Is this the biggest edge in carp fishing?
According to Daiwa’s main consultant, Danny Fairbrass, learning how to feel the lead down could be the key to ultimate success
1 Focus on your target
Line up your cast as you would normally, aiming at the spot you would like to cast to. Make sure the lead is half the drop of the rod (level with the join/spigot), as this makes it easier to compress the rod on the cast. When making the cast, make sure you release the lead between 1 and 2 o’clock on a clock face.
2 Watch the lead/rig
While the lead is in flight, keep your rod pointing between the 1 and 2 o’clock position, this means the line flows off the spool and through the eyes easier and it makes it easier to feel the lead down too. Also, keep an eye on your rig at all times during flight so you know whether it is going on target and you know when to start feathering your line.
3 Start to feather the line
As the rig is reaching your spot, start slowing the line down with your finger. This gradually reduces the speed of the rig in flight and it will stop it bombing into the lake making a huge disturbance in the next step. Remember to continue to keep your rod tip high at all times.
4 Trap the line
Just before the rig hits the water (around a couple of feet off the water surface) completely trap the line with your finger (i.e. stopping line coming off the spool). This stops the lead over the spot and drops it into the water with a minimal amount of disturbance. By feathering and trapping your line it also kicks your hooklink away from your leader, which stops most tangles.
5 Keep it on a tight line
As you have trapped the line and the lead is entering the water, keep the line trapped so you have a tight line out to your rig and your rod tip high. As you feel the lead dropping through the water on a tight line, slowly lower your rod tip at the same time as the lead is falling so you still keep contact on a tight line at all times. As the lead touches the bottom you will feel it on your rod tip. This gives you an idea of what the lead has on. If it’s a hard ‘donk’ then you have landed on a hard lakebed like gravel. If it’s a softer landing then you have landed in silt or low-lying weed.
6 And remember…
Feeling the lead down is not something you will pick up automatically and it will take time to perfect this method, but it is definitely a very important part of fishing and can catch you lots more fish being able to do this process. There are many advantages from being able to feel the lead down, to keeping your rig tangle-free and making less disturbance as the lead enters the water.
