nicksingleton

This season I have been using the carp r us offset nailors and had some good results on them, also the centurian 2000's for snag fishing.

Many congratulations on your fishing trip, looks like you really had a good time, with some superb photo's and write up. Back to reality again now i'm afraid

For me rig mechanics are something I ponder on regularly as it is like solving a puzzle, if you know WHY something is effective then you can adjust that component to suit. For example the flip over rate of a hook is made more effective the longer the hook or tube extending the hook is, and this can be used to cover certain feeding situations where the carp is hardly moving, i.e over a tight bed of particles as an example. Also on several lakes I fish, I have seen fish near vertical when feeding and by understanding rig mechanics it is possible to increase your catch rate. Then again I used to work on oil rigs for 12yrs and have a very mechanical mind also New carp club called the "mechanics" anyone interested

Good point there Alan, I have often wondered myself whether some of my hook pulls have been due to "lead bounce", I am aware that some of my fish have been only slightly hooked, but I am sure not all of them And I have noticed more occasions when I have been using a heavy running lead, co-incidence, not in my opinion. But interested to hear other's thought's and experiences on this ?

Run Ring with lead might help

My rig length does vary on the baiting situation, i.e if i am fishing pva bag's or over a large bed of particles i will use a short hooklenght 3-6" long,because I have created a situation where the carp is more likely to move a short distance to the next mouthfull.But if I am baiting over a larger area with a scattering of bait's I will use a longer hooklength, i.e more of a confidence rig, as in these situation's baits can be more individually checked out, and the fish are more likely to pick up the bait and move off a distance in search of its next meal. The lake bed also has an influence on your hooklength, I.E very soft silt "may" require a longer hooklength so that your hookbait is not dragged into it too far. But try too make sure that the situation you are fishing in, or have created, is the parameters for your decision making This may be use to someone cheers

Kryston super stiff applied to the hooklink could be an option,as well as p.v.a tubing with the link passed through it.

Kryston silkworm reacts horribly with aggressive steam, dramatically reducing its strength,sometimes falling apart completely Always test your hooklinks strength after using shrink tubing, just to be on the safe side

If boilies are banned, just make a paste bait and dry it Flirting with the rule, i know, But could give you a good argument with the baliff As regards cat foods, you can allways mix a little with some bread for hookbaits

A good old fashioned running rig with a weak line between run ring and lead swivel could alter your results The advantage of inline bolt rigs is the more direct bolt effect it creates

U can use a helicopter rig for any bait pop/up or bottom it is mainly an indirect way of attaching a hooklink to reduce tangles on the cast

A successful version of having a bait below the hook "per say" was the Looney extension rig.The swimmer rig also being quite similar

the longshank allows the hook to flip on the very slightest of pressure without the need for tubing and the shank itself lends itself to some useful anti-eject properties, But the hook is much larger than what you are used to, weight wise and size. So give them a go, they have done well for me in the past, and i will continue using them when i feel the need to

Sometimes i have found using a week link between lead and it's swivel can work, i.e 2/3/4 lb line Giving you all the rig variations safe in the knowledge that a fish should be able to snap the week link should a snagging situation occur

How have you got on with your tank testing,find any startling revelations you may wish to share

hard question to answer as a size 8 of one brand might be a size 10 in another but generally as small as you can reasonably get away with as a compromise between strength and finess,sorry cant be of much more help

Make sure your hook is needle sharp then your lead size wont be in question so much,and, it is only one lost fish,if the problem persists then try a few changes

Try a water pump,works every time

Rig tubing has different functions 1:-as an anti tangle device and as such never needs to be much longer than your rig.and if you are using monofilament hooklenths then you may not need it at all,therby reducing the amount of "stuff" around your end rig. 2:-lead sleeves 3. protection against damage from snags/gravel bars etc here are some reasons to take into account when using tubing,remember every fishing situation is different and every rig should be tied to be the most appropriate for that set of circumstances ,

outdated is not the term i would use,as you could say monofilament hooklinks are ancient they can still out fish both types of rig when used under the right sets of circumstances.The trick is to find out what is most popular on you water and try something completely different on one of your rods,see how you get on.Even try side hooking boilies if everyone is using hair rigs.If fish come across the same types of rigs all the time then they figure out a way to deal with it,so try and do the opposite of the crowd/or what is most popular in the angling mags etc.hope this is of some use

sounds like a d-rig combi link,the ring is attached so it slides on a loop easily,so when the bait is ejected it is this which moves first sliding along the loop,leaving the hook to follow last.This is designed to make the hook find a hold more easily,the 2" braid is to help give the end a more natural appearance,being supple it has an easier more natural range of movement at the end,the stiffer monofilament part was designed to give the hook better anti eject qualities.this rig was used where braided hooklinks were the norm,whilst being very supple,the carp could eject them with just as much ease. hope this is of some help

"i was only something like 6lbs" How big was the carp then It must have been like david and goliath if you needed two rod's. But stranger thing's have happened at sea :

well use this to your advantage,find the next best rig to use,because after some time the carp will adapt,maybe even tilting down slightly so the shrink tube pushes against the bed and releasing a lightly pricked fish,without any indication of a pick up.so if you adapt a rig to hook them better while they are doing this you will be one step ahead of the rest,use it when everybody's results start declining and your results will pick up.

yeah chris there was an article in the Advanced carp magazine for march which show's philBunyan with a tank test kit for his rigs.hope this is of some help [/img]