A few people have asked what a hair rig is, how and why it is used. I will try to explain how to tie a hair rig here and why it is effective.

The hair rig was the invention of Lenny Middleton and Kevin Maddocks, who were looking for a way to fish with boilies, and other hard baits, that would improve hook hold over simple side hooked bait (The Fox Guide to Carp Rigs). The design of the hair rig allows the hook to be fully exposed while the bait is on a length of line that extends past the bottom of the hook.

The genius behind this type of rig is that it cuts out a lot of the mouthing of the bait that carp can do. When the fish feels the hook the immediate reaction is to spit and run. The spitting of the bait helps to plant the hook in the bottom lip of the fish and as it begins to run the hook pierces through the lip for a perfect hookset. Couple the hair rig with a fix lead (sinker) or running (slip) rig of one to four ounces, and the fish hooks itself. Now you simply have to loosen the drag and wait for the fish to take off.

The versatility of the hair rig extends beyond just carp. Fishing this way for smaller catfish produces excellent results with a perfect hook hold in the bottom lip or corner of the mouth and no need to set the hook ferociously.

Many different types of baits can be used with this type of rig. Many of the same baits that you use directly on the hook can be used on the hair rig. This can range from sweet corn, to worms and dough bait. Dough bait can be molded around something hard like a bead or pieces of maize to leave the hook exposed and improve hooking.

The need for the hair rig was originally the boilie, but other hard baits have been utilized as well. The boilie was created, in England, as more durable dough bait that nuisance fish couldn't peck away. In the US, however, the nuisance loathed by many carp anglers is the catfish, and channel catfish tend to love boilies and other, more carpy, baits like sweet corn. Other hard baits include dry seeds and nuts like maize (field corn), tiger nuts (chufa), peanuts, and chick peas (garbanzo beans) that are soaked and boiled in water, and other flavors and attractants, to soften them up. Boiling makes the bait more attractive the fish and easier (safer) for the fish to digest.

That should be enough about the rig for now. Let's take a look at how I construct it. For the hair rig you will need a small hook, preferably with an inturned eye, like the Korda Wide Gape size 8 I will be using here. You will also need a foot or two of 20lb braided hooklink, like PowerPro, Spider Wire, Sufix Braid, or Fox Cortex, which is a braid with a removable plastic coating that I will be using. An optional piece of equipment is a small piece of rig tubing that allows for some adjustment and may enhance the hooking effect. The final piece of equipment that will need is a baiting needle. This is what you will need to put bait on the hair. It can be a purpose built needle, like mine, or you could use a straightened jig head or something from a fabric or craft store.

Step 1:
Pass the hooklink (leader) from the front of hook (point side) through the back. If you are using a coated hooklink, like the photo, you will need to strip off three or four inches to expose the soft, flexible inner braid.

Step 2:
Pass the hooklink down the back of the shank and then back up to the eye to create a loop that extends one to two inches below the hook. Extending the tag end of the line past the eye will allow you to adjust the size of the hair after the rig is finished. You can then cut the excess off after the rig is baited.

Step 3:
Wrap the hooklink, on the frontside of the hook, down around the shank five times or until the wraps are about even with the point of the hook. Be sure to start the wraps on the side where the bend of the eye starts and not where the end of the wire closes off the eye. The sharp end of the wire could cut through the hooklink during the fight.

Step 4:
Pass the end of the hooklink through the backside of the eye towards the hook point. This helps the point of the hook turn down into the lip.

Step 5:
Pull the end of the hooklink all the way tight and you have a nearly completed rig. If you have added wraps to the point where they are even with the hook point you are ready for bait.

Step 6:
I slide a small piece of tubing onto the hair and then over the hook to hold the hair against the shank. This gives me a little room for fine tuning and I believe it enhances the hooking effect since is slides back when the bait is ejected from the mouth while the hook stays in place.

Step 7:
To add bait to the hair rig you need to use a baiting needle. It small needle with a hook in the end to latch onto the hair. Thread your bait, in this case sweet corn, onto the baiting needle.

Step 8:
After hooking the loaded baiting needle to the hair, simply slide the bait onto it.

Step 9:
After removing the baiting needle, you will need to stick something through the end of the loop to hold the bait on the hair. This can be a small stick, part of a blade of grass or a small piece of plastic, like I am using here.