salokcinnodrog

Hence my choice for a clear submerged float The bait is well above the float even with only 30cms. I use that short a length so that I can eradicate tangles, any longer and really whacking it out any distance and a longer hooklink can be a right pain to cast. The other thing is that for hooklinks I often use a fluorocarbon hooklink, which sinks, so too long a hooklink may actually drag the hook and bait down. On the occasions I decide to go any longer I've found I need to be casting the hooklink out of a bucket or off the ground or unhooking mat, just don't let the hook snag up when you cast I've done a copy and pste onto the linked thread ealier in the topic

My food bait rigs are the same as my summer rigs, however I do usually tie up some pop-up rigs specifically. In the winter I do tend to use pop-ups more than the summer in an attempt to provoke a reaction and take from the carp when things are hard. I can't afford to lighten the mainline on my current lake, 15lb is needed as the lake is very snaggy. Is this any use? http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=23380

Depends on whether your hookbait is buoyant enough to pull the line through a run ring

Is there anything in this thread for you? http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=34983 On the occasions I use Zig rigs I use a clear Submerged Pike float. So from the mainline I put on the lead on a removable run ring, a rubber bead the submerged pike float and then the hooklink. With a 30centimetre hooklink I can then go up or down in from bottom to top or vice versa increments until hopefully I find the fish. Fox also do an adjustable Zig rig set up

Is this any use? http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?p=355683#355683 It contains links to other hooklink material threads. Personally I still haven't changed much from my recommendations made back then, and the pic in one of the links is of my tackle box, and that still looks pretty much the same Most of my fishing is on gravel and silt areas, where the 2 tend to meet as I think the carp are comfortable feeding in that area. So my combi rig is Amnesia with either SuperNova or Merlin as the final hook section. The addition to my box is Kryston Jackal, which although green has produced fish on gravelly bottoms that do have a coating of silkweed, as has the Combi-rig. Don't confuse yourself with rigs, the knotless knotted or line aligned rigs still produce most of the fish in this country, but magazines tend to promote a particular rig as fashion, and it becomes the latest "must use". Be prepared carp over time can start to eject knotless knotted rigs (as any rig despite what you have been told), and I noticed on a weedy lake they don't always take hold properly, so I switched to a line aligner to correct it with much better results, which worked for me! http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=22185 http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=35896 http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=26640 Have fun with that little lot

For braided or coated braid which is stripped near the hook, after watching some fish manage to eject very easily an "uncovered" knotless knotted hook I switched back to a line aligner, normally using Shrink tube, but it can be just as effective with silicon tube When it comes to very supple mono I may well use silicon tubing to create that line aligner. If I use stiffer hooklinks, then I use tubing to cover the knot, the hook is tied on rather than knotless knotted. I don't believe in the current fashion for a kicker as such, I prefer the line aligner set-up, normally simply following the shank of the hook, its curve or straightness.

No reason why it shouldn't work at all Lead in PVA bag full of crumb, pellets chopped and whole boilies with hook nicked into bag used to work a treat for me. I even used stringers attached to the hook with no problems.

I honestly don't think about how my pop-up rigs face whatever direction. We use camouflaged leads, a hooklink that is neutral or as closely matched as possible, and I don't think a carp knows what a lead is, even if it is uncoated. With pop-ups I tend to use a standard knotless knot rig, although the hookbait is tied on with a uni-knot (tied firs) and bait placed in when making rig up to get bait tight to shank/bend. I have a feeling that most pop-up rigs are picked up, as opposed to being sucked (although open to deliberation and debate), so to watch the bait into the mouth the carp's "attention" is on the hookbait until it loses sight of it in the blind spot is impossible. If they are sucked in, again, all attention will be on bait as it goes towards the mouth, watching for unnatural movement. My counter weight is usually below the hook on the hooklink, and is putty, over either, the end of the coated braid strip or a small power gum stop knot. I think that pop-up rigs have more potential on the thumb test and flipping in to get a hookhold, but I think that most fish are hooked when the carp closes its mouth over and around the bait, which is why possibly you get more top lip or cheek hookholds with pop-ups when they are definitely picking the bait up. Also when it comes to pop-up rigs I have found for me that braided hooklinks are far better than stiffer materials

