undersized barbs, but I feel it is fair to point this out. After tying a few rigs up using the Solar Stiffy material, I can honestly say that I feel the hook sits better than some other hooks when used with the stiff material (such as hinge or chod rigs). The angle the point sits at is not too acute, nor too shallow, for effective hooking potential. The Extra Wide Gape hooks will not only find favour with the specialist carp angler, but will also find fans within the barbel and chub fishing world where “hit & hold” tactics are required.

The second pattern is the Longshank. I will be honest, I am a convert to the pro’s of using a long shank hook for bottom bait work, but personally find them all wrong for pop-up work (although others may prefer them – it is personal preference). The long, straight shank of the hook allows a vast multitude of rigs to be tied up using them from your basic knotless knotted hair rig through to more advanced rigs that facilitate the use of hook beads & rig rings with free sliding baits. Same as on the Extra Wide Gape pattern, the eye and point are both straight, and the points of the hooks are surgically sharp. As noticed with the Extra Wide Gape, the barbs were again slightly inconsistent but again, not too big or too small. The eyes on the hooks are perfectly closed, smooth and under close inspection are consistent in size. Top marks here as this is where a lot of hooks fall down with only partially closed eyes or burrs near the closure point.

Overall, the Stronghold hooks, now have a firm place in my rig box and are worth serious consideration the next time you are purchasing hooks.

Extra Wide Gape are available in sizes: Barbed 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 & in Barbless 6 and 8.

Longshank are available in sizes: Barbed 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. (*for those wondering why a barbless Longshank pattern is not available it is because a barbless long shanked hook can under some situations cause multiple hooking within the fishes mouth, and fish safety should be paramount at all times).

Stiffy Hooklink Material

With stiff rigs becoming increasingly more popular with the hinged stiff rig and the “vogue” Chod rig, almost every manufacturer now has a stiff hooklink material available, and Solar have not failed with their version.

Only available in a single breaking strain of 20lb, the Stiffy hooklink material does exactly what it is designed to do – remain stiff! The secret to a good stiff hooklink material is its memory. When straightened over steam, Stiffy remains straight even after being pulled over a rounded surface a few times or put under pressure, yet if left with its natural curve straight off the spool or steamed on a Solar Rig Cone, the material will retain its curve even after it has been pulled straight after cooling!

As a convert to the chod rig, after putting Stiffy through its paces, I have now removed the other numerous spools of similar material from my rig box and saved myself both weight & space in only needing to carry one spool. Give Stiffy a go and be extremely impressed. I was.

Contour Leadcore

What can be said about leadcore? Leadcore is basically what it says it is – a lead wire core covered with a braided outer. The main issue with leadcore is that a lot of anglers don’t know how to use it safely, hence why it is banned on a lot of venues. As long as the angler follows any instructions given with the leadcore that they buy, then they should not go too far wrong. Contour leadcore is slightly thinner than other s that I carry due to its lower breaking strain. Rated at 35lb compared to the more standard 45lb, Contour remains a little suppler and really does hug the bottom if left to fall on a slack line over the heavier, more rigid leadcores.

Splicing with Contour is simplicity itself and when bought as a bulk spool, is provided with a handy splicing needle in the packaging. One thing I did like about in particular about Contour leadcore is that even after manipulating the leader numerous times, the inner core of the material did not break and protrude through the outer braid, which is a recipe for disaster as this can render the safest rig setups unsafe by adding a spot where the lead or hooklink can be tethered.

Overall, Contour has a place in my rig armoury and I will even be using it as stiff boom material for hooklinks as the weight will hold down a 10 or 12mm pop-up down without the need for additional counterbalancing.

Ball Bearing Swivels

A swivel is a swivel right? WRONG! Most anglers think that any swivel will do when it comes to constructing a rig, but Solar have really changed that with their ball bearing swivels. The main differences between these and normal swivels is that both ends of the swivel have hinged loops that allow movement of the hooklink – especially important with stiff rigs, one of the loops is slightly larger than the other (the smaller loop is the same size as a standard size 8 swivel so will fit most popular lead clips snugly) and this is the loop that the hooklink material should be tied to (with inline or lead clip type setups) but is large enough to rotate freely when used as the anchor loop for rotary type rigs such as the Chod or helicopter.

The main difference though is that the swivel only rotates at a single point. The reason for this is that the swivel section rotates on miniature ball bearings, which allow maximum rotation when under extreme pressure. On my test bench, I have loaded these swivels up with over 30lb of tension and they have rotated as freely as they did when under no pressure at all – something most normal swivels will not do. The Ball Bearing Swivels are not the cheapest of items, but when has cost ever played a part in making sure that your tackle is up to the job required? Highly recommended indeed and something that I have been using for a long time prior to being involved with ukmatchangler.com.

Quick Change Swivels

Specifically designed to be used with stick rigs or other situations where the angler may wish to quickly be able to change the rig that they are using. One end of the swivel is your standard size 8 setup, but the difference lies at the other end which is extended and shaped like a shepherds crook. The hooklink is placed over the crook and a rubber sleeve is pushed up over the crook to stop the rig from coming detached on the cast or when in the water. Perfect for those short day sessions or when approaching a new water where you may need to alter end tackle quickly. Worth having in your armoury.

Blowback Rings

These teardrop shaped rings are designed to be used on the shank of the hook to allow a bait to be free moving with advanced anti-eject rigs, but they are not just limited to that. I use these rings for all of my rigs that require the bait to be mounted on a ring. When used with flossed baits, the smaller end of the ring allows the bait to be tied up tight to the ring without the bait obstructing the movement of the ring on the hook shank or loop. This may seem anal but I don’t wish to have any doubts in my mind to how the rig reacts in the water and these little bits of ingenuity put any stop to that indeed. These are a permanent fixture in my rig armoury and will be for as long as I can foresee.

PTFE Line Flying Back Leads

Flying back leads have been a popular part of the anglers setup for a long time now, but those that favoured using braided mainlines have always found it hard to incorporate a flying backlead into the setup as the rougher construction of a braided line has always reduced the movement of the flying backlead.

That is until Solar released these little gems to the market. As an advocate of using braided mainlines where I can, I have always been limited to using a sinking braid to keep everything pinned down, but the thicker diameter of the sinking braids has always reduced casting distance.

With these backleads, I can now use a thinner diameter neutral buoyancy braid and hit the required distances without having to worry about the line not being pinned to the deck. When used with mono mainlines, these backleads do really fly back up the line (sometimes too far) due to the almost friction free surface of the PTFE lining. The actual “lead” part of the backlead is manufactured from Tungsten so will not rust or degrade, even if left wet, and will give maximum density for the size.