I’m a big believer in keeping things simple. So much so that the vast majority of my fishing is done using no more than perhaps five different rigs, and usually utilising the same basic safety clip system which you can see here.
To be honest, I’m firmly of the opinion that it’s far more important to offer a bait in the right place at the right time, than it is to use the latest newfangled rig that’s supposedly been taking waters apart here there and everywhere, and my results to date purely by keeping things simple would seem to back me up. However, there’s a big difference between keeping things simple and being lazy – as soon as the results don’t come I’ll always be asking myself why.
For a while I struggled on Birch Grove. I was able to pick up a few fish here and there sure enough, and in all my years I’ve never blanked, but other members in our party always seemed to fair better so I was determined to get to the bottom of it. The problem was indication – fishing at distance close to snags and pads requires instant bite detection and I simply wasn’t getting it with my normal set-up. What’s more, the fish are pretty clued up and have gained a bit of a reputation for dumping leads, you just got the feeling that they were somehow sampling baits and getting away with it. As such it was obvious that I needed to change over to a running rig set-up that would allow what have become cautious feeding fish to move the bait without feeling the weight of the lead, and thus giving better indication before they suss something is wrong.
The problem was that I could not find a set-up that performed well when casting long distances – tangles were usually order of the day, and when you are often sitting on a bait for over 24-hrs you need to be confident it’s sitting right. Luckily, when discussing the problem with a friend he had just the solution – fox safety sleeves.
Fox Sleeve in ‘bolt’ mode
The name is a bit of a misnomer, as for ages I’d been trawling manufacturer sites searching under ‘running-rigs’ yet here was just the job but called something entirely different. I suppose this is down to the fact that the system is essentially designed to work as a sort of safety bolt rig, but with half a seconds work can be used as a fantastic tangle-free running rig.
The kit contains an injection moulded soft cone sleeve, a flexi swivel, plastic run-ring, and speed clip. The idea is that the mainline passes through the run-ring and then through the thin end of the cone and tied to the flexi swivel (although at this point I swap the flexi swivel for a Gizmo link). You then attach your hooklink to the flexi swivel (or Gizmo) and pull the whole thing tight so that the body is hidden inside the rubber sleeve. The speed clip is then attached to the bottom of the run ring and onto your lead. To change the rig into a running rig I simply cut a few notches into the protruding rubber notch which runs around the circumference if the sleeve to keep the run ring in place and job done – the run ring slides straight off the sleeve with just a fraction of a tug.
A few seconds work and you have the perfect run-rig
The proof of the pudding is always in the eating as they say, so I had been perfecting this approach in preparation for this years Birch trip. In testing the rig never tangled once and I even managed to bag a couple of upper twenties using it on a recent syndicate session, so I was full of confidence for Birch. I used the rig in combination with a 5ft Amnesia leader and simple braid or fluro hooklinks on all four rods on arrival at Birch and the results were immediate, banking a cracking 23lb 12oz mirror on the very first night. I went on to have my best Birch session yet in terms of weight and numbers taking fish to upper twenty and Chris, whom I was fishing with, also took a nice 24lb mirror on one of my rods.
The Fox safety sleeves performed admirably on each occasion despite some hair-raising battles, and the increase in sensitivity and bite detection certainly helped me put more fish on the bank. If you are fishing a water where you have the feeling that the fish are somehow getting away with it, then this method is definitely worth serious investigation.
Proof of the pudding!
Fox safety sleeves retail for around £3.00 per pack, with each pack containing components to make five rigs.
For more information visit: http://www.foxint.com/
Julian Grattidge
September 2006
