Shot on the Hook: How This Rig Mechanic Improves Hooking Efficiency

You can't really fail to have heard about the Shot-on-the-Hook as it has been a topic of much debate in carp fishing in recent times.

The whole concept revolves around adding some sort of weight towards the hook point end of the hook - between the bend and the barb, depending on the angler - to make that part of it heavier, and to increase the chances of it flipping over and hooking a carp quickly.

What Is a Shot on the Hook?

The shot-on-the-hook isn’t really a specific rig, but more a concept in rig mechanics that can be added to various other set ups.

The whole point of it is to make the hook point heavier when the carp takes the rig into its mouth, which increases the chances of it taking an initial hold.

It certainly isn’t a new concept in carp angling and is something that carp anglers were playing around with 30 years or so ago, but with different types of rigs to the ones we use today.

It is one of those rig concepts that some anglers experimented with a lot, but with the set-ups they used back then, whilst it did work, it didn’t change anything to the extent where everyone was rushing out to add it to their own rigs.

How the Shot on the Hook Was Developed

Danny Fairbrass is well known for his love of rig mechanics and experimenting with things as he strives for a 100% hook-up ratio, and making his rigs as efficient as they possibly can be.

It was an idea he’d been thinking about to use with his spinner rigs, and with wafters or a balanced bottom bait.

He got the chance to not only try it out in a normal fishing situation, but to actually put it in front of the Underwater cameras to see exactly how it worked in practice and whether it made a discernible difference to how effective the rig was, whilst filming at Norton Disney a few years back.

Danny had been seeing his rigs picked up and ejected successfully by the carp on the hard, clear spot he was fishing, and where he’d baited fairly tightly to get the fish feeding hard.

Changing to a shorter boom length on his spinner rigs, as well as incorporating an anti-tangle sleeve, to ensure the rig kicked away from the lead every time and never lay facing back up the line, or even worse landed on top of the leader, and whilst these tweaks did make a noticeable difference, he still felt like the carp were getting away with it more often than they should be.

The Shot-on-the-Hook ended up making a big difference to his fishing on that session when used in conjunction with buoyant hookbaits, but ones that were still touching the lakebed, as the fish were also being very wary of baits that moved too much and were too buoyant.

By making the point of the hook heavier, you are encouraging it to end up in the bottom of the mouth, and when the hook link tightens it should make the hook flip over faster and take a hold, resulting in perfect hookholds in the bottom lip or corners of the mouth, the ideal place for hooking a carp and where you will generally get less hook pulls.

How Danny Fairbrass's Original Shot on the Hook Rig Worked

To create the effect that Danny wanted to achieve with this rig, with extra weight round by the point of the hook, he was adding split shot to his spinner rigs.

He was doing this by using either a piece of Bait Floss whipped onto the hook near the barb, and then with the shot pinched onto a tag end so it was hanging freely just clear of the hook, giving it some movement so that it would hang down and add weight to the point once the rig was in the mouth of the carp.

Or he was using a piece of Marker Elastic, stretched around the wire of the hook and then with a shot pinched on, and when the elastic retracted it was held in position.

To make the whole process as easy as possible and to allow anglers to easily attach it – and also detach it for re-use on other rigs – Korda designed a special Shot on the Hook that could simply be slipped over the point and secured into position, and with different sizes of weight, to account for different presentations and hook sizes – a heavier weight is needed with a larger size of hook, if it is going to have the same effect.

In terms of how heavy you can go with the weight you’re adding to the point, you will reach a stage where it becomes detrimental and actually adversely affects rig mechanics, hence the sizes of SOTH in the Korda range and which were settled on after experimenting with different sizes of split shot, with anything up to a BB working well. 

Why the Korda Shot on the Hook Works Better Than Homemade Versions

Whilst the Shot-on-the-Hook is designed to make the point heavy and increase the chances of the point initially pricking a fish, it is important that it doesn’t prevent it from fully penetrating.

By whipping a knot onto the hook itself and attaching the shot to that, it meant that once hooked, the ease with which the hook carried on taking a hold could be impacted, as the Bait Floss wouldn’t easily slide around the bend as it had been tied on securely in place to prevent it slipping during casting.

The other issue with using Bait Floss or the elastic was that it is fiddly to tie and can’t quickly be transferred to a new hook when the old one needs changing.

The Korda version of the Shot-on-the-Hook (SOTH) not only stays securely in place for the cast, but is still able to slide under tension once the hook starts to go into the mouth of the carp and takes a hold, so it doesn’t potentially negatively affect the hook hold.

It also made it incredibly easy to transfer it over to a new hook and meant that you were ready to cast out again very quickly – as well as being economical as you’re re-using the same component numerous times. Lean more about what makes the Korda SOTH so easy to use and so effective as well.

There are other ways that anglers create a similar effect, and on the latest Underwater film at The Manor, you will have seen Tom Dove using a piece of Dark Matter putty moulded around the hook near the barb, to do exactly the same job.

With Tom’s rig, the putty easily comes off when you hook a carp and doesn’t get in the way at all, but it does mean that it needs replacing each time. The way it sits on the hook is also slightly different, as rather than hanging off of the hook, the weight is directly on it.

