Stiff rig with a twist fools a forty

Hinged-stiff rigs are generally regarded as a pop-up presentation, but Neill Stephen used it in conjunction with a bottom bait to fool this 41lb 10oz mirror from a southern syndicate water.

The London-based former Drennan Cup champion baited a clean gulley close to where he’d seen fish showing with around 5kg of Essential Baits Shellfish B5 boilies.

The mirror, which beats his previous pb of 40lb 4oz, then picked up his snowman style hookbait which consisted of a 20mm boilie tipped with a small 10mm pop-up.

“Everyone thinks stiff-hinged rigs only work with buoyant baits, but the curved hook section is just as good at hooking fish when used with a bottom bait. Once it goes in the carp’s mouth it rarely comes out,” he said.

Neill tied his rig with ESP Stiff Rig Bristle Filament and a size 5 ESP Stiff Rigger hook.