tryzard

I think the general view that you should stick to simple rigs which work for you is absolutely correct. It is quite good fun to play around with rigs during the fishless hours of a long session though. On my latest session I had a copy of the May edition of Carpworld in which Frank Warwick describes a fairly complicated affair he calls the Pulley Rig. So I tied one up, put it on one rod and hooked a fish (which was subsequently lost in heavy weed). So the rig worked but would I have hooked it on my usual rig? Therein lies the problem!

I doubt that very much Nick! I've just been lucky so far I guess. Bet your life it'll happen next time out now!

That's strange Nick. I can honestly say I've never cracked off casting a marker float (or a spod come to that).

I've never lost any tackle using a commercial brand of marker braid straight through. Adding a leader is more likely to cause losses as you'll then have a weak point i.e. the knot!

So would I but using a leader won't give me one! Seriously though, I wondered if there was a particular angling problem you were trying to solve. Nick has pretty much hit the nail on the head and I would be reluctant to weaken my setup with a knot above the lead.

May I ask why?

A comprehensive, well-written review Steve. I would comment on one aspect (or is it two?). The soil surrounding the complex is clay based and becomes very wet and "claggy" in inclement conditions. This makes access to the swims to the east (furthest from the A12) side by vehicle impossible at times in summer and almost permanently in winter. By the same token, the banks of some of the swims (whatever their position) can also become very uncomfortable to fish. I recall spending 24 hours on the venue in February walking around with 5lb of mud clinging to each boot!

The whole point of this rig is to be able to use a zig rig in deep water and avoid casting and tangling problems with very long hooklengths. That is what it was designed for - nothing to do with controller floats on the surface. It's simply a development of a setup that pike anglers have been using for a while to present a bait midwater. There is no point in using it in shallowish water. The bait or foam used only has to support the weight of the hook and a short hooklength, the float supports the rest. I suggest you don't knock it until you've tried it - it works, and I've caught plenty of carp on it (so have others, particularly on St Johns at Linear where I think it was first used). On the face of it, it would appear to be a helluva contraption to have in the water but the carp don't seem to mind!

I use it all the time. It is basically a rig for bottom baits but it also works well for popups if you break the coating just below the loop which holds the hook and put your shot/putty behind it. The rig doesn't work with fluorcarbon as the rig ring which is attached to the hair doesn't slide along the loop effectively.

Yes.

The float trapped on a length of stiff link virtually eliminates tangling.

There is absolutely no answer to that!

Yes, if it looks something like this:

Doesn't anyone else use the sub-surface float method fished with a running lead?

Here's a couple of links for anyone wanting to know about zig rigs: http://www.totalcarpmagazine.com/Videos/category_7/video_96/ http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/cheap-fishing-tackle/free-downloads/carp-fishing/the-zig-rig/prod_96.html

If it ain't broke, don't fix it! I get all my fish on this rig so it sure works for me!

I use a Korda Kurv hook instead of the long shank. I also find it works better with a hooklength of around 9".

I've been using Mike Kavanagh's Multi-Rig D-Rig for well over a year now. http://www.bevancarptackle.co.uk/tipstricks.html Anyone else given it a try?

It's easy mate, I just make it up as I go along! (Not really!)

There's an awful lot of complicated science on this subject but not much of it relates to fish. Lead split shot and the smaller sizes of lead weights were originally banned because of the incidence of birds (particularly swans) being poisoned by swallowing them. There was then no evidence that larger weights made from lead caused any ecolological problems and, as far as I can tell, this remains the case. In humans, lead poisoning is more commonly caused by ingestion or inhalation. There is very little data on absorption, which is how fish take on these toxins. Lead toxicity is measured in parts per million (ppm). In humans, mild symptoms of lead poisoning may occur at a level of 0.45ppm in the bloodstream. Assuming that all the lead is absorbed immediately into the blood (which it is not) a human would have to drink more than 2 litres of water containing 1ppm of dissolved lead. If this water came from a lake which is 1 acre in size with a uniform depth of 1 metre, there would have to be 47x3oz leads totally dissolved in it to reach the 1ppm level. Given that: 1. Lead dissolves extremely slowly in water. 2. Absorption rates are nothing like 100%. 3. Fish are known to have a higher level of tolerance to toxins. is there a problem? I would conclude there is not, and anglers would have to lose enough leads to raise the water level in lakes to make it one!

There's absolutely no doubt that lead dissolves in water. Water pipes used to be made of lead and people could be, and were, poisoned by their drinking water! This is worse in acid water (i.e. water with a pH lower than 6.5, commonly referred to as "soft" water). Toxins such as lead may be absorbed by fish through the skin and mucous membranes. It is a cumulative poison that, over a period of time, may affect vital organs such as the liver. However, fish seem to have a far greater tolerance of these toxins. There are tuna swimming around in the ocean containing levels of mercury and cadmium which would kill humans! It's all a question of scale. Given the quantity of lead weights which may be present in a lake and their extremely slow dissolution rate in a large volume of water I would imagine that it would take a very long time for fish to be affected. Certainly many times longer than their natural lifespan. It's a good question though Tony - the sign of a thinking angler.

What are your concerns Tony, maybe I can help? I run my own business and, guess what, it's an environmental management consultancy!

Blimey, someone agreed with me - I must be slipping! Seriously though, I agree with Tony on the safest possible rig, although I add a short length of anti-tangle tubing (Korda) more for peace of mind than anything else. I don't like running rigs in thick weed, however, as I prefer to dump the lead. In this case I'll use a lead clip with the tail rubber only just pushed onto the clip. You can tie the clip closed with PVA tape to stop the lead coming adrift during the cast (or should I say when the rig hits the water). I've heard the new Nash weed clips are brilliant but I haven't tried them yet. I haven't used anything but soft coated braid for my hooklengths for ages. My choice is ESP Stripteaze.

I can't remember ever using longshank hooks. Until recently I used Korda wide-gapes or ESP Raptors for most of my fishing. I rarely use barbless either. I nearly always use hooklengths over 6" so I don't think it was that, but I hadn't considered the possibility of the hooklength material (coated braid most of the time). Rods? Yep, I could see that as a possibility but I've been using the same rods (Century NGs) for ages. Thanks for the input guys. I guess this will remain another of life's unsolved mysteries!

Like the majority, I agree that light running leads fished on a slack line provides superior bite indication and good hooking capability. However, unless I'm fishing at short range and can use leads of less than 2oz, I prefer to use a lead clip plus a short length of tubing so I can drop the lead when a fish is hooked. Quite a while ago when I used running rigs exclusively, I experienced a number of lost fish due to hook pulls (over quite an extended period) when using leads heavier than 2oz for casting purposes. This didn't happen with lighter leads. After trying a number of adjustments (such as hook pattern, hook size, hooklink length etc.) without any noticeable improvement I formed the opinion that the lead remaining on the line might be the cause as it may be weakening the hook-hold or perhaps creating an angle for the fish to use as a lever. Since switching to a lead clip I hardly ever lose a fish. Any comments?