Inline over Swivel Leads

It seems that inline leads are not often used anymore, whereas lead clip style set ups are all the rage.I know this is better for distance, and dropping the lead in snaggy and weedy situations,but appart from that why use them. They're just more cluttered and more prone to tangles. i use inline leads ALWAYS as i dont really need to cast and i think that they are much better all-round, and have proven better hooking propertiesfor bolt rigstyle fishing. Also i used to use leadcore and tubing but have since thought that its application is usually unnessacary and now i just use a small flying backlead up the line with a float stop, pinning down a few feet behind the lead.I think that too much emphasis is put on dropping the lead and this is all you seem to see in magazines when rigs are the subject. I ALWAYS use small 1 - 1.5oz inline leads for all my carp fishing and as they are so light and neat i feel they dont need to come off during the take.....also i havent ever fished any circumstance which i feel i'd need the lead to eject. obviously safety is a large factor of rigs these days and i make all my rigs with consideration to the fish's safety, so that if i snap-off or get smashed up in snags all the components can work their way off the line and just leave a small hooklink for the carp to shed.

cheers for reading, please post your views, comments and arguements.

Clive.

Only this morning I have been in deep thought as to what we are told we must be useing. this was after watching Carp Crew on SKY. It was a good programme, but the tackle and rigs we were told we must be useing to fish the off side of the canal for Carp was unbelieviable.

Good post Clive ,seems sensible what you do and your reasoning behind it also seem to make sense to me ie less things to snag.I agree we should keep things more simple .

cheers for the replies.

im not sure how many people think into the rigs they see and usually end up using. if there is an extra component or feature to a rig i will think about it and try tojustify its use. also if your not thinking about your rigs, how they are supposed to function, what enviroment you are using them in and how the carp are feeding etc, then you will not know when to adjust your rigs to make them applicable and effective in the situations and scenario's that you encounter. i do usually use 1 or 2 simple rigs in most situations but if your mind is not free to visualise the job that your rig needs to do, you will have less ideas and solutions which i feel WILL hinder your potential success.

rigs are still just one peice of the jigsaw, theres still location and bait etc...........but those are another thread /forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

with all the modern advancements /ie shapes of leads, reel lines , and hook lenghs a lot of people get caught up in the hype,
and simply loose the plot to keep things simple.

its the pressure on the waters caused by anglers, who constandly fish avenue 24/7 who put tonnes of bait in and sit on it for a hole weekend and the best is to come a {blank}

its there right to do that cause they are members,
but on the other hand the next angler who come along to fish he may blank.

because the fish are stuffed up , and may take 3/4 days to go on the feed again,

got to some swims and found 2/3 shopping bags full of tins stuff like lucheon meat/tuna/sweet corn/cat food etc etc ,

you know that its been hammered

I much prefer inline leads but it depends on the rig I'm using.

You can't, for example, make up a free running rig with an inline lead and so for predators I'll stick with the clip on style.

Simple rigs with a bolt effect though the inline type is my favourite by far.

Isn't there a problem using inlines on a soft lake bottom?

maybe, if its deep soft silt, i suppose the hooklink would be taken down with the lead and if its a stiff material like coated braid or bristle filament, the liknk could be angled upwards resulting in a naff presentation. thats why i use about 5-6 inch supple links alot so i can just chuck 'em out

Ihave seen running rigs with inlines which comprise a bead on the swivel which the lead is buffered on. ive used this when ive wanted a running rig but had no swivel leadsand it seems fine. i dont often use running rigs for carp.

P.S. paul, why would you need a lead clip to fish a swivel lead running......

Sorry, I meant leads with a swivel like this (clip on style leads as opposed to in-line leads):




I could've been a bit clearer I suppose.

I cut the swivel off leaving just the metal loop and attach them with a wide-bore run-ring like these:




Not a clip in sight /forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

i fish small 1 and 1 and a half ounce inline leads for most of my tench and carp fishing but a lake my brother fishes alot i use safty clips as the lake is very weedy and i want the lead to come off on the take. it is very much different rigs for different situations but i do try to keep things really as simple as possible.

NIGE K, small leads are THE best, surely using them you could avoid the need for clips on your weedy venue

i use bigger leads on that lake clive which i want to eject if possible when i fish inline i use smaller leads.

small leads wont make much of a difference to snagging weed - look how leader knots attract it! if you're using a clip use as heavy a lead as possible to give it more chance of ejecting.

i dont reckon it really makes much difference - was using helicopter rigs in heavy weed before the clips came out and didnt seem to have many problems...