Both methods work, and for ease of use, as well as being highly effective – Danny himself uses our ready made Shot-on-the-Hook straight out of the packet – the SOTH is what most anglers will choose to use.

Best Rigs to Use With a Shot on the Hook

The Shot-on-the-Hook can be used with any rig where the mechanics will benefit from the hook point being heavier to help it initially prick the carp.

Whilst you will often see it being used on spinner or Ronnie rigs with wafters, or balanced bottom baits, it is used on other rigs as well.

You need to be fishing on a clean, hard bottom for the SOTH to work effectively with any rig, otherwise it will drag the point into debris on the lakebed.

It also works extremely well with a D-rig style presentation, as Danny proved during Underwater, and with his final successful rig being a spinner set-up, but incorporating a D-rig Kicker, which allowed the hook bait plenty of movement inside the mouth, giving the weighted hook point time to take a hold as the hook link tightened.

The Shot-on-the-Hook can also be very effective when used on combi rigs in conjunction with wafters or balanced baits, and especially so with hookbaits that are mounted slip-D style on the hook. That includes Darrell Peck’s Combi Multi rig, which he usually uses with a wafter or a snowman style hookbait.

It will also work well with any sort of blowback style rig, again where the hookbait has plenty of movement independent of the hook, and once the bait reaches the eye of the hook it makes the weighted point even more aggressive.

Even a standard knotless knot hair rig can work well with the SOTH, and especially when fishing it in conjunction with a snowman style presentation, and the addition of a kicker, or line aligner, and inturned eye hook helps it take a hold even faster.

You can read more about all the different types of carp rigs, and which ones potentially lend themselves to the addition of a shot on the hook, when best to use them, and how to construct them.

When Should You Use a Shot on the Hook?

It is very versatile, and in the right circumstances, with a hard lakebed such as sand, fine gravel, or clay, which is clean from any debris such as silkweed or leaf litter, there are a number of different set-ups, including all the most popular ones, which it can be fished in conjunction with.

The SOTH can’t be used with pop-ups as it makes the hook sit really funny, basically upside down, and would also mean it would likely go into the mouth backwards. With anything that is fished on the bottom though it is worth considering, if you’re fishing on a clean, hard lakebed.

It is essential that the bottom is clear though, otherwise all the shot is doing is actually pulling your hook point into any debris that is on the lakebed, and that will actually make it harder for the carp to suck your rig in, if it is caught up in silkweed or similar.

Choosing the Correct Shot on the Hook Weight

Getting the right balance between the weight of the Shot-on-the-Hook compared to your hookbait and the rig you’re fishing it with, in order for it to work effectively and make the hook turn like you intended it to.

A lot of this comes down to the force a fish is using to suck your bait in, which will be much greater for a larger bait, so you can get away with a heavier shot, and it will still go far enough back into the mouth.

A good way to test how effective it is with your rigs is to pull the hook link over the edge of your hand, with the hook and bait sat on your palm, and see how quickly the hook turns and catches hold.

Shot-on-the-Hook: Quick Questions

What is a Shot on the Hook?

A Shot on the Hook is not a rig itself but a rig mechanic that can be added to different presentations. It works by making the point of the hook heavier, helping it take an initial hold more quickly when a carp picks up the rig.

How does a Shot on the Hook improve hooking?

Adding weight close to the hook point encourages it to sit lower inside the carp's mouth. As the hook link tightens, the hook flips more quickly and is more likely to take hold in the bottom lip or corner of the mouth, resulting in more secure hook holds and fewer hook pulls.

Which rigs can you use a Shot on the Hook with?

A Shot on the Hook can be used with any bottom bait presentation where making the hook point heavier improves the rig mechanics. It works particularly well on Spinner rigs, Ronnie rigs, D rigs, Combi rigs, Blowback rigs and even standard hair rigs, especially when used with balanced hookbaits such as wafters or snowman presentations.

Can you use a Shot on the Hook with pop ups?

No. A Shot on the Hook makes the hook sit upside down when used with a pop up, causing it to enter the carp's mouth backwards and preventing the rig from working as intended. It is designed for bottom bait presentations fished over clean lakebeds.

What lakebed is best for using a Shot on the Hook?

A Shot on the Hook works best over clean, hard lakebeds such as gravel, sand or clay. It should not be used where there is weed, leaf litter or other debris, as the additional weight can cause the hook point to bury into the bottom.

How do you choose the correct Shot on the Hook weight?

The correct weight depends on the size of the hook, the hookbait being used and the rig mechanics. Larger hooks and bigger hookbaits can usually accommodate a heavier Shot on the Hook, but using too much weight can reduce the effectiveness of the rig.

How can you test if a Shot on the Hook is working properly?

Place the hookbait and hook on the palm of your hand and pull the hook link over the edge of your hand. This allows you to see how quickly the hook turns and catches hold, helping you judge whether the Shot on the Hook is correctly balanced for your presentation.

Why is the Korda Shot on the Hook better than using split shot or putty?

The Korda Shot on the Hook is designed to stay securely in place during the cast but slide under tension once the hook takes hold, allowing the hook to penetrate properly. It can also be transferred quickly from one hook to another and reused, making it more convenient than homemade versions using split shot or rig putty.