The Evolution of Ben Hamilton's D-Rig

“It is a simple D-Rig, but on the ‘D’ I have a small Hook Ring Swivel for extra movement. We used to use this with a straight bottom bait, but overtime we found it to sit better and work more efficiently with a balanced bait. We started off by plugging baits with some cork, but then Scotty K showed me a neat little trick he does with his putty. He drills some of the pop-up out and replaces it with some putty instead. This means he could use a small bait but have it ultra-balanced. This just helps negate the weight of the hook when the fish sucked it in. After watching carp feed for thousands of hours, this really is an edge.

Amnesia is easy to work with and super-stiff

The rotary set-up has always been his preferred arrangement for out in the pond

“I still use cork in my tigers, but when it comes to boilie fishing, I use out-the-pot Krill Wafters. They sit lovely with this rig, with the hook lying flat and the bait sitting just over it. I do like to glug them up in some L-Zero 30-T and GLM powder, which will affect the buoyancy. I then add a small bit of cork to them, if they are sitting a little bit heavy. If I am fishing out in the pond and over a bit of boilies, this is my go-to rig, however, the spot has to be clean for me to use the Amnesia.

Adding the putty to the base of the pop-up means it’s incredibly neat and refined

I do like to add some L-Zero 30-T and GLM powder to my hookbaits

“In terms of lead set-up, I have always fished paternoster style when out in the pond. I feel that it just sits perfectly on nearly every lakebed. If the silt is bad, I can simply lift the top bead. Equally, if the gravel is firm, I can lower the top bead, it’s as simple as that. Combined with my stiff rig, I know that it won’t tangle. The only thing I really worry about is the movement of the hookbait. To sort that, I simply tuck a bit of rig foam around it to trap the bait.”