A complete guide to crimping carp rigs – what hook length materials can be used and how to do it properly with the Korda Krimp Tool

Crimping is nothing new and has been a way of attaching hook length materials and line to rig components for many years, and especially so in more heavy duty styles of fishing.

Anglers have been crimping wire traces or very heavy fluorocarbons and the like for predator and sea fishing for a long time, and especially where it is pretty much impossible to securely and neatly knot these materials.

Within carp fishing though it is something that has only really been used in more recent years, and this has largely been as a result of the types of rigs and hook link materials that have become popular – prior to that, the rig materials generally used either couldn’t be crimped anyway, or knotted well and there was no real need for crimping or advantage to doing so.

Crimp versus knot strength

As anglers, we have got so used to knotting everything over the years, that initially it can be hard to get our head around using what is basically a sleeve, that is crushed tight around the two ends of a rig material, and relying on that to provide enough strength and not to slip once we hook a carp!

The reality is though, that when crimping is done correctly you pretty much get the full strength of whatever material you are using, and it is actually easier to create a very strong connection than it is with a knot. Whatever knot you choose, even the best ones which are tied perfectly, will weaken most materials to some extent, and especially so when under extreme pressure.

At the other end of the scale, a badly tied knot or one that isn’t suitable for the material that you are tying it with, can give a very weak connection, or even end up strangling itself and failing, when put under pressure. Certain materials, such as fluorocarbon and pre-stretched lines, are particularly susceptible to this, and especially so in the hands of anglers who aren’t used to using them or are using the wrong type of knot.

So, there is no real debate in terms of the strength of an attachment that can be achieved with a crimp, but that is only true when using the right type of crimp, and also having crimped it correctly. Anything else can result in a very weak connection which will either slip and fail under pressure, or even shear off the crimped material.

Using the right size of crimp, for the diameter of the hook length material you’re using, is essential in order to get the strongest possible connection, and typically it will be quite a tight fit inside the barrel of the crimp once you’ve put the line through it, then your swivel (or whatever else you’re crimping on) and then back through the other barrel of the crimp.

If you use a crimp that is too large then you won’t be able to crush it properly to get a good connection – using a proper crimping tool, which is essential if you aren’t going to end up damaging the crimp itself, or the material within it. Over-crimping will weaken the material as it will likely end up with the edge of the metal crimp digging into it – hence why you need a proper tool like the Korda Krimp Tool.

You also need to make sure you use a tool that has been designed for that type of crimp, as single and double barrelled crimps are very different and require different crimping pliers (or certainly using a different part of the tool if you have one that does both).

The Korda Mini Krimp Tool has been specifically designed with slots that match the three different sizes of Korda Krimps – which are all a double barrelled design – and will ensure a strong connection and prevent the risk of over-crimping.

So, from a strength point of view, when done properly, you will actually end up with something that is stronger, if you crimp it.

Advantages of crimping

There are other advantages to crimping as well, especially with stiff materials, of the type that are popular with Ronnie rigs, such as the Korda Boom fluorocarbon.

Trying to knot stiff materials like this, however carefully you do it, and whatever knot you choose – including more complicated ones such as the perfection loop knot – will still often leave a slight kink in the material where you have bedded down the knot, or even cause it to sit at a slight angle to the knot, due to the way it tightens.

Obviously this can affect your presentation, in a negative way, and using a crimp ensures that even very stiff materials will exist both sides of the crimp perfectly straight, meaning that the rig will sit just how you want it to.

Another big advantage with crimping is the ability to get your hook link exactly the length that you want it, as once you position the crimp, you simply use the tool on it, so there is no guesswork involved like when you are tying a knot and it can vary slightly each time - certainly with any type of knot that is suitable for the materials that you could otherwise crimp.

Once you get the hang of crimping and become confident in using it, it is also a much quicker, easier and neater way of attaching certain hook link materials anyway – you can crimp a boom far quicker than you can tie it, and will end up with a neater finish and one that will sit straight every time, plus will be far less bulky.

Which Korda hook link materials can be crimped with a crimping tool?

The type of crimps you use and making sure you crimp them properly using the correct tools is very important in avoiding tackle failures, but just as important is making sure that you are actually using a material which is appropriate for crimping, and there are plenty which aren’t.

