The Flick Rig: A Hinged Stiff on Steroids | Ian Russell

When we think of carp catching machine Ian Russell and rigs, the Ronnie and Solid Bag, or even both combined, come to mind. But before the Ronnie, there was a different rig he was known for, and with the arrival of the Lock Longshank Hook, it's now back in his arsenal. In this article, Ian Russell explains the workings of the Flick Rig...

"The Flick Rig is back! And it's Locking good!"

Well this is a trip down memory lane, 'The Flick Rig'. I had a lot of success on this one for many years, but since joining OMC I haven't used it because it requires a very specific type of hook.

I stumbled on this rig almost by accident. I was using a stiff hinge rig and getting the odd snatched take, so I decided to look at it from a different angle. I wanted to experiment with a Longshank Hook instead of the traditional out-turned eye "chod" style hooks normally associated with this rig.

When you look at it from above, tied in this manner, the hook sits out well past the pop-up. On a wide gape hook it doesn't. I feel that look alone makes it more aggressive.

"The way the Flick Rig sits is just so aggressive"

I started using the Hinged Stiff Rig like this with a Longshank Hook and never looked back. It became a bit of a joke at the time, and I eventually christened it the 'Flick Rig', simply because every time I flicked it out, I caught a fish. It was that good.

"Every time I flicked this rig out, I caught a fish - big ones too!"

Choosing Your Flick Rig Materials

We will take a closer step-by-step look at tying it later, but picking the right components is very important for this rig. Everything needs to work together,

The chod section: I now use the 25lb Memory to create the curved section. The hook naturally sits aggressive anyway, so we don't over curve it, just a gradual sweep. This material needs to be something you can manipulate into the correct shape.

"The Memory is essential to create the curved section of the rig"

The longer hooklink section: This can be tied with a variety of materials and should be chosen based on the lakebed.

Over flat gravel or sand: I use the 20lb Blend Fluorocarbon Soft. It's not totally rigid stiff, but does the job of throwing everything away from the lead nicely enough for me.

On soft or silty bottoms: I use the 25lb Blend Coated Braid or Ammo Braid, which is soft enough to take up the contours of the lakebed.

"Blend Fluorocarbon Soft is my choice for flat and clean bottoms"

Avoiding Tangles with a Soft Hooklink

If you do use the soft link, avoiding tangles is crucial. I use either two pop-ups in a PVA mesh bag or a piece of PVA Foam to separate them on the cast. Once these melt, the rig falls like a coil or snake, ready to strike.

This variant is so effective that, for the first time ever in my carp fishing, I had to start using forceps. They were that nailed.

"Foam or my pop-up trick are 100% needed if you use a softer hooklink"

Pop-Ups and Hook Choice

This is 100% a pop-up rig, so make sure you have a good selection of buoyant pop-ups in various colours.

A Longshank Hook is essential for this rig. The Lock now being available as a Longshank has enabled me to add this rig back into my armoury, to fish alongside my Ronnie's, Solid Bags and little Bridge German Rig.

"The Lock Longshank Hook has meant I can use the Flick Rig again - it makes it!"

How to Tie the Flick Rig

For everything you need to tie this rig, check out the Flick Rig Bundle, you'll get a small saving too!

1. Cut yourself a 4–6 inch length of Memory Hooklink.

2. Pass this through the eye of a Lock Longshank Hook, leaving a long tag, and whip a knotless knot.

3. Add a Vitabitz Micro Ring Swivel to the tag and pass the tag back through the eye of the hook to create a small "D".

4. Cut any excess tag end and blob it down with a lighter.

5. Tie the remaining end of the Memory Hooklink to the small eye on the Vitabitz Ring Swivel with a bloodknot (you don't need many turns with this material).

6. Cut your desired length of Blend Fluorocarbon 20lb. Somewhere between 6 and 12 inches is ideal.

7. Tie this to the large ring on the Vitabitz Ring Swivel with a Grinner Knot.

8. At the other end of the hooklink, thread on your Blend Tungsten Anti Tangle Sleeve (I like to cut mine down for neatness and added movement within the loop but this is optional)

9. Finish the rig with an Overhand or Twisted Figure of Eight Loop Knot.

10. Floss on your chosen pop-up.

11. Balance the pop-up with a healthy drop of Goat Putty through the ring and along the hooklink.

12. That's it done. Ready to Flick out and catch one!

A Few Extra Tips, When to Use it & Final Thoughts

So that's pretty much the Flick Rig. It's a rig I cast out when I want a pop-up to sit that little bit higher than a Ronnie, which we all know I'm a huge fan of.

Particularly relevant now we enter the autumn months with lots of leaves on the ground. That's another reason for the cut back sleeve (totally optional), I like that movement with the loop. I use this one with my standard lead clip set up, as I've never been a big fan of helicopter systems.

"This is probably the only way I would tie a Hinge Rig now"

Whilst the Hinge Rig is nothing new, you'll be amazed at the results when it's used like this with a Longshank Hook. It rips up the traditional rule book in phenomenal style.

One of my all-time favourites. Welcome back on my rods the Flick Rig!

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"Didn't take long to start catching them on this again"

Article author Ian Russell, or as we like to call him "The Carp Catching Machine", is the latest addition to the OMC Family. An experienced angler, Ian has done it all in the sport. Offering tutorials and specialising in bait making, Ian is just as at home fishing tricky syndicate venues as he is on the country's best day-ticket waters.