The shore rig revolution during the late 1960s and early 1970s changed sea angling forever. Rig components and design took a quantum leap forward with bait clips, pulley rigs, clipped up and down rigs, rig crimps and bait stops being just some of the current crop we use that have their origins around this era.
One rig, though, has changed little over the years bar an update in components, and remains loyal to its original design that dates to before the Second World War. The boom rig, incorporating either two or three stand-off booms, tends to be forgotten nowadays, yet it still proves to be one of the most effective rigs for flounder, dabs, sole, plaice and whiting, as well as general species fishing. It’s also a classic scratching rig for smaller fish from late January through to late April, though it’s very effective throughout the full year.
The photos illustrating this feature were taken on a shallow surf beach on a bright, very cold, sunny winter’s day in flat sea conditions with a strong easterly offshore wind; hardly ideal! Bites were very hard to come by, but the three-boom rig consistently caught fish when other rigs struggled to pick up any bites at varied casting distances. It’s an adaptable rig,
