JungleGym Bean Sinker
JungleGym Beans
In my last post I mentioned I was playing with JungleGym’s ‘Be Free Texas’ rig. So far so good. It’s a glorified weedless Texas rig but using JungleGym’s Bean Sinker and their ringed offset hook (Ring Rocker). With the addition of stop a few inches above the weight (Move Stopper) you have a kind of bolt rig. I’m less interested in that, but I am very interested in the Bean weight and the advantages of an offset hook mounted on a ring.

Firstly the Beans Sinker. I’ve not seen anything like it before. There’s quite a lot of work gone into it. Teardrop shape. Coloured black. There’s a plastic sleeve within that enters the top (narrow end) and exits the side. It’s an almost straight path, meaning once on your leader, the lead leans over slightly. It doesn’t sit at 90 degrees. As Be Free Texas is a system, the Bean Sinker is designed to work with the ringed offset hook. So the exit point on the side has been formed to allow the ring to sit nicely within. Very nice.

In use I really think the Bean weight offers more feel – akin to a Jika rig. The weight touches down firmly before the lure and transmits feeling back up the line. More than I achieve with a lead cone weight (that most likely sits flat on the seabed).

So far the shape of the Bean sinker has proved snagless. But time will tell.

Because of the shape of the weight, the lure is presented slightly off the bottom. This may help presentation. I don’t know. What’s more impressive in that respect is the ringed hook. Ringed offset hooks have been available for a while but I’d not considered the level of articulation they give the lure. With the ring sat proud in the side of the Bean sinker, the hook is allowed to swing freely – every time. I love using creature baits for this style of fishing, which look flippin’ incredible when you hop and bump this rig. The lure stands up – like defense mode, claws up, and then slowly falls back down to the horizontal.

When a fish attacks it feels little resistance as the line flows through the lead. You can of course fish a standard cone lead in this manner, but JungleGym make a point of highlighting this advantage. All-round, it’s a very nice system that offers tangible benefits.

Pictorial info on the Japanese site: www.junglegym-world.net/product/be_free_texas.html