neilscatchin

I find a 2 or 3 turn blood knot with the end "blobbed" more than sufficient for the chod rig with fluoro.

The knot pictured here: http://www.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=23956

A diamond eye pole elastic threader costs a couple of quid but invaluable for threading any length of tubing.

The Steamlink from Pallatrax is imo stiffer than the hybrid once steamed,makes awesome combi rigs and it doesn't snap !!!

Palomar only has a 60-70% knot strength when jerked or shocked with braid(i.e. mainline) as it has no stretch properties,if the tackle set up is correct and is not unbalanced the rod should be able to absorb the lunges to quite a degree and any breakage is down to angler error IMO as the knot should still be in the region of 95%+ effective as it'll still have the stretch of the mono mainline.Never had one slip or break on me

Either Palomar or I prefer the grinner and just make sure the knot is bedded down properly. Both can be found here: http://www.go4bass.com

15 ft or more for zigging down to about 1.5 inches on the bottom because not many have the confidence to go that short and it works

same here realy as it has been said a lot of rigs and tackle is to catch the angler rather than the carp keep it simple but right and you will catch Think some anglers cause themselves problems by using all singing all dancing rigs with regards to presentation,I think emphasis placed on location in mags etc would be more beneficial than having 3-4 pages of rig clinics where 99% of times a simple line aligner would suffice.

The most important point is to ensure that should a break off occur that the hooklink can free itself off the leader/lead(apologies if I'm teaching you to suck eggs.) I personally don't think that in my circumstances fishing heli rigs gains me any extra yards and would be quite happy fishing standard lead arrangements and if properly applied then tangles are avoided. TBH you done the best thing possible by buying a leadcore/rig components as a complete kit by far the safest option.

Yeah I'm doing ok on the Black Silt too

I think a heli-style large eyed swivel would struggle/fail to pass over a water knot so a standard swivel such with a running lead could prove fatal Needle knot is by far the safest

Both are good but I prefer Mantis in most situations due to it's reduced diameter,but I also have a spool of Snakebite too.

Bascially put it's a rig that when the carp picks up the hookbait,the carp feels the weight of the lead it bolts and hooks itself because of the weight.Hence the name. There's plenty of threads for a more detailed explanation,use the search facility above to find them.

Mine too but here they are again : These may cause a safe zone for the fish to feed in but should they get hooked then they're far from it.As has been mentionned the heli bead won't discharge over the loop at the mainline end of the chod leader andon all leaders the variations between the size of this fused loop is astronimical with no 2 the same.Poor manufacturing and lack of fieldtesting.My advice is steer clear.

Yes,some similar to Nicks but not using a swivel.Good for ultra wary fish

If ordinary brown Stealth Skin or Black Silt are no good,try looking at the TFG disguise range.There is a white braid,a coated braid and a sinklink that can be made to match any lake bed using the multitude of pens available.

Had good results on the 360 rig using Muggas as opposed to longshank hooks but just as adapt for basic knotless knot rigs too.

Needle and cotton here,just convenience angling IMO

Very sound advice the only thing I'd add is to try feathering your cast. Using this ensures the feathered rig lies in a half decent way, where as the unfeathered rig tends to land in a big mess, with the bait half buried and the lead stuck in the lake bed.The rig lies flat and furthest away from the lead rather than in a big ugly heap of braid and lead and tubing or whatever.

Nick didn't Frank Warwick invent that,his recoil rig ??? Duck for cover

Leadcore is definately not the best material in inexperienced hands although I thought these leaders were near to idiotproof as you'll ever get. The swivel is already locked in the lead clip so all you have to do is pull off the sleeve add your lead and reapply the sleeve.Make sure the lead will discharge with a minimal amount of pressure,the sleeve should come off releasing the lead,try using saliva to lubricate the sleeve before reapplying it.You only want to release the lead should you get a fish take you into weed or thick pads not playing them in open water. The biggest mistake is that people jam the sleeve on too hard and the fish doesn't stand a hope in hell of discharging the lead,making it pointless using one. If you're still unsure or in any doubt go to your local tackle shop who will demonstrate how to use lead clips safely much better than I can instruct over PC screen

Personally I'd opt for about 2 foot to serve 2 purposes:To prevent tangles and to protect the fish's flanks from the mainline lifting scales.

Strength of what? Mainline or hooklink? If mainline whatever you use for general carp fishing is adequate.Open water 10-12lb or if snaggy step up to 15lb.

http://www.carpanglersgroup.com/boltrigmethodfeeder.html

You ain't wrong there Mick.