Forget colour matched rig bits and, lord help us, weed or stone effect leads, just keep a low profile and you can’t lose!
If you think this article is about the latest in invisible style rig camouflage then you are about to be sorely disappointed. If you think about it logically, the idea that different hook link colour, hook colour or leader colour actually makes any difference to our results is laughable.
In a feeding situation carp can “feel” much better than they see. Even in gin clear water what’s alerting them to danger is what they touch and smell. A carp only has to get vaguely close to the bottom to cause a disturbance and lift up debris which clouds any vision it had.
What does make a real difference is how our rig components actually sit on the lake bottom. Examples of poor presentation are:
- A hook link that’s too stiff is easily kinked upwards by normal lake debris
- Tubing that’s too stiff to flow over the bottom
- Mainlines running tight across the swim to the rig
At Beausoleil, I’ve spent hundreds of hours fishing and exploring in detail the hydrography of the lake bottom. As estate lakes go, it’s relatively flat, being roughly bowl shaped with depths ranging from 2ft to 6.5 ft. However there are some real surprises under the surface. I’ve found enormous freshwater mussels, granite boulders ranging in size from 6” to 2ft, catfish nests made in silt of 6ft diameter and 18” deep. Even in areas that are made up of nice areas of sand and gravel lurk nasty surprises!
In order to successfully fish in an environment such as this, I use the following approach:
- I use a braided hook link pinned down with putty to naturally flow over lake debris. See article my rig blog for more information
- I avoid rig tubing but I do place putty every 12” for the last 4ft
- I fish with mega slack lines that will follow the contours of the lake and not spook the fish. See article: How lead setup affects bite indication
I hope these tips make your trip to France one to remember. Just remember most lake bottoms aren’t smooth or flat… anywhere!