Braids for instance can’t be crimped, as the crimped sleeve won’t grip them properly, or would have to be so tight that under pressure the edges of it would just cut the braid, even if you did manage to get it so it didn’t slip.

The same applies to most coated braids, as the coating used on them isn’t strong enough to take the pressure – if that coating breaks away from the inner braid, then it will just slip through the crimp and fail.

The only coated braid from the Korda range which can be crimped properly and effectively is Hybrid Stiff, which has the right diameter and a coating that can withstand crimping and won’t cause a weak connection.

Nylon monofilament lines, certainly of the type and breaking strain used for carp fishing, generally aren’t suitable for use with crimps either. This is because they stretch under extreme tension, and what appeared to be a nice secure connection can suddenly become anything but that when you are playing a fish – this is particularly the case with heavier mono that is used for stiff rigs, and where crimping might seem a good alternative to knotting it.

The exception to this is the Korda Mouth Trap material, which is primarily designed for constructing chod rigs or the pop-up section of hinged stiff rigs, and which can be crimped and will give a strong connection – the short lengths being used, and the type of material that it is, means that there will be virtually no stretch to worry about.

By far the most popular use of crimps though is with fluorocarbon hook link materials which have been primarily designed to be used as a boom, and where crimping is a very easy way of constructing one and using it with rigs such as the Ronnie rig, or a Loops and Booms style combi-rig.

Fluorocarbon has virtually no stretch and is also a tough material, which makes it perfect for crimping – especially as it can be hard to knot in its stiffer forms.

The Korda Boom and Basix Boom materials, which come in a variety of different breaking strains from 15lb up to 35lb, can both be crimped, and in fact that is by far the best way to connect either of them to your rig components.

If crimped properly – using the right size of Korda Krimp for whatever breaking strain you’ve chosen (each pack features a chart to tell you what size is used for which Boom) - you are getting close to 100% strength from your connection, and can keep on re-using your booms time after time, when you catch on it, simply changing the hook when necessary.   

Korda Krimp Tools and Krimps

Crimping is a big part of constructing rigs for many anglers these days, including many of those on Team Korda, and it is what they tend to cast out most of the time.

So, it is important to us to have high quality Krimps and Krimp Tools, and since first introducing them around a decade ago, the range has expanded to cover all of the crimp-able Korda hook link materials, as that range has also grown.

Our original Krimp Tool was designed for use with the large (0.7mm) and small (0.6mm) Krimps and is made from high quality stainless steel, complete with line cutter jaws, plus rubberised ergonomically designed handles to make it easy to apply enough pressure to crimp successfully, with a clearly marked position to locate relevant size of crimp into.

With different breaking strains of materials such as Boom having been added to the range, which necessitated an X-Small (0.5mm) size of Krimp in order to achieve a strong connection, a new Mini Krimp Tool was added, which can be used with all three sizes of Krimp, still has the line cutter jaws and rubberised handles, but is a more compact design and will fit into your Tackle Box.

When using either Krimp tool it is important that the Krimp is properly located into the relevant slot and isn’t at an angle, and with nothing impeding the pliers from closing (such as swivel eyes or rings), otherwise it won’t crimp properly.

The Krimps themselves come in a handy box with a sliding lid, and 50 double barrelled crimps per pack.

The Large version is ideal with 35lb Boom; whilst the Small works perfectly with 25lb Boom or MouthTrap; the X-Small is for 15lb or 20lb Boom, or any others material that is suitable for crimping and has a diameter of 0.4mm-0.5mm.

To cater specifically for chod rigs, where the standard Krimps are a bit long – considering the overall length of a typical chod – there are special Chod Krimps, in Small for 25lb Mouth Trap, or X-Small for 15lb or 20lb Mouth Trap, and which are shorter and neater for this type of rig.

They still work with both the Krimp tools, and will give you a very strong and neat connection.

After crimping any material it is always a good idea to test the strength, as if anything has gone wrong it will quickly become apparent, as the crimped connection will fail when you apply pressure. The easiest way to do this is by using a couple of Pulla Tools and giving it a good hard pull – although obviously not going beyond the breaking strain of your crimped material. If it doesn’t slip or fail at that stage, then it won’t do when you’re playing a fish.