ESP SHORT CHOD RIGS

ESP Short Chod rigs provide all the advantages of regular length chod rigs but offer a lower, more discreet presentation with the hook bait positioned closer to the lake bed. This makes them ideal for fishing over gravel, sand and shallow deposits of silt and weed – whilst still providing the deadly effective hooking arrangement of the perfectly curved, classic chod rig.

The inherent rigidity of the ESP Stiff Bristle Filament goes hand-in-hand with the mechanics which make the Chod Rig so effective. Its stiffness makes the rig difficult to eject, helps to stand the buoyant hook bait up properly and allows the all-important curve to be set in the material which results in the rig spinning and the hook catching hold as soon as the carp closes its mouth around the bait. It is also particularly strong, most important on a very short hook link. Softer materials although easier to tie are simply not as effective and can lose their curve after only short periods of immersion, or on the compression of big casts, which was why the ESP bristle filament was developed in the first place and launched way back in 1999 to provide a much-improved alternative to the softer Amnesia material which was widely used for hinged stiff rigs.

The free spinning nature of the rig is maximised by using only the best quality Japanese engineered ESP Uni-Link swivels. These swivels spin much more freely than the cheaper Chinese equivalents used by other companies and are the number one choice of the discerning angler who appreciates their technical advantage.

It would have been easier for mass production to tie these rigs with the good old knotless knot. However, when using this knot with very stiff materials, the line exits the eye from over the top of the knot, resulting in the hook sitting at an angle which seems to make the rig less effective. The only way to cure this is lots of manipulation with friction or steam from a kettle.

So, instead, we have used the Snell whipping knot. This knot is considerably more difficult to learn to tie properly than the knotless knot, but by going to a little bit more trouble, the end result is a much better rig.

The Snell whipping knot is super strong, very neat and grips the hook shank extremely tightly resulting in both ends of bristle filament exiting the knot in line. This makes the hook sit in a straight plain in line with the filament which exits the eye from underneath the knot, allowing the perfect curve to be set which undoubtedly enhances the performance of this rig.

These rigs have been tied in ESP’s own production factory in such a way that a curve has been set in the filament during the tying process and special attention has been paid to the packaging which helps to retain the curve ready for fishing.