A bit about Carp rigs…

February 4, 2010 Spencer 5 comments

We spoke previously about the ever faithful Chod rig, however it is far from the answer to all our rig problems. Different fish feed differently and in particular Commons seem to be much more cagey around pop-ups and choddy’s than those greedy Mirrors. In my current syndicate water is a carp that is very very rarely caught however when it is nailed it seems to be on pop-ups quite some way off of the bottom!

I’d just like to add a couple of pics of the other two rigs I use. With these and the Chod in my armoury, I never need anything else.

The Merekat Rig

The Merekat rig.

The title gives it away a bit!

An x-line hooklink (Maxima in summer/cloudy water) tied with a no knot, but with the hair trapped by just two turns of the knot, with a further 5 turns up the shank. A stiff rigger hook is the perfect hook for the rig, changed to a Korda Choddy when fishing over gravel, as they have a beaked point. A figure of eight loop fixes the hooklink to the swivel. I particularly like this rig with a bottom bait with a small plug of a matching pop up, nicely balancing the bait. The Merekat rig… Simples!

My multi-rig

My multi-rig

Invented by Micky Kavnanagh, made famous by Johnny Mac and made personal by me! The Multi rig.

I use this rig for pop ups, bottom baits and my favourite with twin barrel shaped bottom baits.

The benefits of this rig are numerous, however being able to change your hook in seconds is a massive bonus. Yes you spend more on hooks, but you definitely get more pick ups by doing so! I break the coated braid( Jellywire by PB products) at the swivel end helping to lay the link flat on the bottom and for a centimeter below the multi knot at the hook end. I use a rig ring with a Drennan pellet band pulled through the bait to secure it. The Drennan bands are brown and much much stronger than the usual bait bands. Hunt them down, they are superb. I’ve landed Carp to 56lb on this rig, size 5 stiff riggers are the ideal hook.

Both of these rigs I use helicopter style, mounting the swivel onto my leadcore. I’ve recently discovered the neatest leadcore knot Ive seen. I dont know its name but have attached a diagram. Have a look at the picture, its very neat and nice and safe.

Leadcore Knot

Nice and neat and safe too!

The smallest lead I can get away with completes the rig

One thing I would say, is that in many of the carp magazines around today you often read that anglers have a rig wallet full of pre-tied rigs and hooklengths. I purposely don’t, preferring to make mine at the time I need them, even if it is 3 am and I have to be up for work in two hours, otherwise I end up being lazy and using what Ive got in my wallet, the old “that will do” syndrome!

Whatever rigs you choose, once you have found those that you are confident in, stick with them and try altering lengths, hair lengths etc rather than the whole rig…..

Good luck!

Spence.