Carp Catchers Blog

Some new products from Korda this time. The new Korda Mouth Trap is a purposely designed chod hooklink. It is much easier to use than other chod hooklinks and does not need steaming to shape it. Mouth Trap has a really carpy olive tint to it which makes it blend in really well. For more information or to purchase please click on the above link. The Korda Kontour Fluorocarbon Mainline has been in developement for three years. It sinks like a brick, has high abrasion resistance and casts exceptionally well. Kontour is very soft in comparison to other fluorocarbon mainlines making it very user friendly. Due to its true knot strength, Kontour will be strong and reliable. The Korda Solidz PVA Bags  are manufactured at Korda to stringent specifications using the highest film available. The Solidz PVA Bags have a virtually neutral PH, melt rapidly are extremely robust and come with a Free Bag Loader. There is zero residue when the Solidz melt and they are completely aroma free. They come in four sizes so should be suitable for most baiting situations. Finally we have the Korda Skywinder Spod which is a modified version of Skyraider Spod. The Skywinder is designed as a boilie rocket or to deliver maggots at range. For more information or to purchase any of the above please click on the links.

                                                               Korda MouthTrap

                                     Korda Kontour Fluorocarbon Mainline

                                                       Korda Solidz PVA Bags

                                                       Korda Skywinder Spod

Best Fishes,

John

Customer Sean has just come back from a short session in France.  This what he had to say “ Just got back from my mates in France, we didn’t get on the lake we had planned, but did manage to do 3 nights on another lake and banked 8 carp.
All fish where caught on Dynamite Baits Frenzied Monster Tiger Nuts  on a size 5 ESP Big T, tied to 20lb  Snake Bite.
Fish where stunning and went like stink and can’t wait to get back over there, soon hopefully!!!. ”

Well done Sean, thanks for the report.

Best Fishes,

John

This is a simple surface rig that will compliment the Korda Surface Controllers or any other surface set up.

To tie this rig you will need some Korda Cruiser Control Surface Line, Korda Mixa Hooks, some Enterprise Imitation Dog Biscuits and a Korda Size 11 Ring Swivel.

Step 1.

Remove about 3-4 foot of Korda Kruiser Control Surface Line and tie a small loop knot in one end.

Step 2.

Now thread on an Enterprise Imitation Dog Biscuit. Place one of the supplied shot in the hair loop and pinch in place, then pull it tightly into the recess in the biscuit.

Step 3.

Pass the other end of the line through the back of the eye of the Korda Mixa hook and position it below the bait. Then hook the imitation mixer on the side opposite the shot.

Step 4.

Whip the line up the shank of the hook 6 times making sure the first whip goes away from the join in the eye.

Step 5.

Now whip the line once back down the shank of the hook.

Step 6.

Pass the line through the back of the eye again and moisten before tightening down gently.

Step 7.

Now slide the hook round further so the shank is inside the imitation dog biscuit with the point of the hook free to get a hook hold.

Step 8.

Tie the other end of the hooklink to a size 11 ring swivel using a palomar knot. Double over the end of the hooklink and pass it though the big eye of the swivel.

Step 9.

Now form an overhand knot in the doubled over section of the hooklink around the swivel.

Step 10.

Pass the swivel through the loop in the end of the hooklink which was made when the overhand knot was formed.

Step 11.

Moisten the knot and tighten it down gently before trimming the tag end.

The rig is now ready to be attached to your surface setup and cast out.

Give it a go.

Tight Lines

Dave

Triggalink is a revolutionary hooklink braid. It is woven with PVA which once in water it melts drawing in the braid and becomes an elasticated, self hooking rig. Carp do not know how to deal with Triggalink due to the elasticity which makes it hard for them to use the weight of the lead to throw the hook. The elasticity in the braid doesn’t allow them to make contact with the lead without the hook penetrating and taking hold. Triggalink is proven to enhance hook holds, especially when fishing barbless hooks and in weed.

To tie this rig I used Nash Triggalink, Nash The Missing Link, a Nash Safety Bolt Bead Ring Swivel and a Nash Fang Gaper Hook.

Step 1.

Strip 8 inches of Missing Link and tie a small hair loop in one end.

Step 2.

Now thread your choosen bait onto the hair with a baiting needle and secure it in place with a bait stop. 

Step 3.

Pass the other end of the missing link through the back of the eye and set a gap of about 6mm between the top of the hook and the bait.

Step 4.

Whip the missing link up the shank of the hook 5-6 times…..

….Before passing the tag end through the back of the eye again.

Step 5.

Now cut 12 inches of Triggalink off the spool and hold it along side the tag end of the missing link with your hook and bait attached to.

Step 6.

