Hair Rigs?

[UPOW]

Does anyone use these rigs for fishing the river? I have watched some video online about hair rigs with bollies in the UK, but never heard of them in MN. I would like to try it myself. Also would like some info of what line and hooks to use and bait. Thanks for any help.

[carpmanjake]

i've used them quite a bit. mainly in lakes and slower flowing rivers. they do work. never had any real success with boilies in MN though. due to the car not knowing what they really are im assuming. but with chumming im sure they will work in lakes. would be kind of tough to do that with a river though. i always got maize and boiled it in a pot with some anise, or vanilla.

[carpmanjake]

with the new chumming law though, i dont see boilies catching much. but it does depend on where you are fishing and local forage. something with a crawfish smell or something may produce

[UPOW]

Have you tried them with corn?

[Comit 2]

The idea of the hair rig is, carp have sensitive mouths. So, if you use large baits (bollies), you would need a large hook so that the bait wouldn't fill the gap of the hook for good hook sets. With the sensitive mouth of a carp this setup would more often be sucked in and spit out without the fisherman knowing the fish was there. Inter the hair rig. With a hair rig you can use a bait the size of a bollie with a small hook, the hook will be totally exposed. Plus the bait will not be in the way of the hook. If the carp picks up the bait and spits it out you may get a hook set but most of all with the small hook, it may not spit it out.

You want to use limp lines with hair rigs. Light braids and such.

The knot used for the hair rig is a great knot for crawler rigs. Use a snell knot for the end hook, slide the next hook down the line to where you want it, fasten the hook with the hair rig knot.

As with most fishing it is best to "match the hatch". Without "chumming" corn and bollies do not "match the hatch".

[davidbigreelz]

I haven't used boilies per-say, but I make my own carp dough. Just a nugget about the size of the end of your thumb covering a small hook. I have experimented with different flavors. But creamed corn and chili powder, or garlic and mashed shrimp, seem to have worked the best with many carp on each. I have even thought about making a beef blood based dough for channel cats in backwaters lol.

edit: I should add, with dough I try to use no weight if possible. Just a slack line and you will know when it gets taken.