Steve Williams
Senior Member
Hooklink Clips by Nic Cole
Elsewhere on the reviews section of BFW you will find a review of the Gizmo hooklink clip by Bob Gill. Whilst I liked the idea of being able to change hooklinks quickly and easily or being able to detach the hooklink to mount a PVA bag, I never really took to the Gizmo when it was launched as it seemed too big and bulky. Now however, there are a few alternatives which are smaller and neater and I have been using some Korda and Fox products for over a year now. I have break-tested all of the clips below and am satisfied that they are strong enough for my needs. I can vouch for their reliability under normal fishing situations with lines up to 15lb. In fact, I have never had one deform or fail including when pulling for a break when the hook has snagged.
The types that I have used extensively are :
I prefer the dark coated clips but to be honest, the colour makes very little difference to the presentation because the clip is always sheathed in tubing or a tailrubber.
The picture below shows how the link is set up and you have the option of forming a loop in the hooklink material (most suitable in my opinion with coated braids like Merlin, Mantis etc but OK with nylon if care is exercised) or incorporating a swivel or ring. I recommend the use of a silicon or rubber cover for the clip as it neatens the set-up and also eliminates any possibility of the hooklink coming unclipped. A simple piece of tube (colour of your choice) around 2-3mm internal bore will suffice although I prefer the ESP helicopter rig sleeves which are a nice fit. Tailrubbers by Korda or Tracker have proved just as effective.
Top : Fox Speed Link and ESP Heli sleeve
Top/middle : Fox Speed Link inside ESP Heli sleeve
Bottom/middle : Korda Kwik Link with Korda tailrubber on leadcore
Bottom : Korda Stik Klip with Trakker tailrubber
ESP Helicopter Rig Sleeves
Korda Tailrubbers
Conclusion :
I have got so used to the flexibility of being able to change hooklinks on a whim or when the hook point has lost its edge that I now use a clip in all my set-ups for barbel with the exception of rolling meat when I prefer to fish the mainline straight through to the hook or fishing very snaggy swims where tackle losses are the norm.
Nic (Barbel Blank) Cole
Aug 2007
Elsewhere on the reviews section of BFW you will find a review of the Gizmo hooklink clip by Bob Gill. Whilst I liked the idea of being able to change hooklinks quickly and easily or being able to detach the hooklink to mount a PVA bag, I never really took to the Gizmo when it was launched as it seemed too big and bulky. Now however, there are a few alternatives which are smaller and neater and I have been using some Korda and Fox products for over a year now. I have break-tested all of the clips below and am satisfied that they are strong enough for my needs. I can vouch for their reliability under normal fishing situations with lines up to 15lb. In fact, I have never had one deform or fail including when pulling for a break when the hook has snagged.
The types that I have used extensively are :
Fox Speed Links
Korda Kwik Links
Korda Kwik Links
Stik Klips
I prefer the dark coated clips but to be honest, the colour makes very little difference to the presentation because the clip is always sheathed in tubing or a tailrubber.
The picture below shows how the link is set up and you have the option of forming a loop in the hooklink material (most suitable in my opinion with coated braids like Merlin, Mantis etc but OK with nylon if care is exercised) or incorporating a swivel or ring. I recommend the use of a silicon or rubber cover for the clip as it neatens the set-up and also eliminates any possibility of the hooklink coming unclipped. A simple piece of tube (colour of your choice) around 2-3mm internal bore will suffice although I prefer the ESP helicopter rig sleeves which are a nice fit. Tailrubbers by Korda or Tracker have proved just as effective.
Top : Fox Speed Link and ESP Heli sleeve
Top/middle : Fox Speed Link inside ESP Heli sleeve
Bottom/middle : Korda Kwik Link with Korda tailrubber on leadcore
Bottom : Korda Stik Klip with Trakker tailrubber
ESP Helicopter Rig Sleeves
Korda Tailrubbers
Conclusion :
I have got so used to the flexibility of being able to change hooklinks on a whim or when the hook point has lost its edge that I now use a clip in all my set-ups for barbel with the exception of rolling meat when I prefer to fish the mainline straight through to the hook or fishing very snaggy swims where tackle losses are the norm.
Nic (Barbel Blank) Cole
Aug 2007