2-hook flapper
BeginnerAlso called Two-hook paternoster, General-purpose beach rig
The default UK beach rig. Two snoods above a lead, baits off the bottom, easy to tie, easy to fish.
Present two worm or strip baits over sand and mixed ground for general species.
Two dropper loops, two short snoods, a lead. No clips, no pulley, no boom that has to stand up on the punch. You can tie it at the mark with cold hands.
Diagram
When to use
A mixed-species beach or pier when you want two worm or strip baits fishing without a Christmas tree of bits. First sessions, winter nights, a gutter you can actually reach.
Night beaches and piers for whiting, dabs, flounder, pouting and school bass.
Ground and marks
Beach, Pier, Harbour, Estuary. Ground: sand, shingle, mud, mixed.
A mixed-species beach or pier when you want two worm or strip baits fishing without a Christmas tree of bits. First sessions, winter nights, a gutter you can actually reach.
Do not use it as a single huge-bait rig for rays or winter cod, or in a dumping surf where long snoods wrap. Switch to a Pennel, a pulley, or a short snood.
Fishes on a flood or an ebb if the lead holds. Slack high on a beach is often quieter. A pier drop still works at slack if fish are around the legs.
Marks: Beach, Pier, Harbour, Estuary. Ground: sand, shingle, mud, mixed.
Bait both hooks, cast to the feature, tighten until the tip nods, and wait for rattles. Recast when the bait is stripped or the lead has dragged. One rod is enough to learn on.
Hooks 6–1. Lead: 3–5 oz, plain or grip.
15–20 lb mainline or 30–50 lb braid, 50–60 lb shock leader if you are punching a lead. Rig backbone 40–60 lb. Snoods 15–25 lb, 6–12 in, joined with rolling swivels size 4–2. A bead above the lead knot. Weak clip or rotten-bottom on mixed ground.
How to tie it
- 01Tie a lead link at the bottom with a weak clip or a rotten-bottom if the ground is rough.
- 02Two snoods, 6–12 inches, spaced so they cannot reach each other.
- 03Hook a worm on each, cast, tighten, wait for rattles.