Hair Change Cheat

LOOKING for an easy 'cheat' that will help you to change your presentation, hook bait and hook size without having to retie your carp rig?

- Colin Davidson

Modular hairs are a little development that have been an essential part of my rig construction for several seasons.

Most modern carp rigs don’t have any sort of hair, as they sit the bait tight to the hook, which is a presentation that I like to call a ‘bare hook rig’.

Pop-up rigs can work without a hair, but I reckon there’s still a place for separating the hook bait from the hook when fishing rigs on the bottom.

The majority of bottom rigs are tied with coated link materials, the hair and hair loop an extension of the material. The internal braid is exposed at the end of the rig, to allow the hook to move and turn freely.

Big bait, little bait

The most popular feature of a knotless knot is that it allows baits to be mounted on a hair, the hook whipped in position to ensure the hair is the right length for the hook bait being used.

But that beautifully thought-out hook and hair relationship stops working when you want to switch your single hook bait to a pair of baits, to create a snowman presentation, or to a smaller bait and a grain of plastic.