Elliott Gray on the Tall Chod Rig
Elliott Gray explains how the right hookbait can turn a ‘good rig’ into an ‘exceptional one’
When using a wide spread of boilies or fishing with single hookbaits over unknown ground I will use tall Chod Rigs on leadcore. The wider the baits are from each other, the taller a pop-up you can get away with, and the taller it is, the harder they find it to eject. The stiff hook section cannot just be spat out when it’s a long one. The carp tilt down on to the bait, having come in from above and before they know it, it’s in their mouth. The Chod Rig relies on a buoyant pop-up, which I like to anchor with the weight of the leadcore, the swivel and some putty. This applies a lot of pressure between the ultra-sharp hook point and the mouth, resulting in a hooked fish. The slight curve in the hook section performs just like the Withy does, turning the hook point towards the bottom lip. It’s the buoyancy in the bait that makes this happen more freely.
Aside from this rig, I have also played with quite the opposite to the tall Chod, having had results on a very, very short version.
The two Chod Rigs that I use, side-by-side. The Tall Chod: ideal for wider spread bait or single hookbait fishing in unknown territory