Martin Bowler’s approach to carp fishing rig presentation is remarkably straightforward. Here he shows us a very quick and easy to tie bottom bait rig which does the business!
‘To me carp fishing is very simple, based around location with everything else a secondary consideration because if you regularly put yourself in the correct spot there is absolutely no need to use complicated rigs.
I feed them bait they want to eat and combine this with a sharp hook/bolt rig. Other than that it mustn’t tangle and sit correctly on the substrate I have placed it on, ie gravel, silt or weed. Disappointingly then for anyone opening my tackle box hoping to find a secret – there is little more than a few ESP components.
For boilie fishing I use a ready tied chod, a hinged stiff rig again utilising an ESP rig and a bottom bait/snowman arrangement that I will explain how to tie to show you how simple things can be.
The ESP components and hook baits Martin uses for his simple bottom bait rig
A simple overhand knot forms the hair loop
I take 12 inches of brown 20lb Striptease and remove an inch of coating, which is going to form the hair, in which I tie a small overhand knot.
Next I prepare the hookbait which can be a combination of a sinking and pop up boilie, but a neater way is to bore out the centre of a 15mm boilie with an ESP drill and insert a buoyant dumbbell (or the cork stick provided). In this case I’m using a Baitworks Atlantic Heat boilie and a Hell dumbbell but it works with any brand.
I then thread this onto the hair and hold in place with a stop.
Next I take a size 4 Big-T and position the Strip-Teaze so the bait sits on the bottom of the bend, ensuring that the uncoated braid only acts as the hair and not part of the hooklength.
To hold it in place I whip in a knotless knot 10 times up the shank before folding the hair back before whipping twice more up the shank – that helps kick the boilie out. It is then fixed by passing the hooklength back through the eye creating an acute angle that is desperate to snag in a carp’s mouth.
That’s nearly it! I put a rig sleeve down the hooklength and tie off to a size 9 swivel with a twice through the eye grinner at the 8 inch mark. A 12-inch length of anchor tubing, a lead clip system completes the rig and I’m ready to cast.
No tangles, good presentation and a carp soon heading into the landing net – simple!