The acid test is your fishing If you are hooking fish and landing them then the rig is working. Don't follow the hype about having to use a 360 KD D-rig etc, use what works for you. There are many people who advocate the palm test or the thumb test, to test the hooking potential of a rig. Some rigs that hook properly and in the right place I know would fail either of these, yet I have caught many carp on them. What and how you feed, how the carp are feeding all will make or break your rigs efficiency or not.

Years ago I noticed that "naked" line would get sheared through occasionally when playing fish on silt set-ups, so I started playing with a small length of tubing, 2 rubber beads and the swivel on that between the 2. Then Ken Townley I believe it was, mentioned Cox and Rawle Beach Beads for Sea Fishing making a good Helicopter set-up, basically the thing I was working on ready made. It was a removable spigotted bead that would pull apart in the event of a snap-off so that the hooklink could come free, even over a shockleader. They are still available and some Carp Tackle manufacturers produce the same sort of thing now.

Does this come to any use? http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=22185 Also while in that section of the forum, I believe that there is a lead set-up thread with a few other safe set-ups available

Years ago when it was known as the Silt rig I discovered problems with dropping fish on that tyope of set-up, no matter what size lead I used. I felt that the fish is pulling at an angle that is not natural to the mainline, i.e. the lead is at the end, and the fish pulling at approximately 90degrees instead of you pulling directly to the fish. With the Silt Rig I found I had to play fish very carefully and very "slowly", almost no pressure, let them do what they wanted, and if they needed any stick to keep them away from trouble then the hook would often pull, or even worse (naked mainline) the mainline would snap as the swivel wore the line through. Since then as much as possible I avoid Helicopters of any sort, much preferring a more "standard" set-up. As Jules mentions, do you have to use a helicopter style set-up? Unless the silt is really deep and you simply don't have any choice, then a pendant or inline lead with a longer hooklink is often far better.

I have no end of problems getting 15lb line through Korda tubing and refuse to buy the stuff because of that. I have no problems with Fox, Solar or Korum tubing, and buy their complete run ring kits. Cut the mainline at an angle and it should feed straight through the tubing with no problems. If it does cause a problem, put the run ring on the tubing, and attach a lead, the tubing is then held straight, and the line should go straight through it.

I bought Delkims in the 90's, and when I had tackle stolen in 2000ish I replaced them with the same model, which is now I think the Standard that they sell. I have never had a fault that is not of my own making, (leaving batteries in to corrode ), and even then Delkim repaired them at minimal cost. I have used them in boiling heat and monsoon rain, and they have not failed in any way. The reason I choose Delkim is that I wanted an alarm that had variable volume, tone and sensitivity. The tone is because I have problems hearing low tones, and found that their was a particular higher level tone that grabbed my attention better. Volume obviously speaks for itself, I want to be able to turn the volume down during the day, and occasionally I needed to be able to have a high volume at night when I couldn't use a sounder box or receiver, (or the receiver battery failed). The sensitivity issues, as good as roller wheels are with proper runs or dropbacks, at times I found I was missing takes when fish didn't take line, but I could see the line twitching. I occasionally struck line movement with no bleeps and found myself connected to fish, so the vibration sensing was a useful positive reason for being used. Now the alarms I have are over 10years old, and as I said I have had no problems with them. Some faults are caused by user error, the battery case issue could be a case in point. Delkim recommend using Duracell or Kodak batteries, and for good reason, they are slightly larger than cheaper square models, and so press against the battery slide. Some issues though are obviously as time goes on due to faulty materials, batches or waterproof problems. I can't comment on current models as mine still work and I have no reason to change just yet

This any use? http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=34983

If it is safe enough then I won't use anything, mainline straight through to the running lead and end tackle. However, most of the time I seem to end up fishing near snags, and have confidence in a length of tubing.

