Fishing Tip #5 for Carp - Bolt Rig

Yours truly baiting the hair rig.
You can see the 2 oz. lead in the picture.

I have written a few articles with specific tips about things I have learned that helped me catch more carp. It's only fair that I share what I've learned because many have helped me too.

In the past I have tried to rank the tips in order of importance, but thinking about it more today I realized that there is no one particular tip that helped me more than others. It was a combination of all the above!

I prefer flavored maize, hair rigs, inline leads and braided fishing line. I rig it all up using a "bolt" set-up.

Here is a photo series from Flickr.com that helps explain it in pictures: Click here The photos were put together by user TimJC513. I found them via an Ohio fishing forum.

I have used 2 oz. and 3 oz. inline leads from Resistance Tackle with success. I like to keep it lighter when possible, so I use 2 oz. leads 90 percent of the time.





I typically store the hook like in the picture below for casting. I have tried it a few different ways including 1) leaving it loose (hanging below the method ball) and 2) wrapping it inside the method ball (as in the Flickr pictures I linked above).



This picture was taken just prior to landing a 21 pound common carp
 near Lake Erie this fall.

The disadvantage to #1 is that it can tangle during the cast. The disadvantage to #2 is that sometimes the method ball will break apart during the cast leaving the hair rig laying on the bottom of the lake without the aid of the "method" to attract the carp.

If using a 1 oz. or 2 oz. lead for the bolt rig, be sure to keep the slack out of the line. It will help you catch more fish. With a 3 oz. or heavier lead, and appropriate test curve rod, you should be able to cast farther and when the fish "bolts" it will still get hooked if everything works as hoped. Even so, I still prefer the 2 oz. leads when possible because it's easier on your tackle, knots, rods, line, etc.