Tying a snowman rig for catching big carp

All big-carp anglers are searching for that extra-special trick that can lead to another huge carp landed. One great way to do this is to combine a pop-up boilie with a bottom boilie and present a snowman rig.

Why is it called a snowman rig? You only need to look at the diagram and you can see – the bait just looks like a snowman. The bait is actually two boilies presented on top of each other.

To do this you will need a sinking boilie and a pop-up boilie. They don’t need to be the same flavour or the same colour. In fact they are better if they aren’t the same.

Having a lighter pop-up boilies sitting on top of a darker bottom boilie will help it stand out. And why not have two different flavours of boilies? You’ll provide the fish with a smell combination that they will probably have never encountered.

A favourite among the big-carp anglers in the office is to use a fishmeal bottom bait combined with a pineapple pop-up bait – a deadly pairing.

Here’s what you need to do…

A Your mainline should be strong enough to land the carp that you are fishing for. Most big-carp venues can be fished with 12lb line, but if there are loads of snags present you will be better using 15 or even 18lb line.

B Use a simple semi-fixed helicopter rig set-up for this rig. They can be made from a lead clip pack available from all good tackle shops. The tail rubber is threaded onto the line first, followed by the plastic lead clip. The lead’s swivel needs to be attached to the clip and the components pushed together securely.

C For best results use a braided hooklength, of around 6ins, in a colour that matches the bottom of the venue you are fishing. It will need attaching to the mainline using a swivel that will fit inside the lead clip.

D Use a knotless knot to create a hair-rig upon your hook. Remember to match the size of the hook to the size of the bottom boilies you are using.

E When attaching the bait to the hair, thread on the sinking boilies first and follow this with your pop-up boilie. Lock the baits onto the hair using a bait stop or a small strip of grass.