Still fishing is an easy way to get started freshwater fishing because it’s versatile and can be done when fishing from a pier, a bridge, an anchored boat or from shore. It allows you to fish on the bottom or with your bait suspended above the bottom in ponds, lakes, rivers and streams for a variety of species. Still fishing can be done during most seasons and during any part of the day. The key to still fishing is patience as you wait for the fish to bite. The fishing rig you use depends on what kind of fish you're after, but let’s start with one of the most basic fishing rigs for freshwater, the basic bobber rig.
For still fishing, beginner anglers should try the basic bobber rig. Follow these steps to put together the basic bobber rig:
Drift fishing allows you to fish over a variety of habitats as your boat drifts with the currents or wind movement. You can drift fish on the bottom or change the depth with a bobber or float. Freshwater fishing rigs with natural baits work best. But jigs, lures and artificial flies in your drift fishing rig will produce good results too. You can drift fish on ponds, lakes, rivers and streams any time of the day and year.
For drift fishing, anglers should try the sliding sinker bottom rig. It is a popular, versatile rig and is an effective way to fish bait off the bottom, both from shore and while drifting in a boat. Some bass anglers prefer the slider sinker rig when assembling freshwater striper fishing rigs with live bait. The presentation of the rig allows the sinker to rest on the water bottom with the bait suspended above. This feature prevents the fish from feeling the weight as the line passes through the sinker. Follow the steps in this video to put together the sliding sinker rig:
Another of the various freshwater rigs that works for drift fishing is the 3-way rig (it can also be used when fishing from shore in current). This rig is designed to keep your bait off the bottom. Both catfish and surf anglers use three-way rigs as well. Pyramid sinkers work well to hold the line in the sand and mud and are often tied to the bottom swivel to anchor bait offerings in tides.
Your line is “live” when your boat is anchored in a flowing body of water like a river or stream. Use live or prepared baits in your live lining fishing rig and keep them on or just off the bottom. Live lining fishing rigs allow your line to drift with the current through holes and rocks where the fish may be holding. While the fishing rig you choose will depend on what type of fish you’re after, live lining is another favorite of the various freshwater fishing rigs among bass anglers.
Most trolling uses a boat with a small electric motor that moves the boat quietly through the water to avoid spooking the fish. But you can also troll by towing a fishing rig while walking along the edge of a shoreline, bridge or pier. The speed of the boat determines the depth of your bait. And the depth of the bait on these freshwater fishing rigs is determined by the species of fish you’re trying to catch. Use a spinning reel or a bait caster for trolling. Some states don’t allow motorized trolling, so check out your local fishing regulations to avoid tangling with enforcement.
Bottom bouncing from a drifting or trolling boat is a great way to attract or locate fish during most seasons and times of day. Use a bucktail jig or natural bait in your bottom bouncing rig and drag it along the bottom. The dragging motion on these types of freshwater fishing rigs causes the lure to bounce along, stirring up small clouds of sand or mud. After a few strikes with bottom bouncing, you can drop anchor and apply other freshwater rigs to hook the specific species you've attracted.
When you're just starting out in fishing, it can be difficult to keep up with all the new information on beginner carp rigs. There are a lot of different options and fishing terms that may seem confusing at first glance - but don't worry! The Angling Direct team are here to share their favourite carp fishing rigs as well as a selection of easy-to-follow beginner carp rigs for you to try!
Simply put, carp rigs are basically a series of fishing terminal tackle and a choice of fishing bait attached to the fishing line that allows you to catch carp by hooking them. All carp rigs should include:
Hook Length: Can be a coated braid or monofilament and is the thinner, lower breaking strain piece of line used tied to the hook and then attached to a stronger, thicker mainline.
Swivel: Consists of two metal circles that are connected by a ball or barrel-shaped pivoting joint and is used as a join between mainline and rig.
Lead: To add weight to your rig and to aid in setting the hook into the carp’s mouth when they take the bait.
Using the right carp fishing rig for not only the species you target but your choice of bait, venue and the season can be deadly in terms of fishing success! Carp anglers love a variety of carp rigs as each one provides good hook holds, minimizing the chance that carp spits your bait back out, which suits certain baits more than others.
Now that you have your equipment, we're going to show you how to tie 10 of the most popular carp rigs that you can use in different carp fishing scenarios.
Ideal for use in Spring, the Chod Rig has been a favourite for many anglers for many years. In the AD Quickbite video below, we show you how to tie the chod section and also how to fish it safely naked style on the line. This is a great and popular way to fish the chod rig as a lot of venues ban the use of leadcore.
