The Snowman rig was created by carp anglers to catch wary carp. The rig comprises of a standard boilie, which then has a smaller pop up mounted on the same hair.

The pop up lifts the bait of the bottom leaving the hook under the bait. To get the perfect Snowman you need to keep picking bits of the pop up until the bait and hook sink very slowly to the bottom.

The movement created by the pop up is also thought to attract the attention of a fish. Although this rig is mainly associated with carp it can be modified in order to catch other species and is extremely effective for tench and rudd. All you need to do is scale your terminal tackle and bait size down.

The principles behind a stick mix.

They were designed to create an area of feed which would pull fish in, with added bonuses of disguising the hair rig and keeping it tangle and debris free.

Because 95% of Hemp & Hali Crush is made from Hemp and Halibut pellets the mix is rich in oils and feed particles. The oil from the ground hemp is very light and so will begin to come off the mix quickly and the oil from the Halibut pellet is a heavier fish oil and so will come off more slowly so providing a constant and prolonged stream of oils which fish will naturally home in on. It will even pull fish from different levels in the water because as the oil comes up in the water fish will follow it to the source.

The variation of feed particle size and quality will entice the fish to feed and take as much of the bait as it can.

Stick mixes can be made to different lengths depending on what presentation you are hoping to achieve and how much bait you wish to put in. My preferred method for most fishing is about 2 inches as I find this is enough to stop any potential tangles and provide enough attraction without putting out a larger amount of bait which the fish may pick through without picking up the hook.

Mixing a stick mix.

Sticks can be made and used at the bank by adding water to Hemp & Hali Crush until it binds easily, however I prefer to make mine before I fish.

I like to use some Sonubaits Tuna Dip in my mix for extra attraction and will add this at the same stage as the water. For a kilo of Hemp & Hali Crush I will add 300ml of water and a good glug of the Tuna Dip. This will create a mix which is damp enough to compress but not too damp so it melts the PVA stocking.

I then will leave this overnight for a couple of reasons, I believe that it enhances the smell as the mix absorbs the water its particles will begin to break down and therefore they will smell more. Also because the particles absorb the water they become fluffier which is much more appealing on the lake bed as they will come up in the water column much easier. It is also easier to compress the stick mix if it has been mixed the night before as the particles become softer.

I will tie up 20 or 30 sticks so they are ready to go and then I can spend more time watching the water, knowing that if I see a fish show I can thread one on the hooklink and cast to the fish which more often than not results in a fairly instant take.

The compression.

For this I use a Korum narrow PVA dispenser, and scoop up the mix till the tube is full. Then place your hand underneath the stocking and compress the mix with the compression stick until the mix cannot be compressed any more. Then push the mix out of the tube and tie an overhand knot as near to the end of the stick as possible. If you always fill the tube to the same height then the sticks produced will be the same length which makes them more consistent for casting.

This is important for a couple of reasons, it is so much easier to cast when the weight if the stick is compressed into a small area and also when you have threaded your hooklink through the stick it gives much better presentation.

To thread your hooklink through take a long gate latch needle, push it through the stick get the loop of the rig and pull it back through and clip it to your swivel. I will always push my hook back into the stocking so the eye and the point are buried as I find this will reduce any potential tangles.

Because the point of the hook is masked the stick can be cast to debris filled lakes and the presentation will be fine. Once the hooklink settles the PVA will dissolve and the Hemp & Hali crush will be left exactly where your hook bait is and disguise you hooklink. Because the mix has been compressed it will expand in the water so creating the perfect way in which to present a small offering around your hookbait.

This has proved an awesome tactic and stood the test of time on many different waters and I now rarely cast out without one.