Carp Fishing Tips | Baits and Rigs to get started - Hassan Khan

August 17, 2020 Guest User

"I have just started getting into carp fishing, there are so many rigs and boilies out there, is there a basic set-up to get me started?"

With the amount of information available out there via magazine and the internet, I can see how things can be confusing but here's my simple recommendations.

In terms of rigs, a great starting point would be a simple knotless knot/hair rig. Have the bait (boilie) on the hair rig, so that it just brushes the bend of the hook. Have the rig around 7-inches in length and use it in congestion with a simple lead clip system.

A simple hair rig is adaptable and will catch plenty of carp. You can attach as many baits as you like. Fish with PVA bags or mould some paste around the hookbait.

A lead clip system is reliable and safe for the fish

When it comes to bait, we are very fortunate in that all boilies that are produced by the major bait manufacturers nowadays are proven fish catchers.

As a guide rule, there’s two types of boilie…

Fishmeal boilies (e.g. Sticky Baits The Krill), are rich nutritional meaty/fishy/savoury smelling baits, which are often preferred in warmer water temperatures, but can be used in cold water in smaller quantities.

Fishmeal boils are often preferred in warmer temperatures

Birdfood based boilies, (e.g. Mainline Cell), these are often sweet/nutty in flavour and can be used all year round.

Birdfood/milk protein based boilies can be used all year-round but are favoured in the winter months

My advice would be to pick one based on your preference or what’s catching on your water and stick with it, don't fall into the trap of continually changing.

Carp Fishing Tips | Do chod rigs work better with light leads? - Dave Magalhaes

August 7, 2020 Guest User

I do prefer using small leads with chod rigs and don’t feel that they hinder the hooking properties of the rig.

I want the lead to lay down gently on top of whatever it is that I am fishing over. I also want to cause as little disturbance as I can.

Fishing in this style often means being mobile and reacting to what the fish do.

The last thing you want is to crash three big leads into an area that the fish are happy feeding in.

A large lead will give you more hook pulls too, in my opinion.

That large weight around the carp’s mouth has a tendency to pull the hook out, while a smaller lead, doesn’t apply so much pressure and is much better for landing fish.

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

July 24, 2020 Guest User

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.