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General debate - lets keep it that way.

So what is your favourite setup for carp that pick up and drop your hookbait quicker than you can say 'Linebite' ?

Try binning the swivel, the float, the bead, the stiff rig, the other swivel and the silicone tubing and you might find out how it works. Pretty tricky for a piece of chum to hold all that dangling around in the water and if you think that looks subtle to a carp you need your head read - no wonder people are having problems. This is sad. Its just straight-through mainline with a bomb to get it out there. And it absolutely destroys places where people haven't used it. It was 'designed' because controller floats were not working very well as the carp could see the line floating around next to the chum. So it seemed a good idea to present the floater with the line underwater. Hardly rocket science really.

Sorry but I invented this (for myself) 22 years ago when I was about 10 years old fishing the Leg of Mutton pond in Bushy Park. Wow it was complex. bomb, split shot, 6 foot of line to size 8 hook with chum. No swivels, lead clips, leadcore, flourocarbon, hooklinks, foam or anything else. You could buy little plastic sleeves which you stretched round the chum and hooked onto the the shank of the hook, but when everyone discovered what i was doing they caught just as much hair-rigging it. Why do people try and complicate things? Its just a running rig with a longer hooklink and some chum.

Fair enough. I am going to give it a try this weekend on one rod at least and see if makes any difference. Cheers

Just had to highlight that - well put. I also use a running lead, always have tbh, dont like inlines either personally but thats more the way they cast and sit than anything else if I am honest. To turn it on its head a bit, can you think of a situation where you would use a shocker type rig rather than a running ledger? If so, why?

I am sure if you stuck this on the 'Member socials' part of the forum and arranged a bit of a get together, there would be some people that would be up for it.

Freeline it 20 yards. Problem solved. Or you could just floatfish with a crystal waggler on a sliding rig with a stop knot so it casts neatly into the hole - probably the most fun way to catch carp anyway! I would probably fish lift style to keep the float in one place in case the wind blows but obviously up to you!!!

I will give it a crack again and let you know how it goes. thanks. PS - I will use a slacker line to let them take it until they hit the stop - lets try this theory out again and get it right this time!

How light a lead would you use or would you generally just use the same one, say a 3oz lead, regardless?

yes, if i use that method i would use about 6 inches now, enough to give the fish a bit of a run-up if you like. I rarely use it but I might use it a bit more now i think.

Probably why it didn't work very well for us then...

Yes it definately was a bolt rig, still is to me The fish hits the lead and bolts - screaming run. Worked then, works now. We used to use a No.4 split shot though, not a bead, which is why I never liked them much. Obviously fish left towing rig around. Although a carp can easily break a no.4 split shot off it wasn't something I was happy with. The stop knot and bead setup works well nowadays but it is slightly different so i guess it was called a shocker rig instead. Anyone remember messing around with a biro pen... To be honest, the line was clipped up tight, yes, but there was no more than an inch between the two split shot so tight or slack line didn't make much difference as the rig was a 'self-hooking' rig. Thats what I remember anyway. T

First published in 1997 after the authors won the World Championships of 1996, this is a book that still holds huge relevance for anyone trying to catch carp. The book starts out by stressing the importance of having a target and a strategy in your fishing, whatever level you may be at. It goes on to consider the carp as an animal, its sensory organs, movement and (some of) the different strains of carp that are in the world today. There is good detail enclosed in these sections, without the subject matter becoming too heavy. The location of fish and feeding areas are covered in a very interesting chapter, before the authors move on to discuss Bait, Rigs and some experiments they have carried out and the results they found. There follows a great chapter about how they brought the World Cup home where it belongs . This is an excellent narrative that really highlights the importance of all the subjects previously discussed and is a 'real' example of there strategies in action. Finally, specific strategies are discussed, such as 'Gravel Bars', 'Deep Waters' and so on. I would highly recommend this book for anybody who wishes to expand their knowledge and its level of insight and detail results in an interesting read for both the novice and experienced angler alike. I liked it most for its well-thought out arguments and opinions and because it conveys a huge level of enthusiasm to the reader whilst encouraging you to constantly test yourself and try new things out.

I think Boyer Leisure can offer those facilities on one of their lakes which is also a day ticket place as well I think. Holds some good fish apparently but I have not been there.