6 simple ways to attach your hookbaits

Chod Rigs (i.e. a small 'D')

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Chod rigs: where do I start? This set-up is quite aggressive as a rule, with the hookbait being held near the eye end of the hook on a small ‘D’ leaving the hook point open to catch on anything that cares to have a suck. The bait can be attached in a couple of different ways here, but my preferred method is to use a short length of fluorocarbon. I first pass the fluoro through the ring or swivel; pull the two tag ends through the bait (pop-up); push the bait down to the rig ring; and then trim off to leave 10mm tags of fluoro which are then blobbed carefully with a lighter and this will create a bait stop.

ANY LITTLE EDGES?
I’ve always worked on how easy a carp can get my rig in its mouth, so I keep my curve to a minimum really. Using a micro swivel gives my little pop-up more movement and this I see as a good thing when compared to the one-way movement of a small ring. When choosing the right bait, as in weight or buoyancy, I’ve had great success on almost a wafter with my Chods rather than a very buoyant pop-up. If you think about it, with a very buoyant pop-up it’s always trying to pull the hook point away from the carp’s mouth; food for thought!

PRO’S AND CONS
The Chod set-up is great for a big cast or can be used as a single hookbait, but amongst bait there are better rigs that are less suspicious to a carp in clear waters.

Ringed Blowback (i.e. a standard Hair)

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This way of bait attachment covers a lot more rigs than just this one here, but my favourite is the Ringed Blowback. Having a loop on the end, a multitude of hookbaits can be attached at will, from plastic baits to boilies or even a mixture of the two! This type of bait attachment works great for bottom bait fishing and I do favour a snowman as I tend to fish silty venues and the slightly taller hookbait sits well in the soft lakebed. With the Hair enabling the bait to be blown out of the way, this helps you hook find secure place to take hold.

ANY LITTLE EDGES?
Using a rig ring on the Hair makes life easier and gives me something to measure from when making the rig in the first place and helps the whole rig reset itself after a roach or bream has had a go at eating, leaving it ready for the carp to pick-up. With this Hair set-up, I always use a snowman as a rule and from the base of the bottom bait to the ring I set the length at a minimum of half the bottom bait used. This ensures the bait won’t hamper the hook and in-turn leaves the hook lying flat on the lakebed. Also use a large loop on the Hair itself as this will stop the bottom bait slipping.

PRO’S AND CONS
This is my main ‘take-anywhere rig’ and with its subtle hooklink it can be used in a solid bag or on most lakebeds or baiting situations. The only down side to this one is the odd tangle on a big cast.

Multi Rig (i.e. loops)

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A nice little way of getting baits ready for multiple catches here and that’s to tie them ready on loops of Hair braid or bait floss, all of which are attached to a rig ring ready for action. The whole rig is quite clever as it starts life as two loops in a coated braid, one small for attaching to the lead system and the other for attaching the rig ring and looping over the hook. The adjustable ‘D’ is set on the large side for bottom baits as this helps turn the hook and small for pop-ups (in a similiar way to a ‘D’ rig set-up which I just talked about), because, as the name suggests, ‘Multi Rig’, it can be used for both styles of hookbait presentation.

ANY LITTLE EDGES?
The Hair/loops can be made ready to change if bites are coming thick and fast, in the same breath a blunted hook can be as quickly changed or even swapped over for a different size. When used as a pop-up set-up, the size of the larger loop will govern how high it sits off the lakebed, so keep that in mind when tying them for that purpose.

PRO’S AND CONS
The Multi Rig really is a full-on ‘take-anywhere rig’. With its coated braid (I like to use a 20lb version) it will even handle a good cast without the fear of a tangle. But without sounding odd, I do think it’s a slight compromise between the two set-ups, bottom rig and pop-up rig.

KD Rig (i.e. a long Hair)

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This slightly-off-set Hair looks very different to most other set-ups. Thanks to the Hair exiting right near the eye, it makes the hook point heavy and acts cumbersome as it rattles around a carp’s mouth. This type of Hair set-up can give you some strange hook holds when compared to other rigs which nail in the bottom lip. But with all that said, it does catch more than its fair share of fish with its shotted down pop-up hookbait. A curved shank, straight-pointed hook like a Mugga is best used for this carp-grabbing type set-up, along with a supple braid to give it some rope. A long Hair that’s well shotted down makes this act like no other rig out there, so is certainly one to give a go.

ANY LITTLE EDGES?
I found this to work better nailed to the lakebed with its supple braid, this sits nice over most lakebed chod and debris. Attach the bait first and hold just above the bend of the hook before you start whipping; the Hair may look long but it works best that way. With such a long Hair, thread through a PVA bag to stop any Hair tangles on the cast.

PRO’S AND CONS
The KD Rig has a lot going for it: easy to tie and it’s hard for the carp to deal with, not to mention as with my other supple rig it will sit over any lakebed, well, within reason! The only down side is the hook holds can be a little unpredictable.

Reverse Combi Rig (i.e. blobbed fluoro)

MOST SUITED FOR…
The way the bait is attached here is the same as the Chod Rig really, but this is one that’s set-up to be used as a wafter type rig. This rig catches more fish that some would like to admit to; it’s a bit like a Chod with rope! Using a very small pop-up or a bit of plastic (buoyant plastic maggots work great with this one) either tied on or blobbed. The trick here is to rest the hook point on the lakebed and have the baits hovering just above waiting to catch a carp’s eye. It’s a really clever little set-up which has been mega successful for me in the past.

ANY LITTLE EDGES?
Not wanting to add putty to the hook, I use the weight of a large hook to counterbalance the hookbait here. A little lead wire in the 10mm pop-up or one sinking piece of plastic corn sat under some floating maggots soon gets it sorted! To keep the sliding weight in place during the cast, tie a piece of PVA tape or string just above it on the hooklink material.

PRO’S AND CONS
My Reverse Combi is a great riggy fish-catcher and on a place where they have seen most rigs it’s well worth a go! On the down side they only seem to last for one bite before it all goes out of shape, but when you’re after a special fish, it only takes a bite, so I can put up with having to retie a few of them!

Safe 360ş Rig (i.e. bait floss)

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Bait floss can be used for most rigs and baits. With the natural swelling of boilies, with a lasso of bait floss around them they get more secure the longer they sit in the water. An important plus point with this method is unlike any other method: the bait doesn’t get pierced in any way. Some pop-ups such as corkballs, cork-dust or even tiny glass balls, it doesn’t really matter if the skin gets punctured, unlike some other food-based pop-ups where a skin needs to be left intact. This method of attaching a bait is perfect for pop-up rigs such as my Safe 360ş Rig; anything that has a rig ring to attach the pop-ups. This one has a hook bead to hold the rig ring in place, as the Hair has been passed back to attach the slip shot too, which pulls off if it gets caught in your net while landing a fish.

ANY LITTLE EDGES?
Always keep the hook bead opposite the hook barb; this will help the rig lean forward, ready to claw at anything that sucks it in! To keep the counter balance split shot front and centre, I just line-aligner it into the bottom of the shrink tubing before I steam a gentle curve in.

PRO’S AND CONS
The safe 360ş Rig seems to come good in spring to early summer when the crud is lifting off the lakebeds, at that time of year the carp can get a bit picky about feeding off the bottom.