What are the best carp rigs for 2025?
Every Carp rig we sell will catch carp however we appreciate that the world of Carp fishing can be very daunting. In this post we try to simplify things and help you choose the best carp rigs for where you are fishing and with what baits. The Carp rigs available increases year on year and this year we have seen some of the old rigs resurface such as the shot on the hook rig or norton nailer as its now known. The gaining popularity of the OMC lock hook as seen alot of people switch their hook patterns to this due to the exceptional hook holds it can give you Or maybe the ultra sharp Pallatrax Carp Hooks.
Lets get straight in to it:
Before you can select a rig you need to know what sort of bait you are going to be using and also having some idea of what the bottom of the lake is like will be an advantage..
The Classic Hair rig, this rig was the first real Carp rig which saw everyone mounting their bait on a hair on the back of the hook, this leaves all the hook free to increase your chances of a successful hook up. The hair rig can be made with a just about every hook pattern with the exception of the Chod pattern of hook. A coated braid is often used such as Korda N Trap as this gives you some anti tangle properties however this is semi stiff so if you are fishing on silt, or a very rocky/ Uneven bottom a supple braid like Super Natural may be more suited.
Pros:
- Very versatile, can be used with all manner of baits
- Can be used with either a lead clip, inline or helicopter type of presentation
- Can be used with a bait boat with confidence.
Cons:
- If you are using a pop up you will need to strip back the coating of the braid (if made with a coated braid) to adjust the height the bait sits off the bottom, simply add your putty where the coating ends
- Soft baits such as meat can often come off due to the hair slicing through them (more so on a powerful cast) You can negate this by using a bit of macaroni pasta on the hair so the pasta sits inside the lump of meat)
Suitable for: The hair rig can be used with all bait types but is most commonly used with bottom baits, meat, pellet etc.
Next up is the Solid Bag Rig
The solid bag rig is one of those rigs that should be in every anglers rig box. The rig itself is very short often around 3 inches and is designed to be put in a dissolvable PVA bag with a small handful of free offerings, your lead and of course your baited hook. When you cast out your pva bag the PVA will dissolve leaving your hook bait right in the middle of your free offerings - this ensures you have the maximum attraction around your hook bait. This method of fishing can be used on all lakes with confidence and if most effective in the winter months.
Pros
Can be used with all bait types
offers maximum attraction around your hook bait
virtually impossible to tangle because the rig in contained within your solid bag
Cons:
- Can be time consuming to make pva bags
- Can be difficult to use in heavy rain as the bag dissolves in water
- solid bag fishing can reduce the range you can cast due to the weight and shape of the sold bag
The Ronnie rig:
Originally designed as a low lying pop up rig, the Ronnie or Spinner rig has since been tweaked and used very effectively with Wafters and even bottom baits (like the shot on the hook rig "norton Nailer" . Normally made with a stiff boom this rig can be used on most lake bottoms including silt and weed. Other variations of the Ronnie rig include the Slip D ronnie Rig, The D rig ronnie rig. You can even use the ronne rig in a solid pva bag by swapping the stiff boom for a short supple braid section.
Pros:
Tangle Free due to the stiff boom
Self resetting in the event of an aborted take
Can be used almost everywhere
Can be used with most bait types
Cons:
When using a pop up, putty may be required to balance the rig
Suitable for:
The Ronnie or spinner rig is suitable for most bait types and can be used very effectively on most lakes,