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Thought I would kick off a new rotary thread on something which is such a big part of every angler's success or failure, Lead systems. Running Rigs After using lead clips and in-line leads for a number of years at the start of my carping journey I found myself back using running rigs 90% of the time. I prefer the set up for a number of reasons, firstly is the simplicity of the set-up and secondly due to bite indication. I've found the Fox Angled Drop Off Run Rig Kit a god send on weedier lakes as it allows me to really simply drop the lead either on the take or with light pressure, I just manipulate the lead swivel to suit what I want at the time. The main reason for my love of the running rig is that it offers superb bite indication. It has been seen on the Korda Underwater DVDs that lead clips and in-line leads can be rubbish for indication whereas running rigs are superb for it. My thoughts are that on running rigs there is the initial resistance of the lead as a fish picks up the bait and spits it out whilst but then less of a tension as the fish is just pulling the line and not the lead, in my opinion reducing the chances a fish will be able to ‘throw’ the hook. I do however always use the line clip on my rods for an extra pressure point. As the fish gets up a head of steam running off it then hits the line clip which drives the hook home that little bit more. I think for snag fishing there is no better set up than a running rig, with a tight line you are in direct contact with the fish as soon as it picks up the bait, allowing you to be on your rod within an instant. The indication on running rigs is sensitive as any movements of a hooked fish will be shown as a positive indication at the alarm end. If a fish hooks itself and travels towards you, a typical drop back bite, the indicator will actually move up towards the rod as the fish will be pulling line from the clutch as the lead falls back towards the rod tip. There has been a few examples, as I will explain later, of poor or no indication using other lead systems. This is why, for me, running rigs are on my rods unless the situation calls for another set-up. Lead Clips For a number of years as I progressed in my carp fishing I was using lead clips for 80% of my fishing with some use of in-line leads when required. I felt it offered me the best way of losing a lead when required. It was a couple of years ago when I was fishing and being hammered by a very persistent Grebe I witnessed the full flaws of the lead clip. I was fishing a narrow gravel bar around 25 yards out with two rods. The Grebe found my bait early on in the session and decided to stick around all day. It didn’t take long for my hookbaits to be singled out and picked up constantly. I had a bleep on one rod and the Grebe shot up in alarm, I knew I had been picked up by it and when I went to reel in to re-cast the lead had obviously been chucked down the sloping sides of the gravel bar with only one single bleep on my alarm (I was fishing semi-tight line at the time just to note). This happened on both rods twice more, losing a lead on one occasion, before I witnessed something horrifying. Without a single bleep from the alarm or movement on the bobbin I saw the Grebe pop up to the surface with my bait in its mouth, having shaken the lead. I had received no indication that this had happened. If it was asleep at the time I wouldn’t have known at all. I vowed to never use lead clips again due to the poor indication I had witnessed. This is just my experience however and there are plenty of carp anglers who use the lead clip system to great effect and have full confidence in it. In-line Leads In-line leads still feature in my angling from time to time, if I am fishing solid PVA bags or stalking fish in the margins. In-lines are perfect for solid bag fishing and offer superb hooking capabilities coupled with a short hooklink whilst stalking in the margins. It is important to use them safely so the lead can drop off in case a fish is snagged up. For this I use the Fox Edges Inline Drop Off Kit and the complementary double ring swivels. Saying that, I would still look to use the running rig set-up if I could get away with it. I do feel that for most fishing situations however the in-line lead system is flawed in regards to bite indication. The hooking capability is evident but the indication coming back to the bank can be non-existent if a fish arcs on the line, causing all sorts of problems and most likely a lost fish. This again is highlighted alongside the lead clip in the early Korda Underwater DVDs. The diver arcs 40-50yards on a tight line without a bleep on the alarm!!! Helicopters I have only started using helicopters in the last few years due to fishing areas of deeper silt, something I'd previously shied away from. My initial thoughts on Helis were some scepticism around the lead bouncing around and bouncing the hook out, especially when using chods. However I started using the Atomic choppa droppa system, and more recently the Fox Drop Off Heli system. The Fox version is superb and I can't fault it. It works 100% of the time to drop the lead, but only when required and it's very small and tidy. It's given me a massive confidence boost in using the Heli set-up, which is great as I'm now needing to use it for 95% of my fishing, between a silty marina and a silty nature reserve. I've caught numerous fish on it now, and haven't seemed to have had any obvious indication issues or tangles so I am pretty happy with how it's working for me at the minute. All in all, I am most confident to use running rigs and have total faith in them, Helis I am now far more confident using them and the other two, I personally wouldn't use unless I had no other option. @B.C. what are your thoughts?

