Gaz Fareham Rigs 28-11-2018 08:25:00

Gaz Fareham's Big Fish Boilie Rig

Gaz has always been a big fan of the Hinge Stiff Rig...

I have always been a big fan of the Hinge Stiff Rig; I love the hooking mechanics and have found it to be super-efficient. Like many, I used the traditional version for a long time, but after seeing the success Marcus Howarth was having with this variation of it a few years back, I had to give it a try.

Just with boilies

I use it mainly when I am fishing boilies exclusively. I like to keep the pop-up section to no more an a few inches off the lakebed and I think it works best when you fish over a nice spread of boilie. I like using it with a softer boom section, which still allows the rig to kick away and reset from the lead but isn’t so stiff that it doesn’t offer that flexibility when the fish approaches the bait from a different direction rather than face on to the hook and then can’t flip round so easily. This is what I have found with the stiffer materials, like fluorocarbon for example: they don’t offer the flexibility that braid does, which is why I tend to use the coated braids more nowadays. It maximises the potential of the rig and will sit nicely over most lakebeds. I’ll happily fish it over light weed, silt or any clear bottom, and at a good length too, maybe eight-inches. I like a longer link when fishing over a spread of boilie and for bigger fish, as I feel it allows them to graze and have a better chance of hooking themselves.

Hook patterns

I have been using the new Thinking Anglers OE pattern of hook for this rig, which is designed for rigs such as the Hinge and Chod. They have been awesome and I use them in a size 5, being super strong and sharp. Marcus and I had 21 bites between us last week and we didn’t lose one fish, which says a lot, especially when angling for pressured and big fish.

A cracking common caught using this rig over. a spread of boilies

Hooklink material

I’ve been using the 35lb Tungskin for the boom and attaching my Chod end section to this with an Albright Knot. I like to leave a little bit of stripped back before the knot, just to give it that flexibility and allows the pop-up to stand up straight. The reason for the 35lb Tungskin is I feel it has a nice weight to it and sits nicely as a boom. It is super tough and robust and is fairly subtle too, which helps when the fish sucks in the bait.

Last few bits…

The only thing I do that is different from a standard Chod section is to use a Hook Ring Swivel instead of a standard rig ring; it offers so much more movement on the bait - and the hook too, as it ensures it can spin.

The baiting situation does vary but generally it’s a spread, or even a tightly baited area, the main thing is using whole baits, not smaller items like hemp or particles. In that situation the fish will graze as opposed to dig out the bottom and this is a super consistent big fish rig for boilie fishing.