How to Tie a Simple Hair Rig for Carp and Buffalo Fishing

Clayton shows you how to tie up a simple hair rig for carp and buffalo fishing.

Carp Rigs :: Helicopter Rig (Long Distance)

The Helicopter Rig is designed for long distance casting without tangling.  The lead first and free moving hooklink allow the rig to be cast at great range without the hooklink snagging up on the cast.  A stiff hooklink (heavy mono or fluorocarbon) is recommended.

Rig Mechanic:

The name of the rig says it all.  The hooklink attached to the larger swivel will allow the link to spin freely around the leadcore leader.  The stiffer line will keep the hook and bait pushed out from the line preventing tangles.  The lead at the end of the rig positions the weight such that it leads on the cast for maximum distance.  The longer distance you need to cast, the greater the weight of the lead.  The stop beads prevent the hooklink from moving around too much and the tail rubber tidy’s up the rig for a sleek presentation.  Finally, the leadcore line keeps everyting pinned down to the bottom and helps to prevent tangles on the cast.

 

 

 

Carp Rigs :: Hair Rig (Running Rig)

The Running Rig is an alternative version of the hair rig that allows the lead to move freely — or run — on the line.  The addition of the rubber bead prevents the swivel from inserting into the lead and becoming a bolt rig.

Rig Mechanic:

The basic mechanic here is that a fish can pick up your bait and move off without feeling any resistance because the line will move freely through the lead.  On the rod & reel end of the equation, your light drag or open spool reel will begin to give line as the fish moves away and/or your bite alarm will start screaming.  Either way, you strike and FISH ON!

Which is better Bolt or Running Rigs?

You can ask a dozen anglers and each will give you a different answer and reason why.   My advice is to try them both and let experience on your local waters tell you.  Personally, I have used both and my confidence leans toward the bolt rig.  The immediate hook-up seems to be more effective than allowing the fish to move off and possibly eject the bait.

At one tournament session I was missing a few fish on my running rig setup.  I put on a split shot about 6 inches above the lead so that the fish could pickup and begin to move off, but once it ran the lead up 6 inches it would hit the split shot and the hook would set.  It immediately increased my hook-ups and I went from 8th place to 1st place in the course of the session.  I developed a lot of confidence for the bolt rig configuration that evening.

 

 

 

Carp Rigs :: Blow Back Rig

The Blow Back Rig is basically an ingenious innovation of the hair rig.  The primary change here is the addition of a small rig ring (normally around 2.0mm).  This little ring of metal introduces a new mechanic to the rig in that it allows movement of the bait up and down the shank of the hook.  So why is this important?

When a carp or buffalo takes a bait, they are pretty good at blowing it back out.  You see it time and again in your bite indication, when your alarm chirps and your hanger raises, only to fall back down with no other signs of a bite.  You got ejected!  This is where the blow back rig shines.

Because the rig ring can slide along the shank, when a fish picks up the bait and detects the hook it will quickly try to spit the bait out.  The ejected bait drives the rig ring up the shaft of the hook toward the eye causing the hook to turn down very aggressively as the weight of the hook becomes greater at the eye.  The bait is basically acting as a lever to turn the hook into the fish’s mouth — brilliant!   The moveable ring also allows the bait to reset itself.  If you’re a rig tubing user, you’ll appreciate the resetting feature of the ring instead of frequently having to install a fresh piece of tubing.

The Blow Back Rig is fantastic advancement on the simple hair rig and is responsible for many a big carp capture.

Do you have a favorite rig that you’d like to see on Texas Elite Angler?  What about an innovation of the Blow Back Rig?  Let us know, we’d love to hear about it.

Carp Rigs :: Hair Rig (Bolt Rig)

The Hair Rig is the most common rig tied by carp and buffalo anglers since the 1970s when the rig was conceptualized and fielded with great success.  As you can see pictured above, you are actually presenting the bait “off the hook.”   This approach works well because of two reasons.   1.) You are fishing a fully exposed hook.  There’s nothing to get in between the hook point and the flesh of the fish’s mouth.  If the hook was loaded with bait, there would be a good chance the carp could eject the hook without getting pricked.    2.) Carp are extremely adept at determining what is and is not a food item.  They’re sensory capability is remarkable, and they can easily detect a hook and blow it back out.   By presenting the bait off the hook, the carp will pickup the bait, taste nothing but food and then suck the rest of the rig into there mouth where the fully exposed hook will find a hold.   Then hang on!

The Bolt Rig is a configuration of a Hair Rig that speaks to how the lead is attached to the rig.   In this case, the lead is semi-fixed on the line.  When a carp picks up the bait and begins to swim off, the weight of the lead will engage as the slack of the hooklink (usually 6 to 9 inches) plays out.  The large 2-ounce lead will put enough resistance on the line to self-set the hook into the fish’s mouth.

It’s a brilliant rig setup that has caught a lot of fish.