While continuing to hold the two along side each other create a loop with the triggalink.

Step 7.

Take the shorter end of the Triggalink and pass it round the Missing link and through the loop created 4 times.

Step 8.

Now create a loop with the Missing link along side the Triggalink.

Step 9.

Pass the tag end of the Missing link around the Triggalink and through the loop 4 times.

Step 10.

Now moisten both knots and tighten them down gently before butting them up together. Then trim the tag ends and blob them with a lighter.

Step 11.

Pass the tag end of the Triggalink through the ring on the ring swivel.

Step 12.

Create a loop with the tag end alongside the length of Triggalink tied to the Missing link.

Step 13.

Pass the tag end around the Trigga link and through the loop 5 times.

Step 14.

Moisten the knot and tighten gently, then trim the tag end.

The rig is now complete.

The length of the Triggalink when the rig is complete measures approximately 6 1/2 inches.

Once wet the PVA in the Triggalink melts and contracts the braid. Shortening it to approximately 5 1/2 inches.

This is worth baring in mind when tying a rig with Triggalink as it will always end up shorter once wet. This rig is known as a Combi-Link Rig and can be used with either bottom or pop up hookbaits. If you wish to use a pop up, mould some tungsten putty, such as Kryston Heavy Metal Plus , around the knot in the two hooklinks.

Tight Lines

Dave

The Shot On The Hair Rig is basically a bottom bait rig with a small shot added to the hair to allow a pop-up hookbait to be used. This completely alters how the rig to reacts to how it would with a bottom bait. The hookbait is allowed to move more naturally due to it’s bouyancy and the length of the hair. The shot on the hair allows you to either critically balance or overweight the pop up hookbait.  The nature of supple braid allows the hookbait to be picked up with minimal resistance and the pattern of the hook means the point hangs low below the hookbait helping it to grab hold. The simplicity of The Shot On The Hair Rig makes it easy to tie and it minimises the bulky components such as shrink tubing used on some rigs.

For the purpose of this demonstration I used the Korda Supernatural Hooklink, a Korda Kurv Shank Hook and a No.4 split shot. The shot size is determined by the size and bouyancy of your choosen pop-up, the bigger and more bouyant the pop-up the larger the shot. I found a No.4 shot to work perfectly with a 14mm Richworth Pineapple Hawaiian Pop Ups  although it varies between different makes and types of pop-ups.

Step 1.

Cut 14″ of Korda Supernatural from the spool and tie a small overhand loop knot in one end.

Step 2.

Thread on your choosen pop-up and secure in place with a bait stop.

Step 3.

For this version of the rig pinch the shot onto the hooklink below the pop-up. This will give you a slow sinking hookbait which is almost critically balanced. We will show you an alternative version of this rig, which has  the shot positioned differently, soon.

Step 4.

Thread the Korda Kurv Shank Hook onto the hooklink passing the braid though the back of the eye to the front and position the bait about 6mm from the top of the hook.

Step 5.

Now whip the hooklink up the shank of the hook 6-7 times and then pass the hooklink through the back of the eye to the front to finish the knot.

Step 6.

Double over the other end of the hooklink.

Step 7.

Then form a loop with the doubled over section of the hooklink.

Step 8.

Now pass the end of the doubled over section around the bottom and through the back of the loop created in step 7.

This creates the figure of eight, if you get this eight shape then you have done it right.

If you struggle with tying the knot then try this method. Alternative Figure of Eight Loop Knot.

Step 9.

Now gently tighten down the knot and trim the tag end.

The rig is now complete and ready to be attached to your lead setup.

The rig is best fished of with a small Dynamite Stick or PVA Mesh Bag thread down the hooklink over the hook to avoid tangles.

Tight Lines

Dave

Its getting to that time of year again when maggots are becoming more widely used due to them being such an effective winter bait. Have a go at tying this rig and see how you get on.

The components used in this demonstration were the Korda IQ2 Xtra Soft Fluorocarbon , Korda Wide Gape  hook size 8 and  Korda Micro Rig Swivel.

Step 1.

After cutting your required length of fluorocarbon tie on a Korda Wide Gape using a knotless knot making sure to whip round the shank twice on the way back down to the eye. 

Step 2.

Now thread a micro rig swivel onto the tag end above the hook.

Step 3.

Then pass the tag end through the back of the eye to the front and trim the tag end down to about 3-4mm. This will have created a D shape on the back of the shank for the swivel to move on.

Step 4.

Holding the hooklength out of the way slowly blob the tag end with a lighter to secure it in place. Make sure not to burn the hooklink as this will damage the fluorocarbon and increase the chance of it breaking. Also take care not to burn yourself.

Step 5.

