Carp Forum
 Safe Rigs
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Safe Carp Rigs


While fishing a known carp water recently, I caught a carp that had a rig
still attached to it. I was horrified to discover that a 'death rig' had been used.

The damage to the mouth of the fish was horrific. I wanted to take a picture of 
it to demonstrate the harm that these things cause to fish, but I felt it was too
harrowing.

 Instead I took a picture of the offending rig to show would be carpers how NOT
to do it, when it comes to attaching leads to your mainline. I have put the following guide together showing how a safe rig can be put together.

There is no excuse for using death rigs, they are a danger to fish and I'd like to think
that this one was used in ignorance rather than through indifference.

As you can see from the picture that I took, there is no way for the weight, in this case a 2 oz lead, to work free from the rig in the event of a mainline break.

Your lead should NEVER be tied directly to the line.

How to make a safe rig.

It is very easy to make a safe rig with just a little thought, and a modest investment in some bits and pieces.


This picture shows the Nash inline lead with all the component parts separated.
In the event of a main line breakage this is how the rig could separate
leaving the fish to carry just the hook link.
This picture shows the Korda inline lead. The components do not separate but
in the case of a main line breakage the swivel will detach itself from the
housing inside the lead.


This is how you would assemble the Korda inline rig with the swivel slotting into the bore of the lead. The swivel in the picture leads to the hooklength.



This is how the swivel end of the rig would slot into the bore of the Nash
inline lead. The mainline is fed through the lead and attached to the swivel.


This is the Korda inline lead with the swivel located in the bore of the lead.
The lead and the rig are now together creating a safe bolt rig, if the main line was to break, the lead will detach from the swivel with only a slight pull.

To start off the Pendulum rig, you will need a lead clip. They are available in packs at most good tackle shops.

The lead simply slides over the clip and is held in place by the 'D'

Tail rubbers, also available in packs of 10, are
pushed over the lead clip which will prevent the weight from working free during normal use.


In this picture you can see how all the components come together to make
this rig complete. In my humble opinion this is the better of the two rigs.

The finished rig has a 'bolt' effect when complete. What makes it a very safe rig is that the lead can free itself from the lead clip in the event of a break,  and the main line will pull through. The weight will drop harmlessly to the bed of the lake, and the fish will be left with only the hooklink.
 


There are many variations when it comes to making carp rigs. It all comes down to personal preference and confidence.
The key thing that they should all have in common is that the lead must free itself with the minimum of effort in the event of a break. 
If you want any information on any other type of rig, drop me a line and I'll be only too pleased to help.

Dave Trev'