There was an old thread that got done to death with all sorts of crazy rigging and ideas.

I do. But it's not for protection, just to stiffen the cord where it connects to the hook to stop hook snagging on jig and rigging. Always a biatch when you find that after winding up from 200m+ wondering why you weren't hooking up when feeling knocks. Doesn't need to go all the way, just enough to cover the eyelet of the hook and a little way onto the cord, and so you can still loop around the base of the hook to take it on and off the solid ring. I keep mine as short as possible with still being able to remove considered, they hit it head on although bass/ puka will use quite a bit of suck too. I use YGK Zylon cord which I find really softens up after awhile so heat shrink becomes necessary.

Some use the engineers heat shrink stuff that has glue activated from heat and the wall is a lot tougher. This stuff will add a bit of protection, but it's expensive. Those snakes will still slice through it thou. Those shout stainless assists intended for doggies are the only really bullet proof option.

If you use a gradient of different diameter heat shrink you can get a nice profile going with a bit of added protection for the couta. I find you need to do this as 13/0 eyelets on the JM monsters are massive where as the cord it's going onto is hell skinny. Brown also put me onto having the jug boiling whilst rigging these with heat shrink. Just insert it or hold it over the steam for each layer.

I put heat shrink over the assist rigs i make up for customers. i use a pce about 30mm long and then also put a octopus skirt over the top of it..

Heat shrink shrinks to about half it's diameter when heated. With regard to getting the heat shrink over the eye and knot in the larger hook sizes, I expand one end of the heat shrink first into a cone or funnel shape. I used to use the prongs on two forks but found that a bit slow and fiddly. Could probably use any long nosed pliers .... but I sacrificed a pair of circlip pliers ( external circlip type)   by grinding off the pins on the ends...... nice round tapered profile that does a good job.... just rotate the heat shrink a few times so all the stretch doesn't happen in one place and make it a bit thin.

Definitely gives a bit more protection from couta teeth but Jon you definitely need to do more jigging !!! I've lost lots of hooks to couta but unlike you, don't have the photographic evidence.

Orsum thanks guys. V much appreciate your kind help

If you rig them up like smelli's pic there is no need to waste all those solids and spilts.

smelli wrote: Heres a pic with how i do the assists i sell too people... The hook on the far right is with the glued heatshrink and the one on left is with normal... I used to do them all the way almost to the top but most of the people i did them for say they preferred it only near the eye so that the rig is still flexible but some customers still want me to do the heatshrink all the way to the top