Preston Innovations Hollo Connectors

Preston Innovations Hollo Connectors

When you are targeting large, hard-fighting commercial carp and F1s on the pole, every single component between your hand and the fish must be entirely faultless. The Preston Innovations Hollo Connectors provide the definitive heavy-duty connection system engineered to bridge the gap between your heavy pole elastic and your rig. When a double-figure fish hits the inside line, the immense G-forces generated can instantly shatter inferior, brittle plastic connectors. Preston has completely engineered this worry away by utilizing a ultra-tough, reinforced polymer matrix designed to handle the absolute extremes of modern commercial match fishing.

These large-format connectors are explicitly optimized to accommodate thick-diameter hollow elastics and large solid latex lines. Featuring an ultra-secure, precision-engineered snap-fit sliding collar, they offer an unyielding mechanical lock over your elastic knot. This guarantees that your rig remains completely secure throughout a frantic bagging session, while maintaining a smooth, low-profile footprint that easily glides through your top-kit PTFE bushes without jamming.

At Gerry’s Fishing, we value efficiency and reliability on the bank. These premium connectors are completely color-coded to match the larger sizes of Preston’s industry-standard Hollo elastic range, helping you organize and identify your top kits at a single glance.

Technical Specifications

Key Features & Construction

• Ultra-Strong Molded Plastic Matrix: Forged from an advanced engineering-grade polymer that completely resists splitting, warping, or cracking under heavy tension. It easily absorbs the high-impact shock when an elastic snaps back violently against the pole tip after a pulled hook.

• Precision Snap-Fit Sliding Collar: Engineered with a highly tactile, positive locking click. Once your elastic knot is pulled into the internal cavity and the outer collar is pushed forward, it snaps into an immovable mechanical lock. This completely eliminates the danger of the collar slipping back mid-fight, which could discard your rig.

• Color-Coded System Integration: Available in vibrant Blue, Green, Orange, and Yellow colorways. These are precisely matched to the higher diameters of the Preston Innovations Hollo Elastic family (such as size 11, 15, 17, and 19), allowing for rapid top-kit identification on your brolly arms or roost stands.

• Glass-Smooth Radiused Edges: The entire perimeter of the connector—including the internal line slot—is heavily radiused and polished to remove microscopic burrs. This prevents the plastic from pinching or sawing into your delicate monofilament rig loops or chafing your expensive latex elastic under heavy loads.

Where to Use: Recommended Scenarios

• Heavy-Duty Summer Margin Bashing: The absolute premier choice when target-fishing down the edge or tight to vegetation for double-figure carp. Paired with a heavy size 19 Hollo or an ultra-thick hybrid elastic, this connector handles the extreme, immediate pressure of a big fish bolting for safety.

• Open-Water Method and Pellet Feeder Pole Lines: Perfect for long-shipping pole tactics on commercial lakes where you are catching large fish at speed. The low profile ensures that when shipping your rig in and out quickly, the connector doesn’t wobble, catch the wind, or twist around the tip section.

• Fast-Flowing River and Canal Pole Sessions: Exceptional when targeting heavy hard-fighting river species like powerful barbel, big chub, or heavy river bream on flat floats where stouter solid elastics and absolute connector reliability are mandatory.

The Gerry’s Fishing Verdict

The Preston Innovations Hollo Connectors are a masterclass in heavy-duty match terminal design. Many generic large connectors suffer from loose tolerances, meaning the collar can easily slide back under tension or the plastic splits at the hinge point when fighting a specimen fish. Preston has ironed out those flaws completely. The definitive “snap-click” you feel when locking the collar down gives you absolute peace of mind. It is tough, visually streamlined, and an essential asset for any angler who relies on heavy hollow elastics to build a winning match weight.

Gerry’s Pro Tip: To tie an absolutely bombproof, ultra-neat knot inside this connector, start by threading the sliding collar onto your hollow elastic first (ensure the locking track faces the tip of the elastic). Tie a standard figure-of-eight loop knot at the end of the elastic, but do not trim the tag end flush right away. Moisten the knot with saliva, pull it completely tight using a puller tool, and trim the tag down to roughly 4mm. Slide the main connector body over the knot, pulling it firmly into the internal wedge cavity. Slide the collar forward until it clicks. The tiny 4mm tag acts as a vital safety barrier inside the hollow housing—preventing the main knot from ever slipping through the wedge, even when subjected to maximum pressure under the pole tip!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Will these connectors fit thinner, light-gauge solid silverfish elastics?

No. These specific large-format connectors are explicitly oversized and engineered for heavy hollow elastics and thick-diameter solid latex (typically size 10 up to size 20+). Attempting to use them with fine silverfish elastics (like a size 2 to 6 solid) will leave too much free play inside the wedge cavity, causing the fine knot to pull clean through or slide out of the collar. For lighter lines, look at the Preston Innovations Slip Micro Connectors.

How do I attach my monofilament rig loop to this connector?

Attaching your rig is incredibly simple and requires zero tools. You construct a standard double-loop at the top of your monofilament main line. Pass the main loop over the hooked nose of the Preston Hollo Connector, pull the rig line downward to seat it securely into the grooved recess, and slide the rig’s rubber silicone sleeve (if using one) upward over the joint. It creates an incredibly strong, friction-free loop-to-hook connection that can be unhooked in seconds at the end of your session.

Do these connectors cause wear and tear on my external PTFE bushes?

Not at all. Because Preston has rounded and polished every single external face of the polymer body, there are zero sharp corners or protruding mold lines. When the elastic fully retracts at the netting stage, the connector seats flush against the face of a standard internal or external PTFE bush smoothly, without chipping the plastic or damaging the carbon of your top kit.