Attention to detail

We're always looking for those little edges and ways to improve our results and over the last couple of months there are a couple of Solar products which I believe have really made a difference. The first are the Ball Bearing swivels. They've been around for a while now and I must admit I never realised until recently just how good they are! I've been messing around with the Chod Rig a fair bit this year and for a rig which appears so simple, is in fact very adaptable and as technical as you want to make it. One of the main factors is the movement of the hook link itself and for a good hook hold it needs to rotate freely. Like most people I normally used the standard ring swivel - that was until I tried out the Ball Bearing version and the difference is amazing! The movement of the hook link is improved dramatically and so therefore is the hooking potential of the rig. It's a real edge for sure and a great Solar product!

The other thing which has helped me this year are the Weed Effect leaders. I've been fishing a water that is not only extremely difficult but the water is like tap water and the visibilty is so good that at times you can see the rig in over ten feet of water. If it's that easy for me to spot the rig then imagine how easy it must be for the carp which are seeing it from much closer! I had it in my mind that should the opportunity arise to fish on some close-in spots I would use the Weed Effect leaders in the knowledge that they would blend in much better with the surroundings and as if to prove the point, they were very difficult to pick out on the bottom. Of course the real proof is if they can help to put fish on the bank and I had two opportunities this spring (I said it was difficult!) and both times I ended up with a carp on the bank, two stunning commons of 34lb 2oz and 32lb 4oz both of which are real history fish and have only rarely been caught in the past.