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Helicopter Rig

Does anyone use a helicopter type rig (lead attached to mainline, hooklink free running on large eyed swivel) for Chub and Barbel?

I'm thinking it could have 2 advantages - 1) safer for fish in the event of a mainline break, 2) if you fish with a bow in the line, the hooklink could slide back to nestle in the curve, which would keep baited hook further away from the lead.
The downside could be hooking ability/bite indication.

I fished this rig for a few hours yesterday evening and had 1 nice Chub. I fished it 'naked' on the mainline with a top bead that would slide with a small amount of pressure. The bead was smaller than the swivel which wasn't ideal (the swivel could pass over it too easily) but it's all I had.

However on the downside I seemed to get a lot of pickups (or so it felt like) where my bobbins lifted up, but didn't covert into wrap arounds (this happened 4 or five times). Perhaps I should have struck at these? I was fishing paste around the hook so in hindsight this might have been an issue.

Hooklink was set to around 1m.

This is my first season targeting Barbel so don't have any experience to fall back on and compare vs a leadclip or free running lead.
I couldn't see the rig in the water so I have no idea if it was working as I intended.

Any thoughts?
 
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Richard.
If you want to try it again, cut your hooklink down to 6 inches.
And get some extra large float stops to put above the swivel.

Did you use a hair rig for your paste to prevent it covering the hook point? Did you also put some paste on the lead?


Alternatively, why not go the whole hog and try the Method.
 
Graham - I was thinking about a shorter hooklength, so I'll give that a go. There wasn't much flow in the river so I'm thinking the 1m hooklength probably wasn't extending away from the hook. I was fishing in the dark so in hindsight no advantage to longer.

Re the paste, my original plan was to wrap it around a hair rigged boilie. However it didn't seem to be staying on, so I decided to wrap it around the hook.
This method took the Chub so I stuck with it. However next time I think I'll persevere with the paste around the boilie approach.

With the Method feeder I've seen a couple of Barbel underwater videos where they seemed to spook away from piles of bait, so this put me off a bit. However Martin Bowler fishes the method so....
 
Graham - I was thinking about a shorter hooklength, so I'll give that a go. There wasn't much flow in the river so I'm thinking the 1m hooklength probably wasn't extending away from the hook. I was fishing in the dark so in hindsight no advantage to longer.

Re the paste, my original plan was to wrap it around a hair rigged boilie. However it didn't seem to be staying on, so I decided to wrap it around the hook.
This method took the Chub so I stuck with it. However next time I think I'll persevere with the paste around the boilie approach.

With the Method feeder I've seen a couple of Barbel underwater videos where they seemed to spook away from piles of bait, so this put me off a bit. However Martin Bowler fishes the method so....
My advice Richard would be ... first establish what 'problem' you're trying to solve by using a heli-rig instead of a free/semi-free running rig O(i.e. why are you using it), and second, decide whether or not you want to catch chub and barbel (wrap hook in paste) or just barbel (wrap boilie on a long hair in paste)
N.b....latter doesn't always work as all I caught today was chub, chub, and more chub ... on a bloody long hair :oops:
 
Terry, no problem as such, however the helicopter rig is something I've got confidence in (on stillwaters) as a safe/fish anywhere rig. It seems from feedback so far that this might not translate to running waters

I'll perhaps split rods (running rig on one, heli on the other) and see what happens...
 
I messed about with a heli set up on 1 rod last winter and think it has mileage. I like the way it sits in a steady flowing river.I fished a short hooklink (less than a foot).

I caught plenty of fish, but none were barbel. So read into that what you will……

Just for the record I didn’t catch any on the running rig either !

Like you, I have lots of confidence in heli rigs on Stillwater.

There is a match fishing river rig based on the same principle as a heli, checkout the ‘dink dink’.
 
I messed about with a heli set up on 1 rod last winter and think it has mileage. I like the way it sits in a steady flowing river.I fished a short hooklink (less than a foot).

