Elliott Gray on the Hinge Rig

Undoubtedly my favourite and often my first choice of rig. This variation of one of carp fishing’s most effective big carp rigs is one I will rely on forever. It’s a very versatile presentation and allows me to place a hookbait almost anywhere.

The boom section beneath the hooking section can be adjusted to suit certain types of lakebed. Generally I’ll use it at a length of nine-inches, this can be increased though if necessary due to light weed for example. Using a coated braid rather than the traditional Amnesia boom enables me to have more versatility, laying flush to most lakebeds more comfortably. This boom is used to kick the bait out and away from the lead, ensuring the rig lands flat every time, not looped up. Adding a small piece of putty to the boom section and then using a highly buoyant pop-up, which causes the hook section to sink slowly, guarantees that this will happen.

I will always start at nine-inches when using my variation of the Hinged Stiff Link, lengthening it when necessary

Adding a small piece of putty to the middle of the boom section will help to kick the bait out and away from the lead

The bait is always a corkball pop-up or a standard pop-up that has been plugged with cork – the cork being vital. The buoyancy of a bait will change as the water surrounding it slowly penetrates its skin. Cork within the bait not only decreases the amount of boilie that can absorb water but it also aids massively with maintaining buoyancy. This helps to ensure that your rig performs equally as well after several hours in the lake.

I can and do use this rig for pretty much any situation by simply adapting the height of the pop-up section. This is always dictated by how tightly spread any free offerings are that I might have introduced. The style of baiting also dictates when I will switch over to a conventionally tall Chod Rig. I will use the Hinge Rig as low as one-inch or as tall as two-and-a-half-inches, anything above that and it’s Chod time. The tighter spread the baits are, the shorter the pop-up must be.

The effect of water absorption

1 Once a bait has been out all night it will have taken on water, this is what makes the cork so important.

2 If you cut into the shell you will notice the flavour infused water leak out as shown right here.

3 Carefully halving the bait can be a real eye-opener – look how much water is inside the skin.