nigewoodcock

I think the first thing for you to consider is to get it out of your head that all fish feed in the same way For example, some may be suckers and some may pick at the bait.

Hello and welcome. I don't fish there but I have heard a few good stories from 2 lakes near to Huntley

All depends on how buoyant the hook bait is. The more buoyant the more likely the need for a counter weight, be that a split shot or putty etc. If using the silt rig then you wouldn't have any need to put a shot on the hook link

I use a D rig for my pop-ups if they need to be more than 1 1/2 inches off the deck. Anything that is popped up lower than that, I use a rig that is similar to the 'KD' rig that all the Korda boys keep plugging. The reason for this is so the hook is either flat on the lakebed or hovering neatly under the bait with the point clear. I don't want the point of the hook bouncing around on the lakebed especially if fishing over gravel. The reason I don’t use a D rig for a bottom bait is mainly due to the fact that my simple knotless knot rig (no shrink tube or aligner as I use a curved hook ) works perfectly fine. If I did feel the need to change over then I feel there are better rigs for presenting a bottom bait than a D rig.

Ah that was my question is it better to use braid or monofilament? or is it personal preference? well there are positives and negatives to both of them from what i remember they are : braid: moves around more naturally and will go into the fishes mouth easier, but is more prone to tangling mono: less prone to tangling but moves around inthe water less natural and i think is slightly harder for the fish to pick up unless it some in at the right angle i may not be 100% right with those points but i think the stuff ive said about the braid is correct Or you could get the best of both

Was the reason you didn't catch the actual rig or could it have been the bait or even that there was no carp in the area

If I knew that my rig was effective on the water I was fishing, I would consider changing my bait (size, shape or the bait itself etc) before my rig. I did 3 nights last week with only one fish from the first 2 nights. I was getting a few false indications / aborted pick-ups. I changed to an 18mm bait from the 14mm I had been fishing (was baiting with both sizes along with chops) and had 6 fish during the last night. The first coming just 10 minutes after changing bait size. I knew the fish were over my spots as they had been crashing almost constantly through all 3 nights over my bait.

If you have confidence in your rigs why would you change them before bait presentation ( I include the hair and rig length in with presentation )

I still use it when I have my rig in a bag. Eliminates all any doubt that the point is not in a pellet or chop etc.

There was a few on Shearwater last weekend. I think it could be a lot worse this weekend as schools have now broke up? I do like the lake though. I fancy having a go on Little Shearwater soon. I sat there for a good 1 1/2 hours on Saturday watching a group of fish. Unfortunatly there was already 10 rods out which is a bit tight on such a small lake. None of the rods were on the fish though A mid week session in September might be the way forward for me?

I get through loads of the stuff. Helps a lot with confidence in my bait presentation. I have started putting a couple of pieces in a mesh 'jacket' as, on a couple of waters I am fishing, the carp seem to 'pick' at baits on top of the deep silt rather than getting down in it

Cheers

That is the exact one Where have I seen it before Nick? It's starting to annoy me now that I can't remember

I don't know on the magazine article sorry (I don't read them that often) I have done a quick (and very rough ) sketch of how I imagined the rig you were describing and how it may enter a carps mouth if they were sucking baits in I have seen this drawing somewhere else. I can't remember if it was on this site or in a book. It also showed how hooks may react with the hair comming off at bend of the hook.

If I am picturing correctly in my mind what you are describing - then I think the hook may turn / flip over when sucked in and follow behind the bait. The hook may then prick the outside of the carps mouth (on the way in). If it misses this then there would be less chance of it pricking on the way out, as it would be facing the wrong way?

Have a look at the Kryston range. There are a lot of good braids out there and it will do no harm in having a selection in your possession There are plenty of anti-tangle solutions posted on the forum

First question would be why do you need to use a braid hooklink?

Hello and welcome. I have just read your PM and will reply later on. A silt rig may not be the best option. I haven't been there for a while but last time I was there it showed signs that big beds of weed may be growing

Some of the tubing is heavier than lead core It dosn't have to be fished in one long length

Just do a search on google maps or msn maps. No need to download google earth

Nick, I told you a couple of months back how reading your threads had encouraged me to bring slack lines into my fishing on a lot more active scale. I think it was after that thread where someone didn't want to listen (not that it narrows it down that much ) I wasn't going to, and still won't post the results of how my efforts with slack lines are going - only to say that I am still using them, when and where conditions allow and with a lot more confidence, which I think was what was missing in the past. A read of a few threads sorted that though.

As far as France maybe?

Or learnt to cut and paste

I would use them in conjunction with a flying back lead to conceal the line around the feeding / bait area creating a 'safe zone' for the carp to feed in without 'feeling' the line. Make sure you match the colour to the lakebed for maximum camouflage. There are other leaders that you could use, Fluorocarbon for instance would be almost invisible on the lake bed Lots of people don't fish with any leader at all whilst others will use tubing to sink and hide the mainline. A good technique for creating this 'safe zone' is to use slack lines

All this and you use them for long range casting