Fish with what you have confidence with! I nearly always use braid or combi links, because they suit my fishing, yet the simplest and easiest material to use is simply mono, the same as your mainline. Look at how the fish feed in your lakes, see what works best, and use whatever seems to provide the best hookholds in your fishing, whatever material. Somewhere in UK Carp Fishing a while ago there was a debate on the merits of fluoro or mono over braid (in a thread about putting the rig in PVA http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=50214), my view is that braid allows better movement when the fish picks up the hookbait, mono or fluoro can't extend any further on a pick up, or even suck if the fish suck food from a distance. Simply, don't confuse yourself with rigs, a simple knotless knotted rig will catch the vast majority of fish in the waters, and what appears to be inefficient with the palm or thumb test, can well be very efficient when the bait and rig is put into the fish in a way that they are happy to feed over. So get the feeding situation right, and the simplest basic rig will work If you don't get hookups, then the first thing to do is extend the rig or hair length.

In that case avoid the Korda stuff then Seriously as much as I dislike nearly all of the Korda stuff, because it is often "overpriced tat", they do have occsional items that suit your fishing. Get confident in whatever you use, be it John Roberts, Solar, Fox, Nash or whoever. I have used Kryston hooklinks since the 90's and see no reason to change. Hooks I use Gardner, Gamakatsu, Drennan and Carp-R-Us hooks when I can get hold of what I want. Tubing, rig bits is whoever makes what I need, again, Fox, Solar, John Roberts and other manufacturers all have their place in my box. The only Korda items I use at the moment are leads in certain shapes and sizes, simply cos I have them and they suited me when I was in the shop.

I'll be happy for you to post them on here (http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=22185) if you are happy with them :

The pop-up sits on top of the bottom bait, bit like a snowman really

I simply have mine with the hook laying on its side with the snowman baits sitting alongside it, the pop-up counterbalances the bottom bait (15mm p-u against 18mm bb)

Sliding helicopter set-ups (Chod) in weed although publicised as the "be all and end all" are not necessarily the best option either A normal pop-up rig can be fished on any type of presentation, be it helicopter, (fixed or sliding), pendant, (running or semi-fixed) or inline, whereas a chod rig is usually a sliding presentation to present a bait above (its original purpose) the silt. A paternostered set-up can be better, more indication at the rod end, less risk of snapping up (on a fish or otherwise), and less chance of leaving a tethered fish

Don't forget that you can counterbalance a pop-up so that it becomes critically balanced Or even overweight it. A pop-up is usually a bait presented above the lakebed, but a pop-up bait can be used on a rig on the lakebed or even in the silt. Even a zig rig is a pop-up or buoyant bait of some sort presented well above the lakebed. Bet that makes it as clear as mud

An honest answer here, and one that people overlook is Emmcee's point about the "thumb" and "palm" tests. There are many hookrigs that would fail both tests, yet work effectively and catch plenty of fish, and nicely hooked in the bottom lip. Years ago I first started using the D-rig for bottom and pop-up baits, it is effective with both. The hooks I have been using for a while have been curved shank hooks, in the picture on this thread http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=22185 I think from memory was a Carp-r-Us Nailer or Centurion hook. That is not the only brand that will work, as the Gamakatsu GP204, the Gardner Muggas are similar patterns, and there are others. You've found a preference for you with an out turned eye hook, that does not make it less effective, just bear in mind that what works for you is not the same preference that everyone else has.

Don't make me think, thats not fair You're picking up on something that is true, although there is the miniscule possibility that a carp may just happen across the hooklink from the lead side, and "picks it up" with its mouth clamped over the lakebed as well, in that case even a running lead rig is at full extension with no hope of movement, yet with a non extended rig there is still the possibility of movement away.