zander1

Haha, Ozzy. Thank you for an interesting reply Now then, I’m not condemning people for using chod rigs, by all means people need to learn by doing, I just find it funny how there are a fringe of anglers that think they need to use the chod rig for 100% of their fishing to catch carp I agree with you that people should be able to enjoy their fishing, and in my opinion as long as people aren’t affecting anyone else and aren’t endangering the fish then good luck to them. ( I probably sound like a hypocrite now) That is the great thing about this type of forum, you can disagree with things you see others doing without directly affecting anyone. And everyone needs a rant now and then Also at times, something’s I say are perhaps a little tongue in cheek, and sometimes that ambiguous that the direction of my ridicule is very subtle, so much so that the obvious recipient maybe isn’t the recipient at all Now then, Leadcore , I am not one of those anglers that will rip you to shreds for using Leadcore, I no longer use it myself but that doesn’t mean I disagree with its use completely. In fact using leadcore on a chod could be safer than fluros/mainline as long as it is a good quality one and not like that thin, horrible, Maver 20lb bs rubbish. I still keep four different types of leadcore in my tackle box Fair play to trying to enhance your rig set-up and playing around with new rigs, you seem to be on a straight and steady path to success to me mate .

I look forward to seeing the updated rig Nige, I know exactly what you mean though. I did wonder why you needed shot on the rig in the first place mind??? are your pop-ups very buoyant??? Wish mine where, i jinxed my Richworth pop-ups, the pot i opened new today barely lift the hook off the ground, had to put a small portion of foam under them to fish today, whacked one out mind but I wasn’t happy Even tieing the pop-up on rather than piercing them made little to no difference. I have never encountered this with Richworth pop-ups before :/ Needless to say they will be returned. Having paid delivery on them in the first place and now having to send them back makes me rather mad. On another note, as being as a few of you seem to rate Korda sinkers i may have to give them ago some time

