| * There are many baits and rigs used to catch carp | | | | working, and do yours differently. This way YOUR |
| and catfish. Obviously, when using a single hook, you | | | | catches will stand out from the crowd. |
| need to maximize your hooks potential for hooking | | | | You could try the 1 big dough paste bait on a hair |
| fish, every way you can, to get most 'takes' | | | | wrapped around a pellet or boilie. |
| converted from every 'pick-up!' | | | | Or try 1 big boilie bait of perhaps 35 millimetre in |
| You can start of in a very conventional way by using | | | | diameter, or even 2 baits of this size on a hair? |
| a 'side hooked boilie' or pop-up bait. Or use a ball of | | | | Perhaps try a bigger hook a size 2 not 6, 8 or 10. |
| dough paste on the hook, but this is not a particularly | | | | This hook has a larger gap and more weight to drop |
| efficient fish hooking method. | | | | and hook the bottom lip. |
| 'Hair rigs' were developed to maximize the hooking | | | | Try the hook floating over your bait rig: You put |
| potential of your rig, and there are very numerous | | | | some plastic foam onto your hook tied so it sits over |
| types to get around different carp and catfish | | | | your 'sinking' type bait. This way the hook will enter |
| feeding behaviours and fishing situations. But for most | | | | the mouth before the bait! (Very crafty - Have you |
| fishermen, simple is best, and risk of tangles, or time | | | | ever known anyone else use this rig?) |
| consuming tying of rigs is a potential drawback of | | | | Perhaps trying a prepared nut with a boilie or paste |
| many more advanced rigs, although they can easily | | | | bait together, on a hair, or two hairs could be a |
| out-fish conventional simple rigs in many situations! | | | | useful solution. Has your water been 'hit with tiger |
| You can use a single or half or two halves of a boilie | | | | nuts, peanuts, hazelnuts etc, recently and you need a |
| on your 'hair.' Or use two or three boilies on a longer | | | | new approach? Try foam 'popped-up' peanuts over |
| length hair. You could use a hair with 4 or 6 half | | | | pellets or corn for a different approach. |
| boilies on it. Or even mix up different boilies of | | | | How about using a pellet with boilie on one hair or |
| different types on the same hair, perhaps including | | | | two hairs, alongside a tiger nut or large peanut? (Do |
| some 'pop-up bait halves to help negate the weight | | | | you find that tiger nuts are more effective with their |
| of the hook for the shyer feeding fish. | | | | skin cut off a little?) Just a little change can make all |
| The same goes for different kinds of pellets; how | | | | the difference to your catch rate, but what |
| many anglers do you know mix different pellets on | | | | difference will really big changes to your rigs or baits |
| their hook or hair or even on multiple hairs on their | | | | make? |
| hooks? | | | | The author has many more fishing and bait 'edges' up |
| Following the current fashion in bait use and hook rigs | | | | his sleeve. Every single one can have a huge impact |
| can often make you miss out on loads more fish by | | | | on catches. (Warning: This article is protected by |
| not using more alternative methods. See what the | | | | copyright, but reprints with a link are OK.) |
| 'average fisherman on your water is doing, assess his | | | | By Tim Richardson. 'The thinking angler's fishing |
| bait, and rigs attributes, dimensions and method of | | | | author and expert bait making guru. |