July 2014 – CatsandCarp.com
How to tie an adjustable hair rig
My version of the adjustable hair rig allows you to shorten and lengthen the hair using only your fingers. This is fabulous is you want to change baits without changing your rig. You can go from a single 10mm boilie or kernel of corn to 30mm pellet or a snowman rig. Here are the steps to tying this rig:
Check out our video of How to Tie an Adjustable Hair Rig.
How does the Adjustable Hair Rig work?
To lengthen the hair simply pull it until the Stop knot hits the shrink tubing. To shorten the hair rig grip the Stop knot and pull it away from the hook eye.
Step 1: Cut two leaders (one 18″ leader and one 24″ leader) In the shorter leader tie a loop in the end the same way you do a normal hair rig.
Step 2: Pinch the smaller leader against the shank of the hook and then use the longer leader to tie a Knotless knot.
Step 3: Use the longer leader’s Knotless knot to pin the shorter the leader to the shank. As you tie the Knotless knot wrap really tight. The tightness of the wraps is what will give the adjustable hair resistance. Too lose and the hair will lengthen when the bait gets picked at by carp.
Step 4: Finish the Knotless knot and straighten out the two leader above the eye of the hook.
Step 5: Use the smaller leader to tie a Stop knot onto the longer leader.
Step 6: The Stop knot should only be an inch or two away from the hook eye. The Stop knot does not need to be super tight.
Step 7: Cut the tag ends and tie a Surgeon’ s loop on the end of the rig.
Step 8: Cut some smaller shrink tubing and slide it over the hair and then over the point of the hook. The smaller shrink tubing covers the wraps, tightens the adjustable rig and acts as a blow back rig.
Step 9: Cut a section of medium shrink tubing and slide it over the Surgeon’s Loop and over the eye of the hook to improve hook set.
Step 10: Steam the shrink tubing and you are done.
Step 1: cut a 18″ leader and put a loop in the end.
Step 2: Pinch the shorter leader and the longer leader against the shank of the hook.
Step 3: Take the longer leader and use a Knotless knot to pin the shorter leader to the shank.
Step 4: Tie the Knotless knot tightly to give the rig plenty of resistance.
Step 5: Connect the shorter leader to the longer leader using a Stop knot.
Step 6: Dress and tighten the Stop knot about 1-2″ above the hook eye.
Step 7: Cut the tag off and tie a Surgeon’s Loop on the end of the rig.
Step 8: Cut a piece of small shrink tubing and slide it on the hair and over the point of the hook. It should cover all of the Knotless knot wraps and terminate at the start of the hook bend. Put a piece of medium shrink tubing over the eye.
Step 9: Cover the eye and the shank with different size shrink tubing.
Step 10: Steam the shrink tubing.
Learn how to catch carp and you will never stop carp fishing
Few people can see a massive carp swimming around and not want to learn how to catch carp. Catching carp is incredibly entertaining, but so many North American fisherman just don’t know where to begin. So here is a very basic beginner’s guide to catching car.
Carp Bait:
Boiled freed corn (“Maze”)
Carp will eat bread, oatmeal, grits, maple peas, boilies, fish pellets and spam, but my favorite bait is corn. Carp love corn. Sweet corn works great or you can buy bulk dried feed corn and boil it to make an awesome yet cheap carp bait. To read an article explaining how to make your own corn based particle bait click here. For a video about how to prepare feed corn for carp fishing click here.
Chumming:
Chumming is an essential part of carp fishing. Chumming is when you throw bait into the water around your hook to attract more fish into your spot. Chumming can be done days or minutes in advance and should be done throughout the fishing. Carp can eat so much bait so quickly you can easily use 2-5 lbs of chum very quickly.
Spods, slingshots, spombs, PVA bags, methods and margin poles are all tools meant to help carp anglers chum out in the middle of the lake. One of the easiest ways to chum a spot if to canoe out to where you are fishing and throw the bait out in the water by hand.
For more information about chumming and baiting tools click here.
Hooks:
Inline lead carp rig
#8-#1 hooks are popular for carp. I prefer size #4 and #6 hooks. Always get the sharpest hooks you can afford. Specialty carp hooks such as Ace, Korda, and Fox are super sharp and designed for carp, but Gamagatsu also makes excellent hooks.
