THIS MONTH: THIS MONTH: ALEX BRANSBY ALEX BRANSBY

In this month’s One Rig Only, Alex Bransby divulges everything about his all-time favourite rig – the one he’s been using very successfully over the past 12 months.

Crafty Carper 59Crafty Carper 59

Alex’s favourite rig has yet to see him lose one fi sh!

It’s quite a dilemma to have to choose just one rig, as I generally have three main presentations in my armoury

that perfectly suit all manner of situations I may be faced with. These three rigs generally cover all the eventualities I’m likely to come across. However, if my hand was forced and I was restricted to the use of just one presentation, it would have to be a rig I’ve been perfecting over the last 12 months, and which I refer to as my Choker Rig, which will become clearer in due course.

The BackgroundI fi rst came up with the idea and began using the presentation over a year ago. I had a bottom bait rig I was successful with and confi dent in using, and also a ‘cast anywhere’ pop-up presentation I was very happy with, although that rig was more suited to fi shing single hookbaits or casting at showing fi sh. I needed to fi nd a more versatile rig that could deal with a number of scenarios. Ideally I was looking for a rig with which I could present a pop-up just off the bottom, which would deliver a secure hookhold whilst fi shing over a bed of bait. After a bit of rig tinkering, the Choker Rig soon evolved. The beauty of this rig is that it can be just as effective when used with bottom baits and critically-balanced baits as it is with pop-ups.

I fi rst christened the rig early last spring whilst targeting a heavily pressured lake. I’d lost a couple of good fi sh on the bounce using my usual pop-up rig, and shortly after changing over to the Choker Rig I hooked and landed a large mirror that was nailed dead centre of the bottom

lip – and that sent my confi dence soaring. In fact, since using the Choker Rig for both pop-

ups and balanced baits, I haven’t dropped a single fi sh! Testament

indeed to the sound yet simple mechanics of the

presentation, which work as they should.

Alex Bransby

Age 32

Hometown Northampton

OccupationBiochemist

UK PB46lb 12oz

Favourite venueElsons

RodsGreys Torsion

ReelsDaiwa Infi nity 5000 BR

AlarmsDelkim TXi

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One Rig Onlyfeaturing Alex Bransby

ChecklistTackle Items Required

20lb ACE Camo Core

Size 8 Korda Kaptor Kurv Shank

Small Gravel Brown Korda Sinker

Korda Micro Rig Ring

ACE Camo Leadcore Lead Clip Rig

12mm CC Moore Northern Special pop-up

ACE 0.5mm Silicone Tubing

ACE Gravel Mini Sleeves

Key Tackle ComponentsStarting with a hook pattern, I fi nd a curve shank pattern in Size 8 to be an ideal all-round hook for this rig; it’s a great pattern for either pop-up or bottom bait presentations. Recently I have been using the new Kaptor Kurv Shanks by Korda; they have a dull, unobtrusive PTFE coating, 28° down-turned eye, and ultra-sharp straight hookpoint that I tend to favour with a pop-up rig for improved penetration, and they really do fi t the bill quite nicely.

Moving on to the hooklink material; I favour a strippable coated hooklink product from ACE called Camo Core. It is a highly abrasion-resistant material with a multi-coloured appearance, which breaks up its profi le over the lakebed, making it much more inconspicuous. For much of my angling, my preference is for the gravel-coloured version in 20lb breaking strain. This, I feel, is just the right amount of rigidity to help kick the critically-balanced hookbaits that I favour away from the lead, yet it remains supple enough to follow the contours of most lakebeds I am likely to fi sh over with this presentation.

Why It WorksI also like the fact that with this movement the hookbait is instantly taken out of play once under tension, so can no longer jeopardise the hookhold. Before I leave the hook arrangement, I would just like to add that my preferred position for the rig ring on the shank is usually directly opposite the barb of the hook, especially when using pop-ups. You will see that once on the lakebed, the hook takes on a very aggressive posture that readily turns and catches the bottom lip every time when set in this manner.

60 Crafty Carper

The RequirementsWhen I initially set about developing the rig, I asked myself what basic requirements I wanted from the presentation, and how those ideals could be best achieved. These objectives were as follows. Firstly, it had to have very good anti-tangle properties, while at the same time having the movement and fl exibility in all the right places. Ideally I was looking for a rig that could be used with confi dence over all manner of lakebeds. Secondly, I really wanted to incorporate the adaptability to switch between a pop-up and a bottom bait scenario without the need to mess around changing presentations. Lastly, I was very keen, if possible, to incorporate a way of changing the hook quickly and effi ciently, almost along the same lines as the now commonly used Multi-Rig. This facility enables the hook to be changed in a matter of seconds, which is a godsend for me because I’ve become meticulous where hookpoints are concerned. This obviously also enables the actual hook pattern to be changed at the drop of a hat, to best suit the different hookbaits that may be used in conjunction with the rig. If you take a look at the rig you can say I have achieved this simply and effectively with the help of some key components, and they all play a part in the rig’s effi ciency. Let’s have a look at the mechanics involved and why I believe the rig works so well.

