This Big Carp Tactic Will Help You Beat Snaggy Venues | Ali Hamidi
Ever fished a venue where the distance between your rods and your spot is like an obstacle course of underwater snags and structures? Well, if you do find yourself in this situation, Ali Hamidi has the solution...
Hidden underwater snags can be a nightmare for us carp anglers and may well end up costing us that dream fish we have spent ages working for. Nobody likes a cut-off, so when we do find ourselves in the scenario where we are fishing in and around underwater hazards, it’s important we come up with a solution.
This was exactly the position we found ourselves in on our recent Fishing Maniac visit to Poland, where on the echo sounder we could see that between us on the bank and the spot we were fishing to, there were all kinds of snags — weed, boulders, tree trunks, you name it.
The answer on this occasion was something I picked up from a friend in Slovenia, Mikey, and it involves the use of polyballs...
Not seen Fishing Maniac - Watch and learn about the polyball rig above!
The Carp Fishing Polyball Rig
Starting from the hook end, everything about the carp fishing setup we used looked like standard Hamidi tactics. We had the Lock Hook Spinner Rig and Magic Wand (GOAT Rig), plus that classic paste-wrap I like to do.
The unique change came above the lead system, and this started with a strong snag leader. Above where this is knotted to the mainline are two beads, with a swivel between them. Attached to this is a polyball on a long paternoster-style link, which runs to a pole elastic stop knot set to around a foot below the surface. Very easy to set up, but a game-changer, as I will explain...
Now what happens is, you get the bite, the lead ejects from the lead system (very important on snaggy waters), and as you pick up the rod, the fish has absolutely no idea what is going on, as the buoyant polyball is constantly pulling towards the surface. I believe this almost disorientates them and encourages the fish to move towards the surface too.
The real benefit of this carp fishing tactic, however, is that it holds your line and your leader up in the water — almost like you’re float legering — stopping your mainline from sinking down behind the lead and into the snags. That means you’re in complete control from the very start of the fight. No going solid when you first pick up the rod. Picture the polyball working constantly to pull the line behind your lead up in the water. Then, when the whole lot is put under tension from the rod end, you end up with an almost diagonal line, with nearly all the line between you and the lead system off the bottom. No more cut-offs!
There are, of course, new problems that come with this approach, particularly when fishing with boats, which you can have a laugh at in the film. But in certain situations, what seems like a load of extra faff can make a big difference to your hook-to-land ratio on big and snaggy European waters.
Author Ali Hamidi is the Founder and CEO of One More Cast. A familiar and popular face on mainstream TV, his recent show The Grand Fishing Adventure, alongside ex-pro footballer Bobby Zamora, has taken him all over the world. Ali has been fishing and working within the angling industry for decades, bringing many innovative carp fishing products to market.