Carp Fishing Rigs:
A simple inline lead and hair rig is an amazing carp fishing rig. The important part to get camouflaged parts and line. Carp have good vision and in clear water they can see clearly leads, hooks and swivels. Avoid components that are shinny. Many carp gear manufactures makes camo leads, mat finish swivels and hooks.
Hair Rigs:
The hair rig is the best way to take your carp rig to the next level. A hair is a piece of string the attached your bait to the shank of the hook. A hair rig is tied with a knotless knot and is very simple to make. The bait is attached to the hair using a baiting needle and a bait stop.
For a nice video on how to tie a hair rig and how to attach bait to a hair rig, click here.
Where to Fish:
Once you find a lake or river with carp in it, sit and watch for a while. Look for the signs of carp activity. Jumping slashing carp are a dead give away, but also look for trails of bubbles and mud being stirred up in shallow water by grazing carp. The edges of weed beds and reed beds are always good places start looking.
Bite Alarms and Rod Holders:
Most carp fisherman fish with multiple rods at once using bite alarms and rod holders. Rod holders allow you to use multiple rods at once and bite alarms allow you to divert your attention to other things while you fish and allow you to catch a nap while night fishing, plus they are really fun. For great video demonstrating how bite alarms work click here.
Nets:
A long handled wide mouth net is great to have. A 6’ handle and 42” mouth is great. Micromesh netting also protects big fish from getting cut by the nylon mesh.
Unhooking Mats:
Carp are different than other game fish. The average carp is bigger than most species of fish in North America but carp cannot survive out of water the same way that catfish can. Because of their size, they can be injured a lot easier if they flop around on the ground or get dropped. Unhooking mats or carp cradles are designed to protect carp while you unhook them or if they flop out of your hands during a photo. For more information about carp care, click here.
Check out this great video showing how to catch carp.
Alligator Gar
Even if you are a stranger to this website you should already know my opinion regarding catching catfish and carp. Get out there and try it if you haven’t already.
However, we have some amazing native freshwater fish species here in North America and many of the best are utterly ignored by the mainstream fishing media. If you love to catch fish and you live in North America, this list should be your fishing-bucket list. Put down the bass rod for a few weekends and get out there and be prepared to have your mind blown.
1) Alligator Gar
I usually don’t need to convince people that alligator gar should be on their list of fish to catch. You show them a picture and all the convincing is done. These mammoth prehistoric fish are native to the Deep South, with the biggest specimens usually found in eastern Texas and Louisiana. The largest alligator gar ever record was 9’6” long and 365 lbs. These fish are often caught on cut bait using the same tactics that a trophy cat fisherman would use….only BIGGER.
2) Giant White Sturgeon
White sturgeon
White Sturgeon are native to the west coast from Mexico to Canada but there are few fishable populations left outside of the North West. White sturgeon grow very slowly. They take 14-18 years to reach sexual maturity, the spawn only once approximately every 4 years and they can live to be 100 years old. The largest sturgeon ever caught on a rod and reel was caught by Michael Snell of Salisbury, England in the Fraser River, British Columbia. It weighed about 1,100 pounds and was 12 feet, 4 inches. It was released.
3) Buffalo
Buffalo guide Austin Anders of http://www.texascarpguide.com/ with two massive Texas Small Mouth Buffalo
There are five species of buffalo. Small mouth buffalo, black buffalo, fleshy lipped buffalo, Usumacinta buffalo and large mouth buffalo. Buffalo are not related to carp but are a member of the sucker family and native to North America. The largest of the three buffalo is the small mouth buffalo. The record is 88 lb caught in Lake Wylie, NC by Tony Crawford. Buffalo can be caught using modern carp fishing tactics and baits.
4) Paddle Fish/Spoon Bills
These amazing looking monsters are incredible to see in the water. Because these beasts are mostly plankton feeders most people catch them by snagging. The Largest paddlefish in North America was caught on rod and reel in Montana in the Missouri River by Larry Branstetter. It weighed 147 lb 8 oz and was 77” long.
