Carp Fishing Tips - Does the hinge or chod rig select bigger fish? - Kev Hewitt

I have heard this on a number of occasions.

I think the myth probably came from Terry Hearn’s big-fish success on the hinge rigs way back in his early days.

What you have to remember is that Terry was fishing lakes with mainly big fish in them, so he was always going to catch big ones on the rig.

I used a version of the hinged stiff rig for over two years almost exclusively and my catch rate did not improve or decrease, and I certainly didn’t pick out all the bigger fish and avoid the small ones.

Don’t get me wrong, I caught plenty of fish and the odd big one came my way.

I am a great believer in a situation whereby if you get a fish feeding or competing for food, you will catch it on any well-presented rig which suits the bottom you are fishing over.

The components you need to tie the hinge rig

Overall, the hinged stiff rig is certainly a decent presentation for most bottoms, as your hookbait will be presented well, even in light weed and leaf matter.

But I don’t for one minute believe it will pick you out bigger fish.