Lee ‘Mozza’ Morris has caught some of the finest carp you’ll see and much of this success, he says, is down to his choice of rig…

I first used the famous (some might say infamous) 360 rig back in 2006. Blimey, that’s a long time ago now, but yeah, it was way back then. Although everybody seems to know about the rig these days, and largely credit Dave Lane with its invention, I knew nothing of it back then. This, despite the fact that Laney had been using it for while, but had kept it hidden from the press in those days. That was to change, but back in 2006 I hadn’t seen or heard of his when I came up with my version. It is funny how different things can be ‘invented’ or developed by completely separate anglers, fishing miles away from each other but facing very similar challenges. There are many examples of this over the years.

Above: A 360 Rig-caught stunner!

Anyway, I was fishing for the Nutsey mirror at the time and watched the fish on very many occasions over baited areas. It seemed to me as though the majestic mirror was flanking the bottom in order to send the baits up into the water, where it picked them off with apparent confidence. Surely this could not have been a conscious tactic for the carp to avoid anglers’ rigs, I remember thinking. However, the more I watched the more it happened and I was forced to accept that somehow, this carp had ‘learned’ how to try and avoid being caught, at least to a point anyway. So, albeit a slightly different version to that which I use today, I fashioned a 360 rig of sorts, using 12-15in of Amnesia, a small swivel and a Fox LSC hook.

The emphasis was on the rig’s ability to rotate as a carp approached/touched it from any angle. Absolute freedom of movement was needed and, I thought, the new rig had achieved it. The longer link and critically balanced pop-up would also allow for the bait to move in the water and behave, I hoped, more like my free offerings. I actually devised the rig in a fish tank at home, using my hands to replicate the water movement to see how it behaved.

Guess what, first time out, I snared the big girl on it at 51lb 4oz...