Best hooklink material

[Carpmaster]

  On 11/02/2021 at 19:44, ouchthathurt said:

I hang my head in shame! 

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😂😂😂down an give me 50😊😊😊

[Carpmaster]

  On 11/02/2021 at 19:48, Carpmaster said:

😂😂😂down an give me 50😊😊😊

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My mate Phil is ex forces an his gear is like not a thing out of place go in my bivvy or bag it’s like a thing of chaos but it’s my chaos I know where everything is even in the dark I don’t use a light unless I’m landing fish yet can make a rig by moonlight but use glasses to drive 😂😂😂

[ouchthathurt]

50?? 5 is a stretch right now! 
 

my brolly and bed chair system has its own layout, everything goes exactly in the same place every session. I don’t bother with a bivvy 95% of the time, just chuck a brolly over if need be. I only got a barrow last year! Before then, if I couldn’t carry it on my back, it stayed at home... 

... then I thought, hang on I’m not a serving squaddie anymore! My shoulder was telling me that it was time to get a barrow... 

[Carpmaster]

  On 11/02/2021 at 20:51, ouchthathurt said:

50?? 5 is a stretch right now! 
 

my brolly and bed chair system has its own layout, everything goes exactly in the same place every session. I don’t bother with a bivvy 95% of the time, just chuck a brolly over if need be. I only got a barrow last year! Before then, if I couldn’t carry it on my back, it stayed at home... 

... then I thought, hang on I’m not a serving squaddie anymore! My shoulder was telling me that it was time to get a barrow... 

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😂😂I used to carry my gear so glad I’ve got a barrow now tho 

[Pelamid]

seaguar abrazx fluorocarbon fishing line

Not sure if this available in Europe yet. I bought some off ebay from a US supplier. Postage was not cheap but it still worked out cheaper than other Seaguar fluorocarbon lines here.

I have been using the 15lb in rocky swims for barbel, it's proving very tough and has taken a few carp between 14lb - 19lb as well.

 

The braid hook length materials do not work for me here on the river Lot, France. Tried a few now, but few bites and no fish!

 

 

Edited February 12, 2021 by Pelamid

[salokcinnodrog]

  On 12/02/2021 at 07:35, Pelamid said:

seaguar abrazx fluorocarbon fishing line

Not sure if this available in Europe yet. I bought some off ebay from a US supplier. Postage was not cheap but it still worked out cheaper than other Seaguar fluorocarbon lines here.

I have been using the 15lb in rocky swims for barbel, it's proving very tough and has taken a few carp between 14lb - 19lb as well.

 

The braid hook length materials do not work for me here on the river Lot, France. Tried a few now, but few bites and no fish!

 

 

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I think a lot of the problem with braid hook links is due to crayfish, and for you poisson chat fiddling with rigs. 

[jh92]

ESP Tungsten Loaded is all I use, I like to keep things simple and just fish bottom baits and sometimes a snowman, simple knotless knot rig with a bit of shrink tubing.. I struggle to have confidence in other rigs lol.

[ouchthathurt]

Keeping things simple is the way forward mate, I’m always tinkering with rigs admittedly when at home, but on the bank i revert to simple rigs I know work, coupled with a bait I have complete confidence in means I can rest assured that those two elements are working for me, I can “forget” about them and concentrate on location and tactics. The best rig in the world can’t catch a carp that isn’t there! 

[elmoputney]

  On 16/02/2021 at 08:35, ouchthathurt said:

Keeping things simple is the way forward mate, I’m always tinkering with rigs admittedly when at home, but on the bank i revert to simple rigs I know work, coupled with a bait I have complete confidence in means I can rest assured that those two elements are working for me, I can “forget” about them and concentrate on location and tactics. The best rig in the world can’t catch a carp that isn’t there! 

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I'm pretty much the same I made a really zany version of a chod rig last year, in my head it's probably, really, really, difficult to eject, but I've never had the balls to try it 😂

[ouchthathurt]

Admission time... I’ve never caught a carp on a chod rig! 😳😳

or a zig... 

call myself a carp angler! Lol! 

[...]

  On 16/02/2021 at 11:56, ouchthathurt said:

Admission time... I’ve never caught a carp on a chod rig! 😳😳

or a zig... 

call myself a carp angler! Lol! 

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I've caught 1 carp on a chod rig, fished zigs, but no Interest, but if I hit a friends rod n land it, does it count? 

[Carpmaster]

  On 16/02/2021 at 11:56, ouchthathurt said:

Admission time... I’ve never caught a carp on a chod rig! 😳😳

or a zig... 

call myself a carp angler! Lol! 

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Not on your own I don’t use a chord rig I’ve not done a lot of zig fishing that’s why I tied flys for this yr to have a good go at it stalking is my favourite method I do love it 

[Carpmaster]

  On 16/02/2021 at 11:57, Highy said:

I've caught 1 carp on a chod rig, fished zigs, but no Interest, but if I hit a friends rod n land it, does it count? 

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Better believe it and you get the windup rights too

[Choprider]

  On 16/02/2021 at 11:56, ouchthathurt said:

Admission time... I’ve never caught a carp on a chod rig! 😳😳

or a zig... 

call myself a carp angler! Lol! 

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I have had a few on choddies, but wouldn’t have a clue where to start with Zigs ( me and my mate keep saying we are going to try Zigs, then we lose our bottle )

[elmoputney]

  On 16/02/2021 at 11:56, ouchthathurt said:

Admission time... I’ve never caught a carp on a chod rig! 😳😳

or a zig... 

call myself a carp angler! Lol! 

