Does lead size and lead arrangement matter?

Calum Kletta

"100% lead clip all the time"

“My lead arrangement is the same for almost 100% of my fishing, which is a couple of feet of leader into a lead clip and a Kwik-Lok swivel covered by a Covert Anti-Tangle Sleeve. This set-up is tangle-free and will fish under the tips or blast big leads to the horizon. I like to fish over spots that I think the fish have fed on, and this set-up is perfect for this as you can adjust the length of the rig depending on bottom/baiting approach/angling pressure.

“I tend to favour a heavy lead as I think a big lead will help to set the hook home after the fish is pricked by the hook. My favourite lead is the Gardner Bolt Bomb, which, due to its compact shape, means the fish feels the lead immediately and it is great for feeling the “donk” on the drop.”

Joe Morgan

"A running lead ideally"

“If I can, I like to use a 2-3oz running inline with enough resistance to hook them but then allows the line to slide through it. This presentation offers the best hooking and indication properties by far. However, most of my fishing requires dropping the lead due to weed or snags so these days, eight times out of ten it’s a lead clip or a Heli-Safe. The hooking properties aren’t as effective but losing the lead is paramount and therefore I do prefer to use a dumpy 3.5oz pear to aid in setting the hook home. The easier the barb slips in, the harder it is for them to get rid of it, obviously!”

Nick Burrage

"A shocker set-up is perfect"

“Lead systems are a strange subject in carp angling, as some, if they were honest, never really change them; maybe sticking to a lead clip and use nothing else. That’s not a good way to be to be fair!

“As a rule, the bigger the fish, the more you need to think about what you’re using, big carp being slower in their movements and they have a tendency to use the lead weight to get rid of our sharp bit. This behaviour isn’t at all a thought out action, it’s more of a instinctive movement; a shake one way, then the other will see the lead swing round and pull the hook back out from the other side of its mouth, resulting in just a single bleep! I’ve seen it happen a few times too many myself while out margin hunting for water pigs.

“After a play around I found the best set-up for this was, yes, a clip, but I only gently pushed the swivel in, giving a slight shocker-come-running system. The carp get pricked and before the lead gets a chance to do its worst, the swivel is out of the clip and the carp is hooked – up a creek without a paddle so to speak!”