Switch from zig rig to chod rig produces 42lb common carp

Matt Jackson’s quest for one of the big commons in his Oxfordshire syndicate came to a triumphant conclusion with the capture of this 42lb specimen.

When he began his campaign earlier in the year, the majority of the other anglers on the lake were using zig rigs, but Matt decided to buck the trend and, using his favoured boilie and chod rig approach, he caught steadily from his first session onwards.

“I fish my chod rigs slightly different from the norm, using just a very short 6ins length of leadcore leader simply to provide something nice and tough for a fighting carp to pull the rig against,” he explained. “I set my top bead on the fluorocarbon mainline so that when in the water the choddy is sat on this and is practically undetectable from above. The pit is very weedy, so the 6ins of leadcore will be hidden out of sight in among the dead weed and new growth. It definitely provides the best of both worlds, with the invisibility of the ‘naked’ chod and the abrasion-resistance of the original version. ”

And on a recent trip to the venue he finally managed to put his name on one of the large commons which he’d set his sights on catching.

“The lake was pretty much full when I arrived so I dropped into a peg next door to a productive central swim with the idea of moving in there the next morning when its current occupant left. After a quiet night I was packing my gear down when one of my rods ripped off and I was soon cradling a 25lb mirror. Sticking to my guns I took the gamble and made the move to the swim next door anyway, despite just having had a bite.”

It certainly proved to be a wise decision because the following morning he banked a 24lb mirror and then the icing on the cake came in the form of the 42lb common.

Matt’s successful presentation consisted of a CC Moore Odyssey XXX hookbait tied to a size 6 Korda Choddy hook and a 20lb Mouthtrap hooklink.