Lee Swords Fishing

The Loop Rig and the “fixed” Carp Clip Bolt rig are not included in my “Good Rigs Guide” for one reason and one reason alone, the Loop Rig and the Clip Rig are not good rigs. I have used both in the distant past and can vouch for their effectiveness but they “ARE” dangerous rigs, in fact I would say that they are the fishing equivalent of unprotected sex.

Yes, the rigs work fantastically well and both rigs just like unprotected sex work a treat when the conditions are right but when conditions are not right and it all goes wrong, it goes really quite very badly wrong.

The very best case scenario of unprotected  sex that has “gone wrong” is that you are pissing custard for a week until the antibiotics kick in; the worst case scenario is that “you die”. You die a slow and painful death from AIDS or Hepatitis or possible even Syphilis just like Al Capone did but the main thing to remember is that you will die and it will be a horrifically slow and painful death.

Just like the fish that you left tethered up on the highly effective but nonetheless lethal Loop Rig and the very fashionable but ultimately inescapable Clip Rig you cast out into a snag strewn river Trent and had to pull for a break when it got snagged up on the rocks/weed/sunken boats/sunken trees.

Why then use something so very dangerous? Is catching the fish that important that danger doesn’t come into it? If it is do us all a favour and stop fishing, sell your gear and use the money to purchase some golf clubs or a set of watercolours or even a shotgun. because even armed with a 12 bore you would be less dangerous to wildlife than if you continued to use these rigs.

And it is not as though there are no “safe rigs” that cannot be used in their stead,the loop rig is easy to make safe. Simply use rubber float stops to create the feeder loop.

 

 It isn’t rocket science is it?In fact it isn’t even that clever and the “safe loop rig” behaves in exactly the same way as the dangerous version.

And when it breaks down it breaks down completely with no tether potential at all, so as an angler you can walk away from the river with a completely clear conscience.

And I like having a clear conscience when it comes to my fishing, I don’t want to be doing the walk of shame because I know I have left a half dozen rigs out in the river all with bait all locked up in snags. Because that isn’t cool. All it takes is a little bit of thought and application and it is all good, and “thought” costs nothing so don’t be afraid to use it, you can never run out and it will never cost you a penny :O)

So what I would like to say to anyone that is of a mind to use these rigs, is simple. DON’T. Please think about what you are doing, there are a hundred safe versions. Use them instead. Fish are too valuable a commodity to waste.

 

Another thing I like to see on the river bank are little tubes of Kryston Klin-ik Shield and I like to see them getting used…Not just left in carry-alls to look good!Till the next time. Fish safe. Fish well.