Welcome to this week’s blog, which helps answer one of the most frequent questions I get asked on a daily basis. Which carp rigs are best for beginners? Now, this is a hard question to answer as there are so many variables that can change my opinion on the approach I would recommend. However, I am going to break down hookbaits into 3 categories and give you what I think is the best carp rig for a beginner to use for each hookbait. Anyway, enough of that, let’s get into it!
1, Bottom Baits
A bait that sits firm on the bottom, right where the carp are naturally feeding, can be the best way to catch! Often forgotten about, using a bottom bait can help your hookbait blend in with your loose feed in a kind of match the hatch method. But what is the best rig to use to present a bottom bait effectively? Here’s my opinion.
Standard Hair Rig
The Standard Hair Rig is the most underrated Rig in modern Carp Fishing. Often overlooked by your more experienced carp anglers, this rig will continue to catch carp for many years to come. Sometimes the simplicity of this rig gives you better presentation!
When a beginner is starting his venture into the world of carp fishing this rig is a must have as being one of the simpler rigs, you can use it to build your confidence knowing you are presented nicely. Pretty much any standard bottom bait can be presented with this rig from boilies, luncheon meat, sweetcorn or tigers!
Blowback Rig
The Blowback Rig is an often used presentation incorporating a small sliding ring on the shank of the hook, with the ring attached to the Hair as a simple extension of the hooklink running up the back of the hook. This provides this rig with great anti eject properties and gives you a solid hook hold everytime!
My top tip is I like to present a bottom bait boilie with a fake corn pop up topper. This presentation sits extremely nicely amognst your loose feed but adds that extra bit of attraction with the high visual corn!
2, Wafters
Wafters are a incredibly versatile hookbait which, in my opinion, can really improve your fishing and put more carp on the bank! Wafters are a range of hookbaits that are neither standard bottom baits or pop-ups – they are a combination of the two made using both sinking base mix ingredients and buoyant ones combined at precise levels. The result of this is you get a critically balanced hookbait that reacts and fly up into the mouth of any feeding carp. Here’s my advice on the best rig for wafters!
Slip-D Rig
The Slip-D Rig has a doubled length of braid to form a ‘D’ which allows the free movement of the bait when taken in and out of the carp’s mouth. This also yields excellent anti-eject properties when the fish attempts to refuse the bait.
I always suggest to beginners that the use of a bait screw makes life alot easier on the bank. For example, with the Slip-D you can simply pull out a wafter from your tub, screw on, and you are away! No need for floss or bait ties!
3, Pop Ups
As you would imagine from the name, pop ups are very buoyant baits and can remain suspended just above the lakebed. Most commonly, pop ups are made from either a very buoyant mix, known as an ‘airball’ mix, or from a thin layer of regular boilie mix moulded around a cork ball and then boiled. These can be very effective when used correctly. But what is my favourite rig to present these? Well look no further!
Ronnie Rig
These Ronnie Rigs are 100% the most used pop up rig in modern UK Carp Fishing. I use this alot in my own fishing having caught carp on difficult waters with this rig. WIth the 360 degree movement of this rig it give you extremely good hooking potential!
The key to fishing these effectively is to critically balance the rig, sometimes a super bouyant pop up will need extra weight to allow the rig to sit correctly. There are many youtube videos on how to achieve this, however the best way is to grab your rig, grab your putty and hookbaits, fill up a sink and experiment!
I would also recommend checking your rig presentation in a bucket on the lake too before you cast out, just to make sure your presentation is perfect everytime!
Our Ronnie Rigs come with 3 choices of hooklink material, Korda Boom 25lb, IQ2 Fluorocarbon in 12lb, 15lb or 20lb and Korda N-Trap Soft. All 3 of these materials help you present over nearly every lakebed!
Summary
Thank you for taking time to read this blog. As I said in the intro, I get asked this question alot and to be quite honest there isn’t a right answer. These rigs are my opinions on what beginners should use but they won’t suit all anglers!
My honest bit of advice is pick 3 rigs you feel confident over which can present all hookbaits and stick with them. There is a vast range of rigs in the carp fishing world with every company looking at new ways to present rigs, so experiment!
Make sure you know your rigs though, don’t tie or order rigs without the prior knowledge of how that rig works, how it’s supposed to present, what hookbaits it’s used for and where it’s best to present. Obtaining these key bits of information can often help you make the right choice in what rig is right for you and in relation will catch you more carp!
My DM’s on Facebook and Instagram, emails and online chat are always open and I always want to help any angler get into fishing. Don’t be afraid of asking any question, no question is a stuipid one if you don’t know it!
Tight Lines and Wet Nets!
