Introduction: The Helicopter Carp Rig
Chas Cook is the owner of Vaux French carp lake. This is the 5th article in an excellent series which gives you instruction on how to construct a series of carp rigs he’s used to great effect for his carp fishing in France. You can read all the articles here.
Both of the following rigs have, once again, been used to great effect when fishing to open water marks using the bag and double foamed hook length, so that neither rig sinks into the silt. They are particularly effective when fishing to far banks, islands and lily pads over lake bottoms of sand and gravel. Takes result in drop backs on swingers and single beeps on buzzers as the carp leave the bank and islands on the reverse. The weight of the lead rapidly transfers to the point of the hook; in these situations 12lb fluorocarbon mainline is used, 30lb low profile leaders and semi tight clutches – not bait runners.
Bottom baits are used when carp are feeding along the far banks, but in the summer when temperatures are higher, they spend more time in the pads or on the surface under the trees along the far bank and so 40-60mm pop-ups are used on a chod set-up. Zig rigs can also be used off both helicopter set-ups, fishing to variable depths of water wherever the carp are lying in the lake and using 30-50mm pop-ups apple core shaped. The zigs are designed to put the rigs as close as possible to the basking carp; even if they are not feeding, carp at rest will naturally try to take a pop-up if a zig drops close to them.
Step 1:
In-line Lead Helicopter Rig (set up retaining the lead)
Component Parts
* 3oz – 5oz inline lead
* Standard tail rubber cut @ 450
* Swivel with wide bore one end
Step 2:
* Standard reverse inline lead helicopter set-up
* Swivel placed onto extended sleeve
* 3oz inline lead
Step 3:
* Tail rubber placed on lead sleeve but NOT pushed tight
Step 4:
* 30lb low profile fluorocarbon leader with swivel already attached passes through the centre of the lead
* Q ring attached
* Longer hook length (shown) is a bottom bait set-up
* A shorter hook length (not shown) would be a helicopter or a chod set-up
Step 5:
* Hook length attached to Q ring
* Funnel web bag attached to Q ring
* Bottom bait of hook length set up
Step 6:
Distance Lead Helicopter Rig (set up dropping the lead)
Component Parts
* Lead core leader
* Rubber bead
* Wide bore swivel
* Extended tail rubber
* Inline 3oz-5oz distance lead
* Standard size 8 swivel
Step 7:
* Wide bore swivel goes over the end of the tail rubber
* Rubber bead is pulled/pushed on to the end of the extended tail rubber
Step 8:
* Greased tail rubber pushed onto the sleeve of the distance lead
* Lead core leader is drawn over the outside of the distance lead and passes through the tail rubber
Step 9:
* Swivel goes into the bottom of the distance lead
* Leader is then drawn tight over the profile of the lead
* Q ring attached to the eye of the swivel at the same point as the lead core is attached
Step 10:
* Rig set to show a bottom bait
* PVA bag containing carp and trout pellets attached to the Q ring
Step 11:
* On the take from the fish the lead is dropped, the helicopter component parts slide down over the leader onto the leader swivel
Fishing Holiday in France at Vaux
