Carp Catchers Blog

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

The Claw rig is a very effective bottom bait rig. With no shrink tube or rigs rings its also very simple to tie.

For the purpose of this demonstration I used the Korda Hybrid Stiff Coated Braid, a Korda Kurv Shank  Hook and a 3mm length of the Korda Silicone Tubing.

Step 1.

Remove roughly 4 inches of coating from the Korda Hybrid stiff hooklink and tie a small overhand loop in the stripped end.

Step 2.

Now thread a 3mm section of Silicone tubing onto the hooklink.

Step 3.

Then pass the hook point through the silicone tubing towards the loop tied in step 1. Make sure not the snag the hookpoint in the braid on the way through as this could damage the hooklink.

Step 4.

Thread the hooklink through the back of the eye and then thread your choosen hookbait onto the hair and secure it with a bait stop. Set the hair with about a 1cm gap between the hookbait and hook.

Step 5.

Now whip the hooklink up the shank of the hook 6 times before passing it through the back of the eye to create a knotless knot. 

Step 6.

Next thread two of the small Korda Sinkers onto the hooklink. It is easier the strip a small amount of coating off the end of hooklink as the coating makes it too thick to get the sinkers on.

Step 7.

Tie a figure of eight knot in the end of the hooklink.

Double over the end of the hooklink and create a loop like so….

Then pass the end of the doubled over loop through the loop just created….

And again….

Moisten the knot and pull it tight.

Step 8.

Position the Korda Sinkers evenly apart along the hooklink and gently steam it straight over a kettle.

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

Due to the stiffness and nature of this rig it is best fished over firm/hard lakes beds.

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

Tying a pop-up to a D-ring is sometimes necessary when using pop-ups which lose their buoyancy if pierced with a baiting needle. A lot of anglers just don’t have the confidence to tie pop ups because they feel the pop ups may come off on the cast. But if you use the slip knot demonstated below there should be no danger of them coming off . The Bait Floss used in this demonstration was the ESP Bait Floss.

Step 1.

Remove about 4 inches of Bait Floss from the spool and form an overhand loop. (See picture below)

Step 2.

Now form another smaller overhand loop inside that and pass the tag end through both. (See pictures below)

Step 3.

Tighten the smaller loop to form a knot this will now have formed a slip knot with the bigger loop. (See picture below)

Step 4.

Place your chosen pop up inside to loop and slowly tighten it down until it grips the bait, then tighten it fully making sure it tightens down into the pop up. If the pop ups your using are not soft enough for this to happen I find it helps to make a small groove in the pop up for the bait floss to sit in. (See picture below)

Step 5.

Now tie the bait to your rig with 3-4 overhand knots and blob the tag ends with a lighter being careful not to burn the rig or your fingers. (See picture below)

The bait should now be secure enough to stay on your rig for the entire period it’s in the water, give it some practice so you’re confident enough if you have to do it on the bank.

Tight lines

Dave