The Shocker Rig

This season I knew I would be tackling a different lake to the past couple of years and I was looking forward to a new challenge. Before my ticket would be available I wanted to try a couple of new baits out on a local day ticket venue, little did I know that just one session here would help me put quite a few more fish on the bank.

I had a five takes on one rod in half an hour but only banked one fish. I knew the bait was working and I had complete confidence in my rig but I was just pulling out of fish. After banking a fish on the other rod, I noticed how dark the small mirrors mouth was, I knew I was having all the takes in the silt and whilst unhooking the fish I noticed how soft mouthed it was. My thinking was that the shear weight of the lead and the semi fixed set up was literally helping the carp to throw the rig or even allowing the rig to rip from the fish’s mouth.

I decided to change to a running rig to allow the carp to move away without realising it had been hooked but the difference would be that there would be a small bead placed a short way up the leadcore leader to help set the hook. I put the rig on both rods, my right hand rod that had the five takes on was away again shortly after the change and a fish was banked, a good start. I had another seventeen takes that day and not one fish was dropped.

When I moved onto my new water I left two on the running rig and the third o n the semi fixed I dropped my first fish on that day need I say what rig. The first carp I did land was on the running rig and I did notice how soft the mouth was again.

I`ve stayed on the Shocker rig all this season and touch wood I have not dropped a fish. As you can see from the photographs the presentation is vital and the Dung bomb and jelly wire in brown are a perfect match for the type of bottom that I have been fishing this season.