Any results would be very interesting Naffy, good luck fella

Hi all. I’ve been browsing the site for some while now, and have held back from posting as a lot of posts I have seen have been of a repetitive nature, pointless and downright idiotic at times. I mean really, some of you guys want your heads looking at with the silly and sometimes outrageous questions you ask. But hey ho, some of the more well tempered and experienced guys on here are often happy enough to answer some of these posts. It is this that prompted me to write this piece on the chod rig. (I know some of you prefer to call it its original name, the silt rig, but you will have to bite your lip on this one, sorry) After seeing countless posts on the issue I finally came across a piece Nige (nigewoodcock) posted in April 2010 and another earlier this year (I worked form past to present when looking through chod related items via the search function). Personally I think that the post from 2010 should be stickied so it’s nice and easy for people to find. Anyway it is this combined with the other posts i’ve read/seen, that leads me to write this, and Nige has also inspired me to show how I fish the Chod on a fluro leader similar to how he fishes it on his mainline. The Chod rig. Without question it is one of the most prolific carp catching rigs to date. However, they get a very negative response on this site by some of the more established members. I think this is due to the over publication of the rig in magazines and it’s over use by noddy. I too used to scoff at the thought of using one as I refused to be associated with its normal stereotype. For several years I avoided its use instead using other, suitable, self designed rigs. What a mistake this was. I believe this was a massive oversight on my behalf brought on via my own arrogance and pride (for want of a better word). I really do believe this oversight has cost me countless big fish. It may not have, as I have a very high conversion rate of runs to fish on the bank, but circumstance leads me to question this. To put this into some kind of perspective, the first day I ever caught on one, I caught 2 carp out of a 20+ acre water with only 30 original fish (200+ recent stockies of between 6-14lb) and the one of them was one of the original fish id been after for a good while. Only 21lb, but a cracking old English mirror full of character. Could have been nearly 50 years old and perhaps hadn’t been caught in just such a time? Needless to say these fish don’t get caught all that often. When I think of the time, effort and bait I had put in on this lake to be rewarded with just stocky after stocky (which to be fair 9/10 anglers on this water struggle to catch) makes me wonder how many times I had “been done” by original, big fish. At times just thinking about it I could kick myself. Now then, I am not advocating the use of the chod in just any swim, on any lake at any time of year (that I will reserve for the Noddy’s with the rest of you and will join you in condemning them) but if you really do use it in the correct manner, in the right spot, at the right time, then that to me is just good angling. I mean come on; I’ve made a map and notes in one of my A3 pads trying to detail the topography of each peg, signs of fish and captures! Mind, it’s not even half as detailed as I’m planning on yet. Then maybe I’m just trying to justify my use of such a fashionable rig, to ease the guilt of catching such lovely, proper old English carp? I was almost disappointed that I had caught my PB fish on a rig used by Tom, Dick and Harry and that it was also the capture of these fish, on this rig that has changed my outlook on Carp angling. No longer do I strive just to catch bigger fish, give me a carp with a story to tell any day over an overgrown import in an undersized lake. Don’t get me wrong, I still dream of the day I catch a 30lber, but when I do I hope it isn’t a known fish of any description and that it is an old character of a brute, battle scars and spawning wounds. From this lake it still isn’t known if a 30lb carp even exists, but from what I and mates have seen, the odds are that one does. Anyway, enough of this boring self revelation and on to the rig itself: how to use it safely and effectively. My setup comprises of a 20ft+ 25lb soft Fluorocarbon leader (shock leader style), with an E-S-P tapered bore rubber bead, flexi-ring swivel attached to the chod link, another E-S-P tapered bore rubber bead, Drennan rubber float stop, an E-S-P rubber helicopter sleeve all threaded onto the fluoro. The fluro is then tied to a Korda Xtrasmall multipurpose clip with a 4 turn grinner knot. This is used to attach the required lead. You could for go this clip and just tie the lead straight on. The Chod link itself is tied using a Stiff rig material, I prefer Fox rigidly stiff link, attached to a flexi-ring swivel via a figure of 8 knot and knotless knotted D-rig style(typical to most chods you see in the glossy’s) to a size 6 straight pointed hook. Now you may notice I opt for a hook pattern with an interned eye rather than out turned. This is for no other reason than the fact I am very confident with that particular hook (Fox armapoint sssp). The pop-up in the picture is 16mm , I actually prefer to use a 14mm Richworth airo pop-up as I get the same, if not greater buoyancy and better hooking potential as the hook is masked less. I also fish a little more aggressive of a bend in the stiff link compared to how the rig looks sitting flat on my tackle box in this instance. Why does the curve make a difference you may ask? The standard answer is that it greatly improves the hooking efficiency and I agree. The curved nature of the hooklink allows the bait to sit at an aggressive angle, hook like a claw, and when a carp sucks at the bait it turns on its axes quickly to the direction the carp is sucking at it from. The loop at the bottom of the stiff link where it joins the swivel also aids in this. It also tends to catch hold in the mouth further back and more effectively than a straight, stiff hooklink tends to. I also tend to fish this rig with the bead closest to the lead a foot or more away from the lead itself. This leads me onto another debate that i picked up on reading through previous posts and that is whether you can fish a pva bag/stocking or string on the chod safely. My answer is yes, you can, and the remedy its self is simple though i tend not to. However I tend to fish Chods as single hookbaits. If i do want to fish it amongst free offerings i tend to fish them over a spread of boilies created with a catapult or throwing stick. At the absoloute most i will attach a 50pence peice size pva stocking of 2mm pellet to the rig itself. No the bigest problem you face in doing so is the rig and end bead flying up the mainline on the cast. Some say that if the rig does not do this then the rig is not safe. To me that just shows a lack of imagination and testing. All you need to remedy this is a small section of rig or sillicone tubing. Just insert this paralell to the main live/leader through the end bead. DO NOT THREAD IT ON TO THE MAINLINE/LEADER! This is when you run the risk of complications with the components not coming off the leader in the event of a crack off. Trim it down to size and job done, you can position the end bead safely and secure enough to allow the use of PVA products with peace of mind you are angling safely and effectevly. I apologise if this was a little to preachy for your liking and i am sorry if you took the time to read this and it was a total waste of your time. Hey, i have nothin to do untill i go back to Uni in september so the devil made work for my idle thumbs. Well that and fishing now and then. Also, before some of you slate me for being a magazine article wannabe, i asure you i am not and that literature is by no means a hobby of mine. Rant over, hope this helps some one and maybe even gets a detailed debate going. Thank you for reading this. Zed’s BTW feel free to add your thoughts, arguments, complaints, chod rigs, ideas and any other related items you care to. I know i am not as experienced as some of you guy’s but i will do my best to answer any questions. Have fun.

yeh, and that one, or even carp silk.

I believe that that and and very fine braids (dyneema) tend to cause more damage than that of a round or loose weave braid like Herculine Heavy.

Really???? what materials do you use fella??? I cant stand the half blood myself in all honesty, plaomar isnt bad.

pm sent bez. Yeh i was told taht bout the big pool to skinny :/ havnt really looked into it tbf tho.

Oh, and its Essington Guessin your a 10 year old or younger lol

I live next door to the place (well 5 mins away- used to live opposite) and its a load of rubbish!!! Bailiffs are full of the brown stodgy stuff, there are however 20s in there, fact, although not many and the hassle you get of drunken teenagers makes it slightly less relaxing than it should be- i should know- used to be one of them

Too right Jez, could'nt agree more

Absolutely awesome info Gidney cannot fault you lad! If your down that way get in touch and we will grab a beer or two 5 mile would be doable- any particulars you can pass on to me fella? I do alot of biking so thats not too bad (to go fishing and mountain biking lol) I know Wimborne roughly- A mate recently moved there so i spent a week around the place, i never realised it had a carp lake or two tucked away!