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a night, teach a man to fish and he will eat for a life time. Why is it that ten percent of fishermen catch ninety percent of the fish ?
Is there something, that somebody forgot to tell the rest of us ? Well here is a run down that will help you understand what separates the Danglers from the Anglers.
Cut back to the basics, fishing is a line, a hook and hopefully a fish attached. Walk into a tackle shop today and you see Lures, hooks, reels, lines, sinkers, swivels, soft plastics, burleys, baits, nets and gaffs, it’s a daunting place, so where do you start ? This guide will explain these items and when to use them, hopefully giving you better fishing results and maximising your time on the water.
France Carp RigsThese are important as these connect the fish to your line. Bad or incorrect hooks are the reason that many anglers don’t land their fish of a lifetime.
Years ago strong hooks had to large barbs and blunt points, it was very common for many anglers to have to sharpen their hooks prior to using them, this practice was known as “Honing”. These days with the introduction of chemically sharpened hooks we are lucky enough to be able to use a hook straight out of the packet, this coupled with improvements with metallurgy has evolved hooks that are Sharp, fine gauge and very strong.
A hook that is light weight but still strong gives the angler the ability to more naturally present their offering, this increases the anglers catch rates.
While the Japanese prefer hooks with a flat eye, due to a weight reduction of about 20% allowing them to more naturally present their bait, us westerners however like our hooks with an eye. The eye of the hook should be free of sharp edges, have no gaps on the join and be of the correct size for the line you are using. If you wish to fish with a small trace connecting to the hook, your eye should be quite small, if you wish to fish with a double or heavy trace look for a hook with a larger eye.
When you go to your tackle store don’t be frightened by all the different hook sizes and styles. Hooks are sized with a number 12 being on the smaller side of the scale while a number 12/0 is on the larger size of the scale. There are only 2 things that you really need to worry about. The first is the bait you are using, and the second is the fish that you are chasing. For example: A Whiting fisherman using worms for bait would probably use a size 4 long shank hook because the Whiting has a long slender mouth and the bait is long and slender.
A Snapper fisherman using squid heads for bait may use 2 size 6/0 Octopus or Suicide hooks as the Snapper have a large mouth and the angler is using a big bait. A Salmon or Tailor fisherman using pilchards may choose a gang hook. See it’s simple, just match your hook to your bait and fish. Trust me there is a hook to suit everything.
From a conservation point please don’t use Stainless steel hooks. These are horrible devices that stay with fish for years. They simply don’t corrode, if you need an extra strong hook use a hook with a high carbon component. There are arguments that say stainless hooks are better for fish as they don’t decompose in the fish. These arguments look at the imbedded hook as a style of harmless piecing.
From a conservation point please don’t use Stainless steel hooks. These are horrible devices that stay with fish for years. They simply don’t corrode, if you need an extra strong hook use a hook with a high carbon component. There are arguments that say stainless hooks are better for fish as they don’t decompose in the fish. These arguments look at the imbedded hook as a style of harmless piecing.
Sinkers are dictated by water depths, fish locations and tidal movement. Sinkers are simple a piece of lead used to present a bait at a determined depth. Sinkers are sized in numerical form, with 1 being smaller than 2.
If you require a sinker to present a bait in deep or fast flowing water then you will need a large hydrodynamic sinker. You may also need a larger sinker to aid in casting long distances. Different sinker styles are produced to fish different marine surfaces.
Sinkers come in many different moulds and weights. Picking a sinker can be easier than it looks. All you simply have to do is look at it. If you take a ball sinker for example, you can tell just by looking at it that it will roll along the bottom. Now look at a Star sinker, this sucker is not designed to roll, its designed to hold to bottom.
A Star Sinker is designed for use in the surf. Its design enables itself to embed into the sand and hold the bottom. This sinker is best used with a dropper rig.
Snapper Sinkers are designed once again for use with dropper rigs. Snapper sinkers are very popular with reef fishermen as they are less prone to snagging and designed to sink quickly to the bottom.
Bomb sinkers are designed to let the bait roll around the bottom and can be used by both shore and boat anglers. The Swivel line attachment helps eliminate line twist and also gives the angler the ability to fish with a running sinker, this is best done with an easy rig.
Ball sinkers are round and designed to roll over the seabed. They are great for anglers that want to present a bait on the seabed and have it move and roll about the bottom.
Bean sinkers are like ball sinkers but they roll less. Bean sinkers are more inclined to roll from side to side but not forward and back.
Bug sinkers have a flat top and base and are designed to sit on the seabed with minimal roll effect.