Sensai Warwick

 Sunday, 9th. August 2020

Those who have read previous posts will know I have been trialing solid bags on Pollard. There is no doubt they work. They caught several Bream on their first outing. They would have caught several more had they been feeding on the second trial.

I have one big reservation about them. The Bream. These blighters will mess with them to the extent the rig - as Ali Hamidi puts it - looks like 'a bag of spanners.' The supple braid used in the solid bag is the opposite of a 're-setting' rig and can get in all sorts of strife after the dreaded 'slimies' have been at it.

Thus, the search goes on for a rig I can feel confident in. Not one that catches Carp. They all do that. But one I can sling out there, sit back, and know it's giving me my best chance, and one I have complete confidence in.

***

I watched one of the best carp-angling videos it's been my pleasure to see on Youtube recently. It was by Simon McCabe, entitled 'Sensai'. Sensai or Sensei to give it its correct spelling is Japanese for 'master' or teacher. Basically, Simon had an invite to go fish a syndicate water with his own personal Sensei - Frank Warwick, his friend and mentor. Lucky him. I wish I had Frank as my mentor.

Simon is returning to carp-fishing after a break and self-admits to re-learning up-to-date tactics and techniques. Who better to guide him!

There are some carp anglers you trust implicitly. Many are just representing the Brands they are currently sponsored by and so have a commercial interest in the advice they give. I don't get that impression with Frank. What you see is what you get WYSIWYG. What particularly grabbed me was the rig he claims to have been using for the past twenty-five years - The Anchor Rig.

One version of the Anchor Rig. This one incorporates a shot on the hook to sink what I assume is a buoyant bait. Note the Tee Bar just before the eye of the hook.

But it's not just the rig. Lead size is vital. Do a simple test. Pick up a rig tied to a weight on your fingrer-tip. One ounce. No problem. Two ounces? No problem again. Three ounces? The hook-point is probably starting to stick in the skin. Four ounces? Now that's starting to hurt! Five ounces? No way! That's going to be a hospital job!

The point is (no pun intended) is that the heavier the lead, the better the chance of a hook-up. So use the heaviest lead you can cast.

But that's not all. Rig length is all important. The length depends on the type and softness of the bottom on which it's fished. Hard bottom. Four-inch length. The lead isn't going into silt. You want only enough 'play' in the rig for the fish to pick the bait up off the bottom (with the hook in its mouth) to hook itself. Too much 'play', it spits it out. You've been 'done'

On a soft bottom the lead may sink in, effectively shortening the rig length. Not enough 'play'. The hook never gets inside the mouth.

So the softer the bottom the longer the rig length. Try different lengths to see what works on your water.

Oh, and a PVA bag of pellets accompanying the rig helps too. Encourages the fish to feed on the spot making the short rig more effective.

There are excellent videos on Youtube of how to tie this rig. Frank does a brilliant one himself. The 'killer' part of this rig however is the 'Tee-Bar'. This is the stiff bristle, super-glued across the shrink tube which ensures the hook is either point down or point up. It aligns in the fish's mouth. Without it, the hook may rotate 180 degrees either way. Frank explains it all better than me.

So that's my next project...