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I only use chods and zigs when I believe there is no other method that can catch them in the given situation. I've caught plenty so imo you are missing out boys. When they're nuts deep in heavy weed it has to be a chod. When they're mid-water it has to be a zig.

Keeping things simple is the way forward mate, I’m always tinkering with rigs admittedly when at home, but on the bank i revert to simple rigs I know work, coupled with a bait I have complete confidence in means I can rest assured that those two elements are working for me, I can “forget” about them and concentrate on location and tactics. The best rig in the world can’t catch a carp that isn’t there!

Many moons ago I played with a similar version but the D went all the way back down the hooklink to the swivel (instead of back through the eye). It worked well but I can't be bothered to tie them anymore. I dont think it makes a huge difference over a standard chod. I do think the chod can be improved by adding a tiny boom (like 1 or 2 inches, like a tiny hinge rig). This gives the rig the movement the standard chod lacks, and solves problems with the lead bouncing the hook out during the fight too.

Totally mate. Loads of guys struggle with that when it comes to zigs, and I struggled with it before catching on them too. There was a tip on here from @nigewoodcock (not sure he visits anymore). He suggested leaving all your bait at home and just taking a pot of foam - so you're forced to go all in on the zigs. That is a great tip as sooner or later you'll have them, and once you have them those confidence issues disappear.

I'm pretty much the same I made a really zany version of a chod rig last year, in my head it's probably, really, really, difficult to eject, but I've never had the balls to try it 😂

ESP Tungsten Loaded is all I use, I like to keep things simple and just fish bottom baits and sometimes a snowman, simple knotless knot rig with a bit of shrink tubing.. I struggle to have confidence in other rigs lol.

Your d is acting like a stiff hair do you have any movement after the hook elmo I’ve used really stiff hairs with no movement in and found you couldn’t say where the hook was going to be top lip etc that was my own findings if it was a small combi it works nicely and if you reverse it keep the stiff d but tie a short length of braid then the stiff bit that works awesome

I used to use these many years ago. I used to pull a 1.5 inch piece of shrink tube down the rig that I'd pull over the eye and then steam. Can't for the life of me recall what the make of shrink tube was but it was very stiff. I basically made the bent hook rig, which was banned pretty much everywhere by then. I smashed the lake up I was on at the time for a short while until a bailiff clocked my rig when I was unhooking a fish. Told me the bent hook rig was banned to which I argued that it was shrink tube and not a bent hook. I was told to stop using it or I'd be banned. I wouldn't have minded if the carp had mouth damage etc but it was nailed bang centre. So I then went onto the long shank nailer hook 😂

that's the one mate, thanks for posting the video it's nice to see its history. Looks a good rig for bottom baits 👍

Have a look at my post below in this section where do you start with Goo, that may help you a bit, I haven't used any of my hookbaits yet but they smell good 😂 It is Pva friendly and can be used with mesh , I've just been soaking a few tubs of hookbaits so far though, I will dribble some on mesh though

This one mate

Yep just can’t change the hook as easy

Ditto

Yeah it was like an anti eject chod type thing. I cant remember how I attached the bait, probs just on a rig ring mate.

So the long d version did you still use a swivel or bait screw? I guess the idea is the bait blows down to the swivel so it can't be used to loosen the hook? Good idea, 👍 The thinking behind mine is it just keeps springing back into the mouth like it's on a spring 😂 I wanted to add a video but I need to change the file type or something 😒

That's not a bad shout, I have tried a bit with zigs but never confidently, I was going to use them a bit more this winter but that hasn't materialised so far, Chods I have also tried a bit I can see me using those more often I think, I should have more last year tbh, but didn't quite see how useful they can be, This is my so solid chod rig 😁 it's basically like a normal chod but with a massive D that you use to hold the bait on with, basically the bait won't blowback like any other rig and in theory will be super tough to eject? I would be interested to hear thoughts on it BTW my thoughts on it are that it could be revolutionary or completely terrible 😁

No I've not bought the trolling motor or sonar yet - no rush with lockdown, the ressies are closed anyway. Good luck down the canal 👍

I’ve never used a chord rig used a new style zig once and caught on it

Very true mate, for me it’s the confidence factor, I’ve tried both methods yet haven’t got a take. It’s a gap in my skill set that I need to address. Zigs especially, chod wise I don’t hit many scenarios (if at all) where I can’t present my favoured pop up rig. Although this is set to change when I can get on the rivers after lockdown, they are weedy in places and a choddie will probably be the best option. Admittedly, I have missed out on chances where carp are coming to zigs, yet when I try, they are very haphazard and I’m beaten before I’ve started. The confidence factor again.

