The sun’s out and the weed is starting to grow which means its time to break out my favourite rig, the Chod. This rig really can be fished over nearly anything and if used properly and safely it’s devastating.  The fish spend a great deal of time in and around the weed beds due to fact that they feel safe with the cover and that they hold a massive amount of natural food.  So why waste valuable time and money fishing and baiting up clear areas of the lake when it is likely that in the time you are there the fish will rarely even come across your spots.
I use either lead core or fluorocarbon for the leader material, both work well.  I won’t get in to how to tie the rig as it is wrote about nearly every month in the many magazines available, but I will stress that every item on the rig itself must be able to slide off the leader. 
This will ensure that in the event of the line parting the fish will not be tethered to a large length of lead core, fluorocarbon or dragging a lead behind it.  Nearly every time I fish this rig I will tie the smallest lead on possible with 1lb mono, then tie again with PVA tape or funnel web to withstand the cast, therefore losing the lead on the take or in the first bit of weed it encounters during the fight.  Because using this method allows you to present a bait on weed, you can cast a hookbait at showing fish knowing that you’re angling effectively and with the minimum of disturbance.  There is no need to whip the water to a froth with a marker float to find the clear areas.  This method will often produce quick bites.

If you wish to angle over any amount of bait I tend to use a spod mix rather than just boilies.  Boilies will sink into the weed beds and often out of sight so even if you were to use 5 kilos of boilies, depending on the weed depth, you will loose most of them below the top layers of weed.  A spod mix with plenty of small food items will stick in the weed and stand out for anything cruising above it, and should stop them in their tracks.

This year on my local water the weed started to grow quite late on but as soon as it did my catch rate went up considerably by using this method.  I believe this is due to the fish being much more confident with the weed up and being more likely to let its guard down feeding in it.  In two nights I cast at three showing fish and caught all three, the first was a low twenty common the second a mid twenty mirror and the third a forty pound two ounce common.  If you have never used this rig for whatever reason do yourself a favour and give it a go.  I promise you won’t look back!!

Tight lines