Hi guys, in a few weeks im moving down to Bournemouth (uni) and wondered if any of you guys know of anywhere to go carping thats not to far away. Main factors are Cost and Distance as i will only be able to get there on my pushbike and obviously as a student i wont have a lot of cash to throw about. Don't mind if its day ticket- syndicate or free fishing also is anyone on here local to the area???? Thanks fellas (Y)

You will lift a scale sooner or later regardless of what leader you use, and tbf it doesnt really stop tangles (it can help admittedly) - learning to cast and using the correct lead set-up does tho

I understand that completely-i have caught fish on rigs that sound similar to yours- just that personally i have felt that im missing out on fish that way. Heres a point for thought tho- the only real reason i like fluro is the fact that its ni-on invisible in water. Ive started fishing a 20 acre lake with 300 carp in last week, crystal clear water- average 13 foot deep but the margins shallow right up, ive caught 12 carp so far in 2 sessions.- from the margins (say 4 foot depth) so the botom is highly visible, clean gravel leading to a slight "chod" by the rushes so if i got too close i was fishing in the "chod". Now then, scenes set, all 12 of the 12 fish i caught using suffix camfusion- The first session i fished full fluro rigs (was only half a day session tho) all session, had a few knocks and no fish so i went to look over my baited area and there was disturbance (silt clouds) so i knew there was fish feeding on/near my bait. yet i hadn't hooked one! Time was running out- had about an hour befor my lift arrived so i stopped worrying about rig visibility and put coated braid rigs out, pretty obvious to look at on the bottom in comparison, yet i caught with in 20 mins of the change. second time i went i fished coated braid rigs all day (full 12hour session) and i had 11 carp out, all on bottom baits (pop-ups didn't get a touch unless it was a snow man). I wont be using full fluro rigs again in a hurry- combis and hinged rigs yes- but full fluro no. So the point is- is the one key factor of fluro (visibility) worth the compromise????????? BTW There were one or 2 other carpers on there- they all blanked (expectedly on this water apparently). I was only expecting to catch 1 fish every other time i went really- untill now anyway :/

Yes exactly I have uploaded some pics for you to look at- started life as a bog standard fluro rig and then i evolved it more and more as i used it- however, i prefer coated braid rigs or combi's as i never felt that the full fluro rig could match the hooking rate and hook hold and so i never really finished evolving it- definitely better than what i started with tho. Take a look; size 7 ssbp hook, 12lb jrc soft fluro, micro rig ring and E-S-P hair braid. Fig of 8 knot at the hook and swivel clip. You may not need the rig ring on the shank- silicon/rig tubing can hold the hair where you like- i just use rings as standard as i have more confidence in them as the hair can re set its self after a fish has mouthed the bait- tubing doesnt.

If you can get the rig to actually hook in the first place- there has to be some movement near the hook for truly effective hooking- little bleeps you get whilst fishing a full fluro hooklink may not be the wind or liners, but in fact a carp taking your bait- but from the wrong angle. (Im not saying your wrong- i just do it different ) I personally have found that a minimum of two hinges are needed on every rig, full fluro included. One by the hook, the other by the lead. With out this you are relying on the fish to approach your rig from the correct way- not competent angling. This doesnt mean you have to "tie" a combi rig using fluro and braid tho. 360 rigs etc lend there selves well to this but for something simpler (less components/ bottom bait presentation) you could try tying a widegape pattern (Armapoint SSBP/SSSP) to the fluro with a small loop, a loop to the swivel and add a hair- job done and pretty simple. Basic and definitely room for improvement- but better, imo, than a standard fluro stiff rig

Im not a massive fan of using a full fluro rig, i like having movement near the hook and bait. Try tying up a few combi rigs, using the hooks and braid you normally use in conjunction with the fluro

Here are some other ways that i have fished it: For you silt rig/choddy lovers: possibly the simplest way of tying this kind of rig also. (around 1" hook length shown) You can also use them like a hinged stiff rig (my preferred method) I have found the best way of fishing a rig similar, but more simple and effective, using a rubber buffer is like this: (ignore the rest of the rig as that isnt as simple lol)

ah you still hurting over your run water fleecing Yeh! Talk bout narrowminded people saying that- i am one lol

nah not you beanz, i know what you meant- i just mean in general

Depends what you are looking for, i tend to find that a bigger loop doesnt really offer anything over a smaller and neater loop which is less obtrusive. TBH, instead of using loop knots, i have found fishing it with a flexi ring swivel for the hinge as effective (you also dont need to add tungsten then) and instead of using a supple braid use a coated one and leave it coated for the section under the hook. But when i use a bristle filament in the rig (any rig) i prefer loop knots over grinners (slipknots etc) as you can tie them easier with out the risk of bruising the filament or kinking it etc etc You can also tie rigs the same length as each other more easily that way.

I have, but as these are the key feature to my normal pop up rig (not the 360) i didn't have any available Im currently using chopped down sections of some predator float stops to do teh same thing as well and have run out of those now too lol Oh yeh, it does tend to ruin the rubbers and they fall off/split. a section of float stop is a tad more durable than the fox ring stoppers

Im just glad not everyone tries to jump down my throat for doing things slightly differently or having an opinion lol

I have, but as these are the key feature to my normal pop up rig (not the 360) i didn't have any available Im currently using chopped down sections of some predator float stops to do teh same thing as well and have run out of those now too lol