Add These 8 Things and Your Carp Rigs Won't Ever Tangle
It is crucial that your carp fishing rigs don't tangle if you want them to work effectively. In this short article, the OMC Team highlight the additions you can make to your rigs to stop those tangles in their tracks...
There is absolutely nothing worse than reeling in a rig when you think you should of had a bite and haven't, and finding it in a tangled mess. This one thing is no doubt costing anglers hundreds of extra fish each year, but preventing tangles is actually pretty simple, you just need to make some minor adjustments...
Add an Anti-Tangle Sleeve
Our Vitabitz or Blend Tungsten Anti Tangle Sleeves are a vital addition to almost any rig. They simply keep that hooklink away from the lead at all times, which not just stops tangles, it helps the rig reset and lie flat on the bottom too, kicking the hookbait away every time. The Chod and Solid Bag Rig are pretty much the only setups we wouldn't use them on. A real tackle box essential these!
Length Matters
The longer your rig, the more prone it will be to tangling. This can be why anglers find fishing with Zig Rigs so frustrating at times, and why casting them is almost always done with an Anti-Tangle Sleeve on the hooklink and dissolving PVA foam on the hook.
For bottom bait rigs, consider your hooklink length wisely. There are times when you might want a longer rig for better hooking mechanics but consider that there might be an increased risk of it tangling on the cast. This is particularly true if you don't combine it with some of the other measures mentioned below. But if the long length is not essential, simply consider shortening the rig.
The Right Amount of Tubing
Tubing is a superb addition to any rig behind the lead. It pins the line to the bottom to camouflage and keep it out of the way of the fish in the feeding zone, plus it also protects the flanks of the fish during the fight. The one thing you need to do, however, is make sure your length of tubing is significantly longer than your hooklink. This will prevent it tangling around the top and ending up in a right state. Luckily, our Blend Tungsten Tubing is supplied with 4m in the box - so you won’t run out quick!
Choose a 'Stiff' Hooklink
The hooklink material choice of your rig is vital if you want to increase its anti-tangle properties. Switching to a stiffer coated braid like our Blend Coated Hooklink, or a fluorocarbon like our Blend Soft & Stiff or Kickback will certainly help.
Like an Anti Tangle Sleeve, these materials serve several purposes: they not only prevent tangles, but they help the rig reset every time it is interfered with by a carp, bird, or anything else. They are both in their own way also incredibly hard for fish to spot too. Fluorocarbon is practically invisible once submerged in water and our Blend Coated Hooklinks are available in two different colours to help them 'Blend' into the bottom.
If you really want that suppleness of a true out and out braid, try a thicker and heavier option like our Ammo in 50lb. This is a good compromise between softness and that extra rigidity required to stop a tangle.
PVA is Your Best Friend!
Either nicked on or preferably threaded down the hooklink with the needles on the Cool Tool, small PVA mesh bags like those created with our ChopStix system work a treat for stopping tangles. But for really supple braided rigs, loading them into a Fade Solid Bag is by far the best choice. The bag not only prevents tangles, it protects the hook and hookbait from getting snarled up in any rubbish on the bottom - an absolute winning presentation!
Pick The Right Hookbait
Bigger and heavier baits are more prone to tangling, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't ever use them. Balancing your baits with your rig components or adding an element of buoyancy in the form of pop-ups or wafters will help.
If you want to fish a real 'donkey choker' of a hookbait, try fishing it as a 'Snowman' presentation and adjust the other aspects of your rig as mentioned already accordingly. Using a huge hookbait with a tiny hook and super supple hooklink is asking for a tangle!
Trap Long Hairs
There are times when a longer hair will help hook more fish. But these can and will tangle if you don't do something to avoid it. There are a couple of things you can do to reduce the risk of this happening: The first is to use a piece of Fade PVA Tape to secure the bait to the hook on the cast.
The second method to reduce the chance of a tangle is to fish the rig as a Blowback with either Tube or a Rig Ring, this will hold the hair in place on the shank of the hook and also offers superb hooking mechanics as the bait acts independently from the hook in the mouth of the carp. They blow the bait out, it slides along the shank and the hook stays in place - nailed!
Stop That Cast!
Hitting the clip or stopping the cast with your finger before it hits the water is beneficial for many reasons. It throws the hookbait out away from the lead, which means the rig enters and descends to the bottom with good separation. This technique is also vital for feeling the lead down, which will help you know what your rig has landed on and if you should recast it or not. Crashing it in any old manner and letting everything go loose will more often than not cause a big tangle.
Author Chris Haydon has just joined the OMC Family after six years working for the UK's number 1 fishing publication, the Angling Times. He is a keen coarse and carp fishing all-rounder, fishing in the South West region, including the famous Cotswold Water Park.