Sounds like worthwhile research 👍

Neither have I 😂

I have had a few on choddies, but wouldn’t have a clue where to start with Zigs ( me and my mate keep saying we are going to try Zigs, then we lose our bottle )

It can obviously depend on your venue as well though, in an ideal world, I’d like to head to a lake, 100% access to the whole lake, carp rolling and bubbling and not a soul to be seen! Yet on the park lake that I’m currently targeting it is anything but! It’s busy with pikers and pleasure anglers (more of these anglers since the start of lockdown 3) there’s a nature reserve that takes up 20% of the bank which is no fishing. One of the swims that allowed you to flick some baits (legally! Lol!) into this area has been permanently shut for health and safety grounds and the other, which allows casting into 80% of the nature reserve water has been declared a days only swim after the club withdrew night fishing as some were snag fishing at night and weren’t reacting in time to takes (snag fishing at night with a loose clutch?? Eh?) the reality is that when I arrive, the top swims will be occupied by other carpers or maggot drowners, and if you wanna dunk a boilie for a few hours, you have to make a choice of the remaining available swims. In this situation, I do feel that I’m fishing more in hope than expectation. Still, my living room is devoid of carp, so I’ve got a better chance at the lakes then on the sofa.

When I was a kid my neighbour would take me carp fishing and he was ace at it. We would go to reservoirs where people would be several nights into a session and blanking and he would have 2 or 3 fish in a quick over nighter. Granted he put a lot of effort into it, he would have maps of the lake/reservoir we were fishing with all his findings like bars, holes and snags etc on (he spent a lot of time feeling about with a marker rod), a diary of fish caught on what spot, time of year what way the wind was blowing, air pressure and temperature and before setting up we would of walked the lake a couple times. All his fish would come off his home made baits, usually singles and sometimes the odd 3 bait stringer, he hardly ever baited heavily. He would watch the water all day, winding in mid day and doing a few laps of the lake/reservoir. He was mad about fishing and was hungry to catch carp, he was so focused all the time. I learnt a lot from him, but the way he would fish was hard and on the go all the time. I remember packing up and moving at midnight because he heard fish crashing on the other side of the lake and wanted to get on them 😂 I learnt a lot from him, it's just a shame it didn't all stick 😂 Now for me as I go on my own now, I don't put no where near as much effort in as he did, I will have a look for fish, if I see nothing I'll fish into the wind, have a feel about with a lead, find some spots and hope for the best.. then spend the rest of the day with my feet up in the bivvy having a snooze 😂 I suppose what I'm trying to say I think it there's two types of anglers, not so much time and money but those who are mega focused about fishing and then those who just like to get the rods out and put their feet up 😂

I've still got some money from recent sellings, and I quite fancy a bushwhacker pole? I think I could do quite well using it on my lakes I could really see the benefit of being able to get onto those hard to reach areas currently only available to the bait boats but........ Can anyone tell me if I should or shouldn't buy one? All reviews I read and see seem positive tbh, I understand I would need extra sections but that is where the Bush whacker comes into its own for me you can go pretty long, I can see a world of opportunity and a lot less disturbance, Infact in my head I am taking the place apart already 😂😂 Help?

