Carp Fishing “Ramblings” - Part 7
by Shaun Harrison
Since James Harrison’s first piece in this magazine about carp captures being a result of many things coming together at the same time and most captures basically being ‘meant to be’, I have got to thinking an awful lot. Obviously, the more experienced angler will always catch a few more because he/she makes sure to be there when the right factors are coming together and the rig is in place ready for where the fish will undoubtedly turn up.
I have looked long and hard at my own fishing and, these past couple of weeks apart, I have never particularly struggled to catch carp and for many years I have used exactly the same rig for all of my bottom fishing on everything except soft silkweed.
Some fish have slipped up time and time again on the same rig. I don’t like repeat captures but some are unavoidable when wading through the fish trying to catch others. It all leads me to agree even more with what James has been brave enough to put his neck on the line and state. Most rigs aren’t really that important at the end of the day. Get the other factors right and carp will undoubtedly slip up. I guess this is the opportune moment to run through my all singing, all-dancing rig which gets me by almost everywhere. It’s a rig I have adapted and tweaked along the way and I now have massive confidence in it. Similarly with bait I fish confidently, knowing that both the rig and the bait are right. I don’t need to worry and can therefore concentrate solely on location. When I eventually got the take it was on exactly the same rig and bait I had been casting around in the other swims. I could have started off in the first swim and changed rigs and baits several times, but I truly believe it would have made no difference In fact a prime example of this happened only yesterday.
I had Gareth, my cameraman, over from France to shoot a bit of film. Time was very limited as we had quite a few things to get through, but we finally ended up on the bank between rain showers. Basically I had four hours to try to put a December carp on the bank whilst the camera rolled. Nothing like a bit of pressure! I set up in what I obviously thought was going to be the best position for a take. Well, a bit of a compromise really, the best position I could find which also gave suitable camera angles. I cast out two rods and waited. As usual I waited very impatiently, I was twitchy, edgy. I needed to make it happen. After an hour or so and several casts to cover different situations, I moved. Not far, but I moved around the point I was fishing to cover diff rent water completely. Another hour and a bit and I was getting desperate. It’s ridiculous really when you consider how long we generally go between takes anyway, but it does hit home how much harder we can try when we really have to and thus I was soon upping sticks and moving around to the other side of the pool.
Finally, just 10 minutes after this move, the bobbin slammed against the Delkim, the Free Spirit E.S. took on a healthy curve, the Shimano reel begrudgingly gave a bit of line, and the camera rolled. Soon I had a 20lb mirror wallowing around in front of the net. In first time – mission accomplished!
The example I have highlighted illustrates how I had most pieces of the jigsaw correct right from the start, but the location was wrong. When I eventually got the take it was on exactly the same rig and bait I had been casting around in the other swims. I could have started off in the first swim and changed rigs and baits several times, but I truly believe it would have made no difference. When eventually I managed to present the rig and bait to a fish it was accepted straight off .
The thing I am trying to put across is to find a rig and bait with which you are really confident and don’t be tempted to change every time you see a new rig in a magazine. Just find what you are comfortable with. Definitely, since I ceased worrying about baits and rigs I have certainly caught a lot more fish and I fish with a much clearer picture in my mind. I will illustrate my rig now but this certainly isn’t the be-all and end-all in rigs. It simply suits me for bottom bait presentations and pop-ups. Before I write the following I feel it is important to just make the point that I pay for every item in the rig I use. There is absolutely no prejudice in my choice of materials. Yes, I am sponsored with certain aspects of my tackle, but I have always been insistent that regardless of sponsorship, if I think another item of tackle will put another couple of fish on the bank then I use it. This, I feel is the only way to gain respect from other anglers. If I use an item of tackle then I truly believe in it. None of this – “Well he is bound to say it’s good because he is sponsored by them.” I can give you plenty of instances where I use items which would probably surprise you. Right then, enough of all this waffle. Starting with the hook. I like the Ashima C310. Everyone will have their own preference on hook patterns. I won’t argue the merits of one against another but will say what I do like about the pattern. Firstly, the hook wire is quite thick. This makes them less likely to actually tear free during a prolonged fight and because of the thick wire used they are naturally quite a heavy hook which I also like for ‘falling and tipping’ in the carp’s mouth. up the points a little with a small diamond file to make them sticky-sharp. I have no problem doing this but in this idle age we seem to live in I would love to be able to take the hook out of the pack and tie a rig without first messing around sharpening it. But hey ho, all other aspects fit my bill. The Hair I am very particular about. I use much softer Hair material than most as it helps the hook to properly up-end. Try for yourself, it amazes me how many anglers use a Knotless Knot and follow through with the hooklink for the Hair. Yes, it looks the same as a rig tied with a fine soft Hair but it doesn’t perform anywhere near as effectively. I still tie a Knotless Knot, but trap the fine Hair in place whilst tying the knot, snipping off the loose tag of hooklink and burying it under the last couple of turns. My favoured Hair material is rod-tying thread in different diameters. The Gudebrod ones are the ones I tend to choose but I am sure others are also suitable. Certainly, the Gudebrod A (finest), D, and E, all absorb water well, which makes them even more supple, and they sink.
