Rigs

Concerns have been raised about the safety of helicopter / chod / rotary rigs which make use of leaders constructed with fused or spliced loops.  This includes all commercially available leaders with fused loops and leaders constructed using leadcore, or from just the braided sleeve with the core removed.

These rigs are intended to allow a hooked fish to pull itself free of the leader, which has the lead permanently attached, in the event of the main line breaking or the lead becoming snagged.  

However, in practice, it is frequently very difficult, if not impossible, for a hooked fish to pull itself free of the leader, with the lead still attached, because the rubber bead used to retain the hooklength on the lower part of the leader is too small to pass over the fused or spliced loop at the top, where the leader is attached to the main line line.

Where a shockleader is employed, the situation is worsened because the knot attaching it to the fused or braided loop is larger, and therefore even more likely to prevent the rubber retaining bead from allowing the hooklength to pull free from the top of the leader.

It has therefore been proposed that leaders with fused or braided loops, including leadcore, be banned on Association waters.

Members should use either a free running ledger, or a lead clip which allows the lead to pull free of the line with minimal resistance.   

Where there is any risk of the hook length becoming tangled, or the main line suffering abrasion, members are encouraged to sleeve the end of their main line with anti-tangle tubing.

Where shockleaders are used, these must be made from monofilament, not braid.  Please note also that the use of braid as a main line is banned on Petty Pool, except when used on spod or marker rods (or for lure fishing).

The Management Committee is allowing a 3 week period for consultation with members before any new rule is introduced.  Members may submit comments to the head bailiff using the link below:

NAA Bailiff Neil McComb asks us to consider a number of other points affecting rig safety:

If the loop at the top of the leadcore is spliced or tied incorrectly, or is unnecessarily bulky, the rubber bead and the hooklength swivel will not pass over it.  It doesn’t make any difference if all the other components used to create the rig  are the correct size.  The end result is a death rig, 

When a shockleader is tied to the loop of the fused leader / leadcore, in most cases, the knot will be too large for the hooklength swivel or top bead to pass over.  The end result is a death rig 

If the eye of the swivel which attaches the hooklink is too small, the swivel (and therefore the hooklink) will not pass over the loop at the top of the leader.  The end result is a death rig.

Some anglers make the mistake of mounting the top bead on a small piece of rubber tubing, or heatshrink tubing, to prevent hooklength from sliding up the leader when the rig is cast out.  In the event of a hooked fish pulling this up the leader, at which point the hooklink should pull free, the tubing ‘bunches’ and prevents the bead and swivel from passing over.  Again, the result is a death rig. 

If the hooklength does not come free from the leader, the fish is left swimming with a lead hanging around 3-4ft from its mouth, so the hook is nearly always under tension.  This gives, the fish little chance of working the hook free through mouth movement, through which a carp will normal eject a hook that is free of tension.  With the lead hanging from the fish’s mouth and being dragged around the lake bed, it easily picks up bottom debris, stray lines, or weed and may become snagged solid.   

The leader is designed to be very strong and abrasion resistant and so, when snagged, it will not cut or wear as easily as nylon monofilament.  There have been cases where fish have freed themselves by pulling so hard they have literally torn half their mouth away. In one case 12 dead carp where found tethered under two bushes, all on leadcore rigs.  The venue in question had no hesitation in banning leadcore that very same day.

The ‘safety’ aspect of rotary /chod rigs always relies on a bead and a swivel passing over a loop and knot.  Should a small piece of weed or debris become stuck around the loop or knot, the whole set-up can become a death rig, no matter how ‘safely’ it has been constructed. 

These rigs are only ever ‘safe’ when used in the correct circumstances (weed free water) and when all the components of the rig are of the right size and are tied correctly.

Rotary rigs should not be used with heavy shockleaders, because of the size of the knot which will result when the two are connected.  They should only be used with a strong main line.

The chances of every single angler getting all of this ‘right’, each time they go fishing, are remote.  Therefore we have to ask “Is it not better just to ban them ?”

Some anglers may argue that "I use that rig all the time, I can tie it up safely" or, "it’s my favourite, why should I change ?"  This is a selfish attitude to take, we have to look beyond ‘results’ and place the welfare of the fish at the top of our priorities.  At the end of the day, our specimen fish are the reason why specialist anglers join our Association.  If members don’t like simple restrictions, which are designed to protect fish from dangerous rigs, then they are free to fish elsewhere.

Northwich Anglers Association is a popular and thriving organisation and replacing those who are unwilling to adapt for the sake of the fish shouldn’t be a problem.  However, replacing some of the biggest carp in the North West would be.

There are numerous viable alternatives to the helicopter / rotary / chod rig.  The anti-tangle     properties of the rig are well catered for with the availability of countless types of tubing in various greens / browns and camouflage colours.  Tubing comes in fast sinking densities and also in many different diameters, therefore allowing the angler to cover every possible scenario.  Used with     either a free running lead, or a semi-fixed set-up with a lead clip, it isn’t difficult to create rigs which are much safer than the helicopter / rotary / chod rig.

It’s time to take a step forward in protecting the specimen fish on our waters by getting rid of these helicopter / rotary / chod / rigs altogether.  That is why I am in favour of banning them, and you should be too.

Neil McComb   

This is a leadcore helicopter rig, on which the rubber bead which secures the hooklink had

been pierced sideways to make it a tighter fit.

 

The bait had been taken by a Tench of about 5 lbs. and the mainline had snapped, leaving

the Tench hooked and attached to 4 feet of leadcore with a 2 oz. lead on the end of it.

 

The Tench could never have pulled itself free of the leadcore and the lead because the

hooklink could not move up the leadcore leader, never mind pass over the loop at the top

it.

 

Incidentally, this rig was being used at Big Billinge with a mainline which looks to be about

8 lbs. breaking strain. Assuming that specimen carp were the intended quarry, how did the

angler expect to deal with one of these in weedy water on such a light line ? It clearly

wasn’t strong enough to cope with a 5 lb. Tench !

 

Fortunately for the Tench it became entangled in another anglers’ line whilst he was

playing a fish and he was able to land both together. Had this not happened the Tench

would probably have become tethered to some underwater obstruction and died.

 

It isn’t just Big Billinge where these rigs are a problem. The photograph below shows an

old 20 ft. mooring post which was recently removed from the middle of Petty Pool.

 

 

 

Apparently there were enough lost rigs attached to this ‘snag’ to fill a bucket. Most of them

were ‘death rigs’, from which any fish taking the bait could not have released itself.

 

A 31.5 lb mirror carp had become caught up in the resulting tangle whilst being played by

an angler. Again, the fish was very fortunate to escape with its life. After a two hour

struggle a work party using a boat was able to remove the snag and the fish was landed

and returned unharmed.

 

Prior to introducing any new rule the Management Committee has to be satisfied that any

measures taken are appropriate and proportionate to the problem. As well as looking at

the evidence which had been presented by our bailiffs we also invited members to express

their views on the matter during a three week consultation period.

 

The resulting decision to ban leadcore and fused leaders has been taken because we are

deeply concerned at the possible consequences of anglers failing to construct and use rigs

which use these materials in a manner which ensures that fish are not left towing a lead

around.

 

Our waters contain some of the largest carp in the north of England, and these fish are a

tremendous asset to the Association. Carp in excess of 40 lb. in weight simply cannot be

replaced in the event that someone makes ‘a mistake’ when making up his terminal tackle.

 

I have been out putting up signs on our waters and advising members of the new rule.

Almost inevitably some people are complaining and saying things like “I need to use