BLOWBACK POP-UP BOILIE RIG

This rig ensures the hookbait will rise clear of any bottom debris that might otherwise obscure the boilie. It’s dead easy to tie and has a track record that speaks for itself...

AT THIS time of year the beds of many lakes will still be littered with debris which can cause a standard bottom bait boilie to easily become masked.

Not only does this make it harder for carp to locate your hookbait in the first place, but it is also likely to hinder the mechanics of the rig. The answer is to use a pop-up hookbait.

Because these are buoyant they can be set to fish above any leaves or other debris on the bottom and are therefore easy for the carp to find. A bright pop-up sat an inch or two above the lakebed will often be too much for an inquisitive carp to resist.

There are numerous pop-up rigs used by carp anglers, but many have been designed to cope with very specific situations, such as thick weed or silt, or to fool heavily-pressured carp which have become adept at dealing with standard rigs.

In most cases, however, a simple rig will do the job perfectly and the rig detailed on these pages is straightforward to tie and incredibly effective at nailing carp.

It is tied using coated braid with a section of the outer coating removed to reveal the supple inner braid. This section is used to form the hair and the pop-up section which gives the hookbait more movement.

A blob of tungsten putty is used to anchor the hookbait, and where you place this on the hooklength will determine the height at which the pop-up sits above the lakebed.

For light debris one inch is fine, but for thicker silt you might need to set it at a couple of inches. The rig can be cast on its own or with a small mesh PVA bag.

“A bright pop-up sat an inch or two above the lakebed will be too much for an inquisitive carp to resist”