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Neither have I 😂

[yonny]

I only use chods and zigs when I believe there is no other method that can catch them in the given situation. I've caught plenty so imo you are missing out boys.

When they're nuts deep in heavy weed it has to be a chod.

When they're mid-water it has to be a zig. 

[ouchthathurt]

  On 16/02/2021 at 12:42, yonny said:

I only use chods and zigs when I believe there is no other method that can catch them in the given situation. I've caught plenty so imo you are missing out boys.

When they're nuts deep in heavy weed it has to be a chod.

When they're mid-water it has to be a zig. 

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Very true mate, for me it’s the confidence factor, I’ve tried both methods yet haven’t got a take. It’s a gap in my skill set that I need to address. Zigs especially, chod wise I don’t hit many scenarios (if at all) where I can’t present my favoured pop up rig. Although this is set to change when I can get on the rivers after lockdown, they are weedy in places and a choddie will probably be the best option. Admittedly, I have missed out on chances where carp are coming to zigs, yet when I try, they are very haphazard and I’m beaten before I’ve started. The confidence factor again. 

[Carpmaster]

  On 16/02/2021 at 13:45, ouchthathurt said:

Very true mate, for me it’s the confidence factor, I’ve tried both methods yet haven’t got a take. It’s a gap in my skill set that I need to address. Zigs especially, chod wise I don’t hit many scenarios (if at all) where I can’t present my favoured pop up rig. Although this is set to change when I can get on the rivers after lockdown, they are weedy in places and a choddie will probably be the best option. Admittedly, I have missed out on chances where carp are coming to zigs, yet when I try, they are very haphazard and I’m beaten before I’ve started. The confidence factor again. 

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It is a confidence thing 100%

[framey]

  On 16/02/2021 at 11:56, ouchthathurt said:

Admission time... I’ve never caught a carp on a chod rig! 😳😳

or a zig... 

call myself a carp angler! Lol! 

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I’ve never used a chord rig 

used a new style zig once and caught on it 

 

[yonny]

  On 16/02/2021 at 13:45, ouchthathurt said:

for me it’s the confidence factor

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Totally mate. Loads of guys struggle with that when it comes to zigs, and I struggled with it before catching on them too. There was a tip on here from @nigewoodcock (not sure he visits anymore). He suggested leaving all your bait at home and just taking a pot of foam - so you're forced to go all in on the zigs. That is a great tip as sooner or later you'll have them, and once you have them those confidence issues disappear.

[elmoputney]

  On 16/02/2021 at 14:41, yonny said:

Totally mate. Loads of guys struggle with that when it comes to zigs, and I struggled with it before catching on them too. There was a tip on here from @nigewoodcock (not sure he visits anymore). He suggested leaving all your bait at home and just taking a pot of foam - so you're forced to go all in on the zigs. That is a great tip as sooner or later you'll have them, and once you have them those confidence issues disappear.

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That's not a bad shout, I have tried a bit with zigs but never confidently, I was going to use them a bit more this winter but that hasn't materialised so far,

Chods I have also tried a bit I can see me using those more often I think, I should have more last year tbh, but didn't quite see how useful they can be, 

This is my so solid chod rig 😁 it's basically like a normal chod but with a massive D that you use to hold the bait on with, basically the bait won't blowback like any other rig and in theory will be super tough to eject? 

I would be interested to hear thoughts on it BTW my thoughts on it are that it could be revolutionary or completely terrible 😁

[salokcinnodrog]

I've used zigs occasionally, catching a few fish, more often though when I couldn't fish a floater as it was drifting too fast through the swim or the line and controller got dragged off course. 

Had a few fish with the bait or zig bug just touching surface tight to lily pads or margins where the freebies ended up. 

Pop-ups fished around a foot up straight off the lead also produced numbers of carp at Bromeswell. 

 

Maybe not strict zig fishing, but it worked. 

Chods I used before they got named 'chods', again catching fish, but I didn't like them in weed. They were OK over silt and bottom weed, but not in 'total weed'. 

 

[yonny]

  On 16/02/2021 at 15:46, elmoputney said:

I would be interested to hear thoughts on it BTW

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Many moons ago I played with a similar version but the D went all the way back down the hooklink to the swivel (instead of back through the eye). It worked well but I can't be bothered to tie them anymore. I dont think it makes a huge difference over a standard chod.

I do think the chod can be improved by adding a tiny boom (like 1 or 2 inches, like a tiny hinge rig). This gives the rig the movement the standard chod lacks, and solves problems with the lead bouncing the hook out during the fight too.

[framey]

Scrub that 

 

Edited February 16, 2021 by framey

[elmoputney]

  On 16/02/2021 at 16:19, yonny said:

Many moons ago I played with a similar version but the D went all the way back down the hooklink to the swivel (instead of back through the eye). It worked well but I can't be bothered to tie them anymore. I dont think it makes a huge difference over a standard chod.

I do think the chod can be improved by adding a tiny boom (like 1 or 2 inches, like a tiny hinge rig). This gives the rig the movement the standard chod lacks, and solves problems with the lead bouncing the hook out during the fight too.

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So the long d version did you still use a swivel or bait screw? I guess the idea is the bait blows down to the swivel so it can't be used to loosen the hook? Good idea, 👍

The thinking behind mine is it just keeps springing back into the mouth  like it's on a spring 😂 I wanted to add a video but I need to change the file type or something 😒