RIGHT BAIT, RIGHT PLACE...

Alot of the time when anglers suffer a run of blanks, it’s is not the hook arrangement or bad presentation that’s at fault’, it’s the bait being used and the way it’s being applied. This probably has the most significant effect on the way our rigs ultimately work, as this can define how the carp feed. A group of fish feeding in a confident, tails-up, enthusiastic manner require far less mystic trickery to catch than a single fish feeding cautiously on a spot over a sprinkling of bait. Finding some fish in a safe place where you can covertly watch their reaction to your bait is time well-spent and the information gleaned will help you decide whether you need to consider presentation as an issue.

Another consideration is the buoyancy of hookbaits used with pop-up rigs. If you consider the mechanics of set-ups like the chod, hinged stiff and Ronnie rigs, which all rely on the rig being able to twist freely to offer optimum mechanical efficiency, it’s not hard to see why a poor pop-up that allows the rig to lean over can potentially undermine the rig’s performance. Think of it like turning a bicycle wheel if the axle is horribly out of alignment – it won’t turn freely – and it’s a similar concept when looking at the rotation of pop-up rigs with stiff hook sections. If the pop-up doesn’t do what it should, then the rig will be compromised, and so will the hookhold.