To finish the rig tie a figure of eight knot in the other end setting the desired length of rig you require and trim the tag end.

The finished rig should look like this.

This rig works best with a large bunch of maggots and a couple of imitation pop-up maggots to help counter the weight of the hook. This rig isn’t strictly a maggot rig and can be used with other baits as well. 

The knots used in this demonstration can be found in previous blogs by using the search bar on the top right hand side of the page.

Give it a go.

Tight Lines

Dave

We now have two new products from ESP and Drennan in stock. The NEW ESP Two Tone Striptease Hooklink  material is marginally thinner in diameter and more rigid than the original stripteaze. It is a tightly woven Dyneema core with a translucent polymer coating and has a specific gravity of 1.25 meaning it will lay flat on the lake bed without the need for additional weight. It comes on 20m spools of 15lb, 20lb and 25lb although ESP claim it obtained average higher breaking weights than stated with a carefully tied 5 turn Grinner knot.

The second product to arrive in the shop recently are the NEW  Drennan Buoyant Maggots . These are available in a mixture of shapes and sizes in Natural, Fluorescent or Bloodworm red colours. The range of size means they can have a diverse range of uses from popped up baits to critically balanced bottom baits. They can also be fishing in conjunction with other artificial or real baits as a bait cocktail. The maggots are pineapple flavour and have been dusted with food grade starch powder, although this flavour can be over-ridden with more concentrated flavours. These are a perfect little addition to your winter tactics. For more information or to purchase follow the above links.

Tight Lines

Dave

Tying a zig rig is simple, all you need is a good hooklink material like the Ultima Power Zig, a strong hook and a small section of silicone tubing.

The rig components used in this demonstration were Ultima Power Zig hooklink, ESP Big T Carp Hook and ESP Silicone Tube .

Step 1.

Cut the Ultima Power Zig to your desired length.

Step 2.

Now tie a small overhand loop in one end for your hair stop and thread on your desired choice of pop-up or foam followed by a bait stop.

Step 3.

Then cut a small section (2-3mm) of silicone tubing and thread it onto your zig hooklink.

Step 4.

Now thread the point of the hook through the silicone tubing heading towards the bait and set the hair length at about 2-3mm with the tubing sitting at the top of the shank.

Step 5.

Now tie a knotless knot and don’t forget to whip the hooklink back round the knot once on the way towards the eye to prevent it from slipping.

Step 6.

To finish the zig rig off tie a figure of eight knot at the other end.

The zig rig is now finished and ready to use.

If you are not sure about any of the knots use the Carp Catchers Blog search bar to navigate to the relevant knot

Tight lines

Dave

This Carp Catchers Blog is going to show how to tie the 5 Turn Twice Through The Eye Clinch Knot. The Clinch Knot is an improvement on the blood knot. It was devised by carp fishing pioneer Jim Gibbinson and is a real belt and braces knot. The 5 turn clinch knot is normally used to attach swivels but there is no reason it could not be used to attach hooks. Ok carp catchers lets get started.

Step 1

Thread your line through the swivel

Step 2

Thread it through again

Step 3

Pull the tag end through about 6” from the swivel and lay alongside the mainline or hooklink

Step 4

Whip the tag up over the mainline or hooklink back towards the swivel as per photo. Do this 5 times

Step 5

Tread the tag end through the loop created at the swivel end

Step 6

Thread the tag end through the loop created at the opposite end to the swivel

Step 7

Moisten and carefully bed down the knot. Cut off tag end

                                                                                      5 Turn Clinch Knot

Best fishes,

John

This Carp Catchers Blog is for those of you who like or would like too do a spot of surface carp fishing. It is fairly easy but there many people that are new to carp fishing so here goes.

These are the components needed for the set up.

Step 1

Loop your mainline through one of the Line/Rig Stops  loops

Step 2

Push one of the line stops towards your mainline

Step 3

Push the line stop onto the mainline loop

Step 4

Push line off mainline onto the mainline itself

Step 5

Cut off the kink in mainline caused by looping it

Step 6

Pull the line stop right up your mainline and thread the mainline through your TFG Surface Missile

Step 7

Tie on one of the size 11 ESP Hi Performance Carp Swivels  using a Palomar Knot

Step 8

Pull the Surface Missile up tight to the swivel

Step 9

Pull the line stop up to the back of the missile. This is what will give a bolt effect to the rig

Step 10

The finished rig. Tie on your hooklink and you are ready to go

This is a carp safe rig in that most surface fishing hooklinks are of a light breaking strain. Should the mainline break the line stop will come off fairly easily. The whitish or opaque finish of the missile will blend in with the whitish/light blue of the background(sky). Don’t forget the carp are looking up!!

Best fishes,

John