How to tie a drop shot pole rig for catching carp

Drop shotting has taken the nation by storm, but Middy’s Craig Butterfield has taken the tactic to new levels by incorporating it in a deadly new pole rig.

Bites can be hard to hit when fishing shallow because of the pace the carp attack the bait, slurping in the pellet and ejecting it before you’ve even had chance to react.

But Craig’s new rig removes the need to strike. Instead the fish hook themselves almost every time.

“If the fish swims down it hooks itself against the weight of the pole tip, and if it swims sideways or upwards it is the weight of the drop shot that sets the hook,” he explained.

“Self-hooking pole rigs often get a bad press, many saying they take the skill out of fishing, but I don’t agree. They give you no more help than a Method feeder with a short hooklength or a bolt rig when specimen fishing.

“The skill with this tactic is correct feeding and working out at what depth the fish are feeding.”

The rig looks a tad confusing at first sight, but it is very simple to tie if you follow the five-step guide below.

1 Thread a metre of mainline on a size 18 eyed hook so that it is around 30cm from one end.

2 Tie a 15mm loop with the hook running freely inside it to help it sit correctly and look natural.

3 Place your fingers 3ins either side of the loop and twist in opposite directions.

4 Hold the line together and tie another loop to create the stiffish paternoster.

5 Add a drop shot weight to the shorter length of line and a pole float as a bite indicator.

6 The final ‘drop shot’ rig is a valuable component of any commercial angler’s armoury.