Do Chod rigs actually offer better indication?

You would think that the indication you get from a Choddie would be better than the indication from a normal rig because the fish doesn’t have to move the lead to give an indication at the rod end. In theory this is correct, but in practice it’s not always the case. The fact that a lot of people use light leads means they can be pulled round easier, and also the way you fix the beads also has a massive effect on the indication that you get. If the rig is pretty free running along the line there is a good chance that the fish can simply pick-up the bait and move it along the line without pulling the line tight and giving indication. Couple the fact that the Chod Rig is usually fished as a slack line method and that means there is loads of slack line out there thus giving plenty of movement for the fish to play around for ages before you get any indication at the rod end.

I would suggest that on the whole Choddies have been the worst performers in our indication tests over the years, particularly when moving directly away from the angler as the rig slides along the line to the lead before hitting resistance and moving it. The subsequent following movement of the lead then has to tighten up all of the slack line before you get indication at the rod end.

As daft as it sounds, on the odd occasion that I do use a Chod I often reverse everyone’s thinking and actually use a slightly heavier lead and fish the line as tight as I think I can get away with. It’s worked well for me and my UK Chod PB (let’s make another PB list…) is 39lb 4oz on that very method.

A word of warning from my experience with Chods, though! The fixing of the beads is the key, and for the best indication you need them to be fairly well fixed (taking safety aspects into consideration of course) as the more they slide the worse the indication. If in doubt, get yourself some of the Fox ‘Edges’ Chod Beads as these do the job perfectly - and extremely safely and fish-friendly.