I caught plenty of fish, but none were barbel. So read into that what you will……

Just for the record I didn’t catch any on the running rig either !

Like you, I have lots of confidence in heli rigs on Stillwater.

There is a match fishing river rig based on the same principle as a heli, checkout the ‘dink dink’.
Good vid of the dink dink
....and bostin accent an all :D
 
I bought these that I use, slides over the swivel of the feeder or lead, and the top bead traps the hooklength swivel.

1655798205879.png
 
A few years ago now nobody would have fished short hook lengths on ledger tackle for roach or tench. Now, according to one recent thread on here that is now the 'classic' wayof fishing for tench.

If you consider how barbel feed I think the heli or chod rig is worth a go especially on waters where barbel react positively to feeders.
 
Does anyone use a helicopter type rig (lead attached to mainline, hooklink free running on large eyed swivel) for Chub and Barbel?

I'm thinking it could have 2 advantages - 1) safer for fish in the event of a mainline break, 2) if you fish with a bow in the line, the hooklink could slide back to nestle in the curve, which would keep baited hook further away from the lead.
The downside could be hooking ability/bite indication.

I fished this rig for a few hours yesterday evening and had 1 nice Chub. I fished it 'naked' on the mainline with a top bead that would slide with a small amount of pressure. The bead was smaller than the swivel which wasn't ideal (the swivel could pass over it too easily) but it's all I had.

However on the downside I seemed to get a lot of pickups (or so it felt like) where my bobbins lifted up, but didn't covert into wrap arounds (this happened 4 or five times). Perhaps I should have struck at these? I was fishing paste around the hook so in hindsight this might have been an issue.

Hooklink was set to around 1m.

This is my first season targeting Barbel so don't have any experience to fall back on and compare vs a leadclip or free running lead.
I couldn't see the rig in the water so I have no idea if it was working as I intended.

Any thoughts?
I’ve caught a handful of barbel on a heli set up when targeting carp on rivers, so yes it does work.

Having said that I personally don’t see a significant benefit to using it when targeting barbel specifically, especially over gravel runs etc. I only opt to use it when fishing over silt/weed for presentation purposes.

In terms of bite indication I’ve always found a running rig far superior to anything else providing the lead is heavy enough to provide an adequate anchor weight.
 
Thanks Alex

I did a quick session on Wednesday and started with a heli rig but swiched over to runnung lead which is going to be my default method going forward.

Reason being I was positioned higher up the bank and it occurred to me that if the hooklength had come back to settle in the apex of the bow so to speak, my hooklength might have been presenting mid water (I was fishing without top bead).
 
Heli rigs are good for chucking a distance as the dramatically decrease the chance of a tangle when using long hooklinks.
I use them using a short hooklength (6-8") and sizable PVA sock when I need to cast very close to snags or sometimes into willow canopies where I suspect barbel are taking refuge in daylight. Nothing complicated, helicopter bead trapping a quick link for the hooklength. I use some lead-free leader with a spliced loop which connects to the mainline, so if I get a reel line breakage the heli-beads can easily slide over the loop-loop connection and no tethered fish.
The overall rig is streamlined, the hook is buried in the PVA sock and minimum line to get caught on branches. The leader is less proned to getting hung-up and as I'm snag fishing , much better for abrasion in roots etc. It works, but for general river work in the flow a free running rig would be my preferred option. Good luck.
 
Heli rigs are good for chucking a distance as the dramatically decrease the chance of a tangle when using long hooklinks.
I use them using a short hooklength (6-8") and sizable PVA sock when I need to cast very close to snags or sometimes into willow canopies where I suspect barbel are taking refuge in daylight. Nothing complicated, helicopter bead trapping a quick link for the hooklength. I use some lead-free leader with a spliced loop which connects to the mainline, so if I get a reel line breakage the heli-beads can easily slide over the loop-loop connection and no tethered fish.
The overall rig is streamlined, the hook is buried in the PVA sock and minimum line to get caught on branches. The leader is less proned to getting hung-up and as I'm snag fishing , much better for abrasion in roots etc. It works, but for general river work in the flow a free running rig would be my preferred option. Good luck.
Sounds interesting ... is your helicopter bead pushed right down your leader so as to fit over the swivel on your ledger (so, in effect, your baited hook will be 6-8" from your ledger)?
 