5) Bowfin
Bowfin are another prehistoric native fish that is found across the south. Bowfin are aggressive predators that prefer slow shallow water with lots of cover. They can be amazing to catch on top water using bass gear. The largest bowfin ever caught on rod and reel was 21 lb 8 oz from Forest Lake in South Carolina by Robert Harmon
6) Long Nose Gar
Long nose or spotted gar
When you catch a long nose gar your first thought is “How badly do I want my lure back?” Those teeth are wicked but worth the risk. Gar a loads of fun to catch. These fish are tremendous predators. They love minnows and live in backwater creeks and rivers across the south. You can make killer gar lure using nothing but frayed white nylon rope on the end of your line. The frayed rope tangles those teeth and catches the gar better than most hooks would. The biggest long nose gar ever caught were 41 lbs from the Red River in Oklahoma and 41 lbs from Lake Panasoffkee Florida.
7) Burbot
Here is where I begin to show my Alaskan roots. The burbot is the only freshwater relative of the ling cod and it is found in Alaska, Canada, The Great Lakes and they were fished to extinction in the UK. The burbot is a popular fish to target when ice fishing deep lakes and large rivers. It is typically caught on salmon eggs near the bottom. The largest burbot in North America was 24 lbs 12 oz, caught in Lake Louise Alaska.
Shee fish
8) Sheefish
Sheefish are rightly known as the tarpon of the north. They look like a tarpon, they are caught using similar tactics and they fight/jump like a tarpon. Sheefish are found in central Alaska in the Yukon, Makenzie, Pah and other large rivers. The largest ever was 53lb from the Pah River in Alaska.
9) Grayling
Grayling
Grayling are not big fish. They are slightly smaller than the average trout, but they are (in my opinion) one of the most gorgeous fish in North America. Grayling are also extraordinarily fun to catch on a lure or fly rod. A small Meps or Super-Duper on an ultra light is a deadly combo. An elk hair caddis or Griffith gnat will also do the business well. Grayling rise to a dry fly like no other fish. Grayling can be found in high mountain lakes and stream of the west, Canada and Alaska. The largest grayling ever was 4 lbs 13 oz and caught in the Ugashik Narrows in Alaska.
10) Freshwater Drum
Freshwater Drum are good sized, plentiful, tasty, and they will hit just about any lure or bait. They prefer clear water with sandy or gravelly bottoms are found along the east coast and parts of the Midwest. The largest freshwater drum was 46 lbs from Spirit Lake in Iowa.
Spodding is something that is really easy to mess up. You can’t see what is going on at the bottom of the lake or river, dozens of yard out. There are some real common mistakes that you can make or avoid when spodding for carp.
Give the spod time to empty before reeling it in.
Give your spod time to empty before reeling in.
After you cast a spod out into the water, make sure that you give it time to empty before you begin reeling in.If you begin reeling in your spod too soon after casting you will leave a train of bait many yards long instead of creating a concise pile of offerings. Instead of concentrating the fish in one area you will begin spreading them out. This is anti productive.
Let your spod sit before reeling. How much time varies a lot depending on your spod and the type of bait you are spodding. Pure deer corn takes a long time to fall out of the spod. Boilies and hemp seeds fall out very quick.
With some experience you can quickly tell whether the spod is done emptying. Cast an empty spod out as far as you can. Let it sit for five seconds and then reel it in. As soon as you put tension on the spod it should start skipping easily across the surface. That is what an empty spod feels like. If you start to retrieve your spod and the spod doesn’t pop to the surface or if it feels sluggish then you are reeling in prematurely. Stop and like the spod sits.
Occasionally, I will give the line a few twitches with a good long pause in between to help shake out sticky particle baits from the spod.
Don’t let bait fly out of the back of the spod during casting
A Spomb won’t let bait fly out the back in flight
If you cast your spod and bait flies out the back you will see a trail of splashes leading out to where your spod hits the water. This trail of bait causes the same problems as reeling in your spod too early. You creat a wide area of bait instead of a tight concentration of bait. This can spread the fish out instead of concentrating them.
To prevent bait from flying out the back you can use a Spomb instead of a spod. Another trick I to only fill your spod 3/4 full and to gently pack the pack into the spod with your thumb. Some carp fisherman like to fill the spod 2/3 full and then pack a small layer of ground bait in the end to seal the spods back end.