Making a stiff Rig

The stiff rig

The stiff rig was originally thought up by Mike Kavanagh and is very simple to tie. It uses a stiff hook length material which won't bend in the way that softer materials such as braids will. The idea being that when a carp takes in the bait and then tries to reject it, which does happen a lot although you may not realise it, then it is hard to eject. The trace will try to spring back into position when a carp blows it out causing the hook to gain a hold.

To tie the rig you will need some stiff rig material such as ESP's Stiff Rig, and suitable hooks. The eye of the hook must be big enough to pass the trace line through it three times.

STEP 1 Take a suitable length of the trace material - how long is up to you.

STEP 2 Pass one end through the eye of the hook from the inside of the hook towards the back, as if you were tying a knotless knot, leaving a length of the line protruding behind the hook as if you were creating a hair but without a loop.

STEP 4 Now pass the "hair" end of the trace back through the eye until you are left with a "D" shaped loop on the back of the hook.

STEP 5 Finally, carefully burn the end of the line by the "D" to stop it from being able to pass back through the eye.

The length of trace is up to you and a suitable swivel or connector can be tied to the other end.