River carp snowman rig

Tackling hard- fighting, running- water specimens requires a strong presentation that isn’t going to let you down

WHEN it comes to targeting carp in running water, it isn’t the time or place for fancy and complicated rigs. Strong and simple is the key.

Unlike their stillwater counterparts, river carp don’t receive much ( if any) angling pressure and are therefore not as wary or as adept at dealing with rigs.

What they don’t lack, however, is fighting power. And when they have the added advantage of a current, you’re certainly going to know about it when you hook one. They’ll also know the exact location of any nearby snags and overhanging branches.

As there isn’t much open water for a hooked carp to plod about in, river carp will often charge from one side to the other while you hang on and hope your hook stays in place. For this reason, you need to use a rig that won’t let you down. Big, strong hooks and a coated braid hooklink of at least 20lb is essential. Remove a short section of the coating above the hook to expose the supple inner braid which allows the hook and hookbait to move more naturally.

A lead clip arrangement is also advisable so that the lead can be dropped on the take and reduce the chances of becoming snagged up. A large hookbait such as a 20mm bottom bait topped with a pop- up boilie, known as a snowman presentation, will help to deter smaller nuisance species, such as bream, from picking up your rig. The rig we’ve detailed here, doesn’t use any pieces of tubing or fancy rig swivels. It’s just a knotless knot tied KD- style to kick out the hair at a slight angle which helps the hook to drop down and catch hold when it’s picked up by a carp. Simple but very effective!