QUICK-CHANGE CHOD RIG
A convenient twist on this classic big-carp presentation makes it more user-friendly than ever before
NOT that many years ago the chod rig was the ‘go-to’ tactic for the majority of the country’s big-carp anglers.
More recently it has fallen slightly out of fashion, and the Ronnie rig is now arguably the most commonly used set-up.
Yet, while trends change, the effectiveness of the chod rig has never been in doubt, and it is still an incredible tool for nailing big fish.
The presentation comes into its own on weedy or silty waters. Due to the hooklink section being free to move up the leader to the point at which the top bead is set, it will present a pop-up hookbait effectively on top of any weed or other lakebed detritus.
The stiff material used to tie the hooklink makes it hard for a carp to eject, and the swivel at the base of the hooklink allows it to spin and catch hold, no matter what direction a fish approaches the bait from. Traditional versions of the chod saw it tied directly to the ring swivel on the leader, which made it slightly more timeconsuming when a fresh hooklink needed attaching.
In this version, however, we’ve tied a loop in the end which, when used in conjunction with a Thinking Anglers Crook Bead, allows it to be quickly added or removed from the quickchange ring swivel.
When setting up the rig, it’s important to position the bottom bead a few inches above the lead to alleviate any risk of the hookpoint catching on the lead.
The top bead should be positioned at the estimated height of the weed you’re fishing over. The buoyant pop-up will help the hooklink to sit up against this bead.
At this time of the year it works best with a ‘match the hatch’ style hookbait fished over a spread of boilies. In winter and spring it makes an excellent single hookbait rig when used with a hi-viz pop-up cast towards signs of showing fish. Because it will present over all but the thickest of weed or silt, you can sit back, confident that your rig is working effectively!