I'm sure I've posted it before, the pic of when I was doing sneaky nights on the park lake and didn't want to draw attention to myself doing overnighters. It was gravel rash in my case. Not the nicest shelter to get caught out in a thunderstorm!

KBO have recently released a load of old videos on youtube. Kevin Maddocks, Alan Taylor and so on. Old but good viewing for those into a bit of nostalgia

thanks finchey, i'd like to think there's some useful stuff on there, i'm not the best at it, there's no crappy carp team stuff, endless plugging of gear or sponsorship begging 😉 I hate drum and bass so there's none of that and I fish alone and on limited time so they aren't very 'arty' either😁

Cheers Greeksi, nice piece mate, you clearly put a lot of thought into your lead arrangement. To be honest, something I'm quite lazy with...……. I'll have to get back in a few days as I'm off out fishing...… Feel free to nominate someone else and I'll jump in later...

It really is some water and one day I'd like to get a ticket again. Just the days would be fine.

Yeah, I love that pic...… Hobo fishing lol..... Just needs a "homeless and hungry " sign and a skinny dog...…. Hope you caught 🙂 Can't stop chuckling, can imagine you busking out of shot...…

Watched the 1st 2 episodes of the Fox Challenge and they are really good. I don't find many people funny but I chuckled a lot at Mark. Thanks for the suggestions.

We've gone from roughing it to the ultimate in bankside accommodation and back to roughing it again The only time I ever use a front on my brolly is this time of year to keep the dredded mozzi's away, as soon as it cools off again, it'll be open front all winter. Wraps and groundsheets I just find are an unnecessary ball ache, so I don't bother with them.

That's one of the main reason why I went for a brolly system so I can get it dry in the shed, l have a Cyprinus magnatex I think it's out of production now, not sure what it was a copy of, but I can't fault it , I think I paid around £180 for the whole thing, ground sheet infill panel and overwrap , the overwrap has never been out the bag, but the infill panel is handy for the night's that it's chucking it down, also there is a lot more room with the front on ....

Another point I'd like to make about brollies is they don't need putting together on the floor, when it's wet theres nothing worse than getting your shelter covered in rain and mud before you've even set up. Plus if my brolly is wet I can leave it in a corner somewhere, namely the shed to dry out, try doing that with a pram hood bivvy.

I have a chub super cyfish 2 man - doesn’t get used anymore due to being way to big and buying a scope ops brolly system which suited me perfectly until I got the Titan tc pro at an unbeatable price scope ops brolly - goes in the car when I go fishing no matter what.....just in case I’m in a confined swim,or head to the river and it will also be used in winter for day sessions otherwise it’s the.... Titan tc pro goes everywhere with me and is super quick to put up and pack down has loads of room inside for all my gear so does me perfectly. And the vents in the back where a god send on Friday night I think if I hadn’t had that little bit of air movement I would have headed home

mine😁 lol, i'm not exactly great at it so I can always do with a few more subscribers😉 Mark Carp

Check out Fox's channel mate, loads of good stuff on it. If you want some easy watching where you'll pick up the odd tip or two then check out The Challenge with Mark Pitchers, Essentially just two mates having a laugh while fishing but they are hilarious to watch and you do learn a thing or two at the same time.