Yes and no
the leader goes through an inline lead and below the lead I have a PVA bag clip spliced in so there's no swivel
Where the leader exits the lead a put a tail rubber and I put the first heli bead above that, then the quick link , then the second bead
Once I have the PVA sock attached( so it's suspended under the lead by the clip) I'll nick the hook into the sock and slide the beads up so everything is taught. So yes the the hook is always close to the lead and hopefully the hookbait is amongst a few pellets when the sock dissolves
Because everything is closer together , that's another reason to use the leader to ensure it's pinned and less chance of a mooching fish feeling the mainline.
Sounds complicated but it's not. Bites ate vicious as soon as they pick the bait up , they are hooking themselves against the lead but that's what I want when in amongst snags - don't want them running 4 ft back into deeper cover.
 
IMG_0097.JPG


Here's my Heli rig for when I go Tench fishing. Three foot of Tungsten tubing, a top bead that can slide up the leader in case of breakages, quick change swivel and a buffer bead on the feeder swivel. Attach a short hooklength to the QC swivel with an anti tangle sleeve to kick it out a little. I use a similar set up when distance Bream fishing in a match, but without the tubing.

Not a rig I'd use for Barbel fishing though, but each to their own.
 
Heli rigs are good for chucking a distance as the dramatically decrease the chance of a tangle when using long hooklinks.
I use them using a short hooklength (6-8") and sizable PVA sock when I need to cast very close to snags or sometimes into willow canopies where I suspect barbel are taking refuge in daylight. Nothing complicated, helicopter bead trapping a quick link for the hooklength. I use some lead-free leader with a spliced loop which connects to the mainline, so if I get a reel line breakage the heli-beads can easily slide over the loop-loop connection and no tethered fish.
The overall rig is streamlined, the hook is buried in the PVA sock and minimum line to get caught on branches. The leader is less proned to getting hung-up and as I'm snag fishing , much better for abrasion in roots etc. It works, but for general river work in the flow a free running rig would be my preferred option. Good luck.
That sounds a brilliant set up Paul.As I also tend to fish towards features I will definitely give it a go sometime.I used to use a similar rig when feeder fishing maggots which was to all intents and purposes a helicopter rig,but didn't think to apply it to using pellet.Its tips like this that make being a member of BFW worthwhile.Thanks for sharing that.
 
Heli rigs are good for chucking a distance as the dramatically decrease the chance of a tangle when using long hooklinks.
I use them using a short hooklength (6-8") and sizable PVA sock when I need to cast very close to snags or sometimes into willow canopies where I suspect barbel are taking refuge in daylight. Nothing complicated, helicopter bead trapping a quick link for the hooklength. I use some lead-free leader with a spliced loop which connects to the mainline, so if I get a reel line breakage the heli-beads can easily slide over the loop-loop connection and no tethered fish.
The overall rig is streamlined, the hook is buried in the PVA sock and minimum line to get caught on branches. The leader is less proned to getting hung-up and as I'm snag fishing , much better for abrasion in roots etc. It works, but for general river work in the flow a free running rig would be my preferred option. Good luck.
Cheers Paul, some good ideas there mate, like the PVA bag solution.
 
No problem, just to reinforce the leader has to have a spliced loop and connect to main line loop to loop, so the quick link/ hooklink can ride over the loops if you break the mainline. I have seen people use them with swivels and this is a death rig.
I use Gripz hooks as well as these will easily come out if I have a malfunction, but despite being barbless they penetrate and hold well and I've had no issues with them, yet release the pressure and they almost fall out in the net. Brilliant hook.
Thankfully the leader takes a lot of abuse and as no swinging leads or feeders it is less prone to getting caught up in snags
 
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