How to tie

What you need

• Hooklink material — coated braid or fluorocarbon, typical 15–20 lb for carp.
• A wide-gape carp hook, size 6–10 depending on bait size.
• Bait stops or a small grain of cork.
• A baiting needle.

Tying it

1. Tie a small overhand loop in one end of your hooklink. This is the bait loop — leave the tag long enough that the bait will sit roughly half a hook-shank away from the bend when finished.
2. Pass the other end of the hooklink through the eye of the hook from the front (the side the line will exit toward the lead).
3. Pull the tag end through until the bait loop sits the right distance from the hook bend — usually 5–8 mm of "hair" between bend and bait.
4. Hold the hook by the bend, tag end alongside the shank. Whip the tag end down the back of the shank 7–10 times, keeping the wraps tight and neat.
5. Pass the tag back through the eye in the same direction as the original pass — this is the knotless knot. Pull tight, the wraps should bind cleanly.
6. Thread your bait onto the hair with a baiting needle, then push a bait stop into the loop. Cut the tag flush with the bait.

Tuning

The hair must come off the back of the shank, not the eye — this is what flips the hook around in the carp's mouth as it ejects the bait. Steam the hooklink material with a kettle just before fishing to remove memory curls.