If using different breaking strain hooklinks – which I used to do, but rarely do now – you can take advantage of the different tying thread colours for easy identification. Let’s say brown for 15lb, green for 20lb, black for 25lb and so on. Now to the tag end between the stiff part of my combi-rig and the hook. I have used lots of different materials over the years. Working in the tackle trade for so long I have been fortunate enough to receive all sorts of samples, but the hooklink braid I keep going back to is Dynon SK 22lb. This is another product which looks, and handles, far better when wet. Most hooklink materials need to be wet to appreciate their true properties. I like this braided section to be around the same length as the shank of the hook so it ends up shorter than most combi-links I see in common use. The 22lb strain may sound a little excessive in some cases, but I am paranoid about the cutting effect some of the ultra-fine braids have on the carp’s lips. 22lb is what I use unless there is a fishery rule stopping me. The joining knot I use to the stiff section of the hooklink reduces the breaking strain to around 17lb. Another important point here is knowing what your tied rigs actually stand up to. You may be surprised at what strength they actually break at if you put them to the test, and it is likely to be quite a bit less than you think. The main stiff section of the hooklink I vary a little, but I usually opt for 25lb Maxima Chameleon. This, in my opinion, has just the right amount of flexibility. I don’t like this part of the combi link to be too stiff but it does need a certain amount of rigidity to prevent tangles. Maxima is a lovely line to work with. It ties easily without the associated crinkling effect found in many other monos. The colour and finish is spot-on too.
Video Tutorial on this rig: Shaun’s Rig
Many lines reflect the light in clear shallow water, giving the impression they are silver, regardless of what colour they actually are. The only downside I see to Maxima is that you can only purchase the 25lb in the UK in 600mtr (660yd) spools. The other breaking strains are available in 100mtr spools, which may sound more sensible for the amount I use on a hooklink, but even so, if it was available on 100mtr spools I would still purchase the 600 size as it comes on lovely wide spools which means the line suffers very little memory. When I look at the cost of some of the hooklink materials available, a bulk spool of Maxima is neither here nor there. My one spool will last me many years – in fact I will be surprised if I ever have to buy one again! I said previously that I sometimes vary the material used on the stiff section of the link. Sometimes in the depths of winter when the water clarity allows so much more to be seen, I use fluorocarbon lines. I mean ‘proper’ fluorocarbon – not fluorocarbon-coated lines. Find a good one and they practically disappear from view. I have used quite a few different ones now but the one which has really stood the test of time is the 22lb Riverge Grand Max. Only on very rare occasions do I drop down to 18lb. Again, these are less prone to breakages when wet and knotted, so do your tests. There we have the four components of my rigs. The end attached to the swivel I cover with either a piece of neoprene sleeve or one of the newer tapered hooklink rubbers. I have used both the Fox and the Korda, both of which I trim a little shorter, and I have found the Korda to be better for distance casting.
I know many anglers attach combi-type rigs to the swivel with a loop. I definitely prefer to sleeve it. Although you rarely wind in a tangled loop end, they don’t always sit that well underwater after the cast. I am also quite confident that they tangle at times but untangle themselves when you wind back in. No, I prefer the sleeved end. This is also why I don’t like the stiff section to be too stiff. I like to drop the lead off when playing big fish so favour pendant-style leads on safety clips rather than in-lines. I cut the swivels off all my leads and replace them with oval split rings. This gives me two different breakout tensions in the clip and cuts down the lead pivot distance. Oval split rings are single-wired on one side and double-looped wire on the other side. The single-wire side disconnects very easily.
Past the clip and going up the line I use leadcore, where allowed, which I attach to my main line loop to loop, obviously ensuring that any clip or rubber I may be using will easily pass over this join.
Recently, due to the many leadcore bans in place, I have been trying out various diff erent heavy tubing materials. One thing I have done, which I haven’t seen in print before, is to slide several short sections of tubing on my line first before the main section of anti-tangle tubing, which simply needs to be longer than the hooklink. These fly back up the line on a long cast, acting like mini flying backleads. In the edge they help to pin down your line on uneven ground and are visually less conspicuous than a fixed length of tubing. Similar to a chain following the contours, rather than a stiff drinking straw lying across an indentation.
Please, don’t use this system in conjunction with a shockleader though, as the tubing is unlikely to pass over the knot. This is the reason I prefer leadcore to tubing. If a leader is in place and a crack-off occurs, then the lead may well detach, but if tubing slides up the line with the lead still in place, a concertina effect is almost guaranteed making sure the carp is well and truly tethered with several yards of line in tow.
Best Fishes
Shaun
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