Line Clipping - A question on ?

[Mark Hunt]

Hi everyone

I have a query about line clipping when feeder or carp fishing reservoirs / lakes, etc.
I understand the concept of line clipping in that it allows you to cast the same distance everytime and thereby concentrate your bait in the same spot.
What I don't understand is this...If you line clip on carp lake for example and you get a take, most times the fish takes line either when taking or when playing it out and so you'd have to unclip the line prior to striking to give yourself a chance. Once you've done that, how do you know how to get back to the same distance again ?..
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I can't get my head around it...

 

[Bully]

Not stupid Mark.

Obviously after casting you take the line off the clip. I just tie on a piece of line marker at the same point (cannot remember the name of the knot to use but I know how to do it) or mark your line with a very visible marker pen. You can then cast out and reel in to the marker, and away you go.....

 

[john conway]

The same problem occurs when chub fishing and there are barbell about. If I know I?ve a reasonable chance of holding a fish with only a short run, I use my line clip and back wind a few turns when the feeder hits the water. Otherwise I don?t use the clip. If I need to be very accurate, which is not usually the case when river fishing, then I would tie a power gum maker knot on my line and as I heard it passing through my rod rings I?d check my line with my hand then wind back so the knot was just back on my reel.

 

[honslow]

Mark,
Powergum makes a good marker knot. Cast out, clip up and then take a 12ins-long piece of Powergum, form a loop in it and lay the two tags (and therefore the doubled up gum) along your mainline close to the rod's butt ring. Then take one tag and pass it through the looop four times - this should also mean you go around your mainline four time. Wet and tighten it carefully.
Essentially, this forms a barrel knot of powergum around your mainline. It will be tight but will move up and down the mainline under pressure without damaging it.
If you can't follow that then find some clever bugger to show you on the bank or in your local tackle shop.
Clip up before reeling in each time. Once you've caught a fish you can cast off the empty feeder to one side and reel in up to the stop knot, clip up again and off you go. Just remember to unclip after the cast!
Alternatively, use some electricaltape sandwiched tightly on your mainline instead of the knot. This is good for heavy mainlines when doing big feeder work. You can then put the taped section of mainline in the clip and the tape protects it while doing the heavy-duty work. You can trim the tape to quite a tidy size so that it goes through the rings easily while playing a fish. Suitable for specimen rods, not feeder rods! Hate to think what the tape would do to the fine rings of a feeder rod!!!!

 

[Jim Crosskey 2]

Mark

A quick question - what kind odf set up are you using? Are we talking about "general" coarse feeder fishing (e.g. 6lb line, 4lb hooklength, maggots etc) or are we talking "carp" tackle (12lb line, 10lb hooklength, hair-rig boilies etc).

If its the latter, I personally think the biggest risk of clipping up and leaving the line in the clip is that you're rod may well end up in the lake. Otherwise, it's almost impossible for a carp, no matter how large, to take line off the clutch if you're fishing at any kind of distance. I know a lot of people will probably tell me this is rubbish, but I've caught a fair number of large carp and I have NEVER had a fish take line off the clutch immediatley after striking. Have a think about it - the alarm screams, the baitrunner gives line, you grab the rod, turn off the bait runner, strike (and this is the imortant bit) you put five or six winds on to the reel. The fish kites left or right and you put a few more winds on. If you've got 12lb line and the clutch set correctly, the fish probably won't take any line until it gets much closer in. I could be wrong, but I think this has to do with the fact that there's less stretch in the line and less leverage pushing the fish left or right. In conclusion, if you're sat on your rods waiting for bites, I honestly don't think you'd ever need to unclip whilst fishing these tactics.

When using more "normal" tackle (6lb line etc), there's a chance that you'll encounter something that will take line off your clutch immediatley after the strike. Personally, I don't unclip inbetween casts, but what I will do is wind a few turns of line on to the reel immediatly after the cast. If I then strike and find myself attached to something that's pulling back hard, I simply open the bail arm, lift the rod to remove the extra couple of turns worth of line, unclip, close the bail arm and play the fish off the clutch. You'd be surprised how long you've got to complete this move - it will take the fish a couple of seconds to take up all the slack. More importantly, the slack line sometimes confuses tthe fish a little. In the early part of a carp's run, it will accelerate harder if more resistance is offered. Conversely, if it is hooked and then the line goes slack, it often hesitates for a second, or at least doesn't bolt so quickly. Where I can, I measure out the distance to cast with two markers - one being my back rod rest, the other is usually a branch or stone placed down the bank where I can walk the rig back out to if the need arises.

Hope this helps

 

[Mark Hunt]

Dear All

Thanks for your responses, as usual they've been most helpful and much appreciated.
Since I'm fishing with lightish rigs in pretty shallow water, which means if I hook a Carp they tend to bolt(in answer to your question Jim) I think I'm going to go with a Power gum stop knot in the first instance because I just don't feel secure having my line clipped in.

Thanks again..

Mark

 

[john conway]

Jim?s right its not a problem if you're fishing at distance. Not sure what the average stretch is in modern lines but lets say it?s 20%, then 20% of an 100 metre cast is 20 metres. It?s just not going to happen, however, fishing with braid is different as is fishing close in but there again fishing close you probably don?t need to clip up anyhow.
By far the greatest problem with clipping up is letting your feeder slam into your clip, after a while your line can get damaged and the next thing you know is your feeders hit the guy on the other bank. Or even worse, on your next trip out you are fishing shorter and you hook into a good fish and lo and behold your line snaps due to damage done on your previous trip.