A very interesting debate here lads, I’ve enjoyed reading it. I can only go from my personal experiences, in my mind, I have to husband my funds carefully, I know I’m not the only person here who has to do that! When I was in the army, I was extremely fortunate, well paid, cheap rent, food covered, taxes etc... all came out of the pay packet before it hit my account. I would usually have weekends free, I was single and able to hit the roads and afford the wraysbury one ticket. It was under Cemex at the time and wasn’t extortionate, a couple of hundred, which i could afford by a bit of saving. So I went for it and fished the place every weekend. My results were pretty rubbish to be fair! But I loved the place. I looked last week at getting a wraysbury ticket again, it’s several grand now (and the waiting list)so it been priced well out of my price range... my wife is very supportive of my carp angling (which I’m very lucky about) but I think if I spent that, divorce would be a very real possibility! Now I work as an ambulance pilot, the wages aren’t brilliant, the hours are long, my days off are sporadic, I might not get consecutive days off and any trip is a quick overnighter, so my fishing is restricted to local waters. I can get a syndicate ticket for £350 which gives me up to 9 lakes so I start saving in the months leading up to the ticket renewal so I could afford it. I didn’t have the time to commit to lots of sessions, so any time I did have needed to be spent wisely, I would keep tabs on the place by keeping in touch with the bailiff, I’d pop in and wander about, I would walk the lake on arrival, see what’s been caught recently and from where, I’d keep my bait trickling in as much as I was able, I may only have 12-24hrs at my disposal, but if I spend 3hrs walking the water, this is time very well spent. It would be very easy to drop into the first swim, but i could wind up wasting a session, I fish light, so I can up sticks and move if need be. I spent 4yrs chasing one particular carp, which I never felt I was close, I could get carp most sessions, the bait was going well, yet I couldn’t close the deal with this one carp. Then one winter, I leave my bait at home by mistake, so pop into the nearest tackle shop, none of the boilies on offer take my fancy, so I buy a few pints of maggots. Quick lap in the pouring rain of the lake didn’t tell me much, so I went on previous experience of the lake and dropped into a swim. Flicked out a couple of magaliners with pva bags of maggots, and caught the target carp. Time on the bank is what i rely on, I can’t afford very expensive syndicate tickets, I can’t justify hitting the banks every free hour I have, I love my fishing, yet I love my wife and family too! The trick is to strike that balance! Nothing is more precious than time, you can’t buy it, you have to sacrifice to make it (quoting Dave Lane) yes, it’s a fact of life that some of the big ticket waters are pricey, they may have been priced out of the range of some anglers, but there are lots of waters “under the radar” that can be tracked down. In my circumstances, money is irrelevant, I can’t justify travelling long distance to fish new waters, I can’t justify the time, the local syndies in my area are closed shops. My fishing is done on club waters, park lakes and rivers. My park lake/river/canal ticket costs £30 a year, plus £2 a night, or £90 for the “gold card” (nights are free) yet they are tricky waters, I have to work for my fish, watercraft and experience puts my fish on the bank, I could go “full time” and fish it hard, but my house, wife, kids etc will all suffer. But it probably wouldn’t improve my catch rate significantly, one full timer is on a run of 44 blank nights... fishing overnighters, I’ve got a higher catch rate per rod hours fished. I’m happy with the balance I had, although covid has screwed up the plans for a lot of us. So long as you can sit on your chosen water and chill out, you come away at the end of the session looking forward to the next session, the stresses of the day melts away and you enjoy what you’re doing, that’s the main thing! Yes if I was to win the lottery, I could fish more, I would even dig my own lake! But millions in the bank wouldn’t change my outlook on fishing, I’d still want to spend time at home, I’d still have a wife, I’d still have children and time with them is priceless. Right now, I sit at home balancing my income and outgoings, I have to be careful, (a £560 bill for car repairs last month made me weep!) but that’s the same for most of us! Millions in the bank wouldn’t make me a better angler, experience of fishing different waters, watercraft learnt through carping for over 24yrs all over the place and using what time I have on the bank wisely, quality bait and location are more important in my eyes.

I use swan shot... you are always going to lose weights in snaggy areas... another wrinkle is to use plasticine as a weight... far cheaper and easier to use and looks like a stone if you mix up the colours

It's not money that catches the fish though. You can have all the money in the world, all the time in the world and fish that lake, doesn't mean you'll catch it.

seaguar abrazx fluorocarbon fishing line Not sure if this available in Europe yet. I bought some off ebay from a US supplier. Postage was not cheap but it still worked out cheaper than other Seaguar fluorocarbon lines here. I have been using the 15lb in rocky swims for barbel, it's proving very tough and has taken a few carp between 14lb - 19lb as well. The braid hook length materials do not work for me here on the river Lot, France. Tried a few now, but few bites and no fish!

50?? 5 is a stretch right now! my brolly and bed chair system has its own layout, everything goes exactly in the same place every session. I don’t bother with a bivvy 95% of the time, just chuck a brolly over if need be. I only got a barrow last year! Before then, if I couldn’t carry it on my back, it stayed at home... ... then I thought, hang on I’m not a serving squaddie anymore! My shoulder was telling me that it was time to get a barrow...