Rig MechanicsAt fi rst glance the fi nished rig looks like a fairly basic, bog-standard presentation, and in principle it is, but if you look a little closer at the hooking arrangement, you can see the attachment of the actual hook is far from conventional. This allows the bait to be attached to the hookshank via a micro rig ring. This affords the hookbait plenty of freedom to travel along the length of the shank once the bait is taken into the carp’s mouth, which I think is an important aspect, especially when using pop-ups. With the Choker Rig, once the hookbait is taken into the carp’s mouth, the resistance to the lead is felt, the loop of hooklink attaching the hook (as well as trapping the hookbait in place) slips down the shank, pulling the hookbait away from the hookhold and out of harm’s way. The Choker Rig name comes from the slip/strangulating action of the loop tightening down on the hookshank. To further clarify this, I should explain how I tie up the rig, along with a brief insight into the different components used, and why.

Lead SetupMy preferred lead setup used in conjunction with this presentation is the Camo Lead Core Safety Clip Leader System produced by ACE. This setup is used with a Size 8 quick-change swivel that the hooklink is slid onto before being securely covered with an anti-tangle sleeve, which further helps the hooklink kick away from the lead on the cast. I like the use of safety lead clips, especially when using pop-ups, and typically I use a fairly light lead with this setup and rarely go much above the 2oz mark. In fact, I generally only like to use just enough weight to reach the required distance I want to cast to, so a lead that can be quickly changed to suit the situation is a must. I also like to use the Hard-On Camo Leadcore, also produced by ACE, and I again favour the gravel version because I believe the tri-tone weave appearance provides excellent camoufl age over a variety of lakebeds, making it very unobtrusive. This whole setup, I feel, is truly versatile and can be used in all manner of situations and scenarios, especially when you consider the presentation is as successful incorporating bottom baits as it is pop-ups.

Alex prefers to use the minimum weight to reach his desired casting distance.

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One Rig Onlyfeaturing Alex Bransby

Crafty Carper 61

TIE UP ALEX’S CHOKER RIG

First trim off 12ins of coated braid and strip back 40mm of the coating.

1

Then pass the loop back over the hookpoint to trap the ring on the hook.

4

Slide two small sinkers down the hooklink, one halfway, the other just above the hook.

7

Next tie a small overhand loop of around 20mm in length.

2

Next thread a 10mm section of angled silicone tubing over the hook’s eye.

5

Make a small break in the hooklink coating just below the sinker.

8

HookbaitsIf I’m using a relatively small 12mm pop-up such as CC Moore’s Northern Specials, I hardly need to add any extra weight, but if I am using a cork ball pop-up, I need to add small increments of putty until the hookbait ever so slowly falls through the water until it just about holds bottom on the lakebed. This rig is just as adept at fi shing a single pop-up at extreme range as it is fi shing small balanced bottom baits over a bed of bait, and for that reason, if I could only use one rig to cover any situation, then for me the Choker Rig would be the one. Although the creation of this rig is actually still very much in its infancy, within a relatively short period of time it has already proved to be a worthy part of my armoury, by being instrumental in helping me put a string of big fi sh on the bank over this last year – and long may it continue! CC

Pass this loop through the hook’s eye and slide the rig ring over the point.

3

Then attach a small 12mm pop-up with bait fl oss and blob into position.

6

Form an overhand loop so that the rig is 8ins long and attach to the lead clip system.

9

At fi rst glance this rig looks

like a standard bottom bait rig

– it’s not!

This big common was nobbled with

the Choker Rig.EDITOR’S COMMENT

Alex is no stranger to fi shing

pressured waters where every single

bite counts and you simply cannot afford to be

losing any fi sh that are hooked. By default, Alex’s

Choker Rig has to be his number one rig because he’s

yet to lose a single fi sh on it, which is impressive, as

he’s been using it for a period of over 12 months. The

curved pattern hook is perfect for this presentation

and the addition of the small sliver of 0.5mm silicone

makes its hooking potential even greater. Just when I

thought I was happy with the two rigs I regularly

use, this one might have to make its way

into my rig safe!

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