Carp Fishing

One of the most effective modern rigs is the hinged stiff D-rig .Though primarily it was designed with pop-up presentations in mind,in fact it also works well with standard bottom baits and critically balanced bottom baits.The rig first found fame when Terry Hearn publicised it following his capture of the then record mirror from Wrasbury known as Mary.

However,the Hinged Stiff Rig has been around in one form or another for some time having started life,albeit in a slightly different form, as the Combi Rig,which was designed by Harry Haskell in the mid 80s.The rig is ideally suited for lakes where the bait needs to be presented on silt or in weedy situations.It is also the rig of choice where very cautious fish are the target.Once ingested the rig is very hard to eject thanks to the way it swivels in the carp's mouth so that when the fish tries to get rid of the hook the rig invariably finds a hold in the lower lip.

4)Now position the 2mm rig ring on the tail.

5)Pass the tail down through the eye of the hook and adjust it so that a neat D section is formed.

6)Secure the D Ring place by singeing the free end with a cigarette lighter. This forms a blob of molten nylon that will not pull through the eye of the hook.

7)Next take the 2mm Round Rig Ring and pass the free end of the Illusion through it.

8)Make a neat loop capturing the Round Rig Ring within the loop. The distance from the eye of the hook to the Round Rig Ring should be approximately 2 inches but much depends on the nature of the bottom.

9)Now take a second length of Illusion and tie another loop through the Round Rig Ring.

10)Attach the free end of the Illusion to the ring in the Flexi Swivel.

11)Make a loop of bait floss through the Oval Rig Ring. This will be used to hold the boilie in the case of standard or critically balanced bottom baits.

12)If you are using standard pop-up baits tie the hookbait direct to the Oval Rig Ring.

13)Finally mount your hookbait using the appropriate method.

As far as the overall length of the Hinged Stiff Rig is concerned, much will be governed by the underwater topography and the nature of the lakebed.As a general rule of thumb I suggest a length of 5 inches from the Round Rig Ring to the Flexi Swivel, and between 1.5" and 2" for the other section of the rig.