Some fisheries ban ‘Magic Twig’ but TV presenter behind its sale says it will help people enjoy hobby more
It is an innocuous piece of plastic, designed to imitate a small bit of wood – and yet it has wrought havoc in the world of angling.
Meet the “Magic Twig”, a device its supporters say will revolutionise carp fishing and, eventually, all forms of the sport.
Its critics, however, are sounding grave warnings about its implications for the integrity of angling, and threaten lifetime bans for those who use it.
Launched last week, the mechanism is described as a self-triggering hooking device. It senses when a fish is biting on the hook, then springs the line tight to secure the hook in the animal’s mouth, imitating the effect of the “strike”, where an angler rapidly lifts the rod.