Is a Chod rig really best for fishing in weed?
The subject matter: Choddies. The myth: "It's weedy, I'll fish a Choddy."
The first thing a lot of anglers think of when it comes to weed is to bang a Choddie over the top. Whilst the Choddie can be described as the 4x4 rig that will go most places, banging a Choddie into weed and hoping for the best is a recipe for disaster. A couple of years ago for CARPology we took the Chodmeister Nigel Sharp out and got him to sling some Choddies into some weed to see how they landed. It became apparent very quickly that sometimes you get away with it and others you don’t and for me that leaves far too much to chance.
The reality is you need to know what weed is down there and how much of it there is to be able to make an informed decision on what to do. When ‘Chodding’ over weed you quite simply HAVE to know what the weed is, ideally both in length and density so you can set your top bead at the correct distance to allow the bait to sit on the weed as opposed to being pulled into it by the weight of the lead.
The following is not conclusive nor scientific in any way, shape or form but ideally if you are fishing over long weed then estimate the depth of the weed and add 50% of that distance to get the distance you should semi-fix your top bead from your lead. Ideally then PVA tape the top bead into position and add a little nugget of dissolving foam to the hook and when you cast out, feel the lead down on a tight line. Once the lead has landed, let the line go slack and the Chod should be on or near the surface. Wait for the nugget to pop to the surface and if balanced properly your Choddie will now be sitting perfectly on the top of the highest branches of the weed. A great tip.