Make a massive difference to your drop-off in-line set-up

Avid designed and developed the carp world’s first ever dedicated Drop-Off Lead. The Inline Groove, as it was called then, had an indentation along one side to allow it to be used with or without a leader, when fishing so the lead could drop-off. Avid also designed the first Drop-Off Stem – a much better system than squashing down the eye of a swivel, as anglers had been doing beforehand. This bespoke peg allowed you to tie your main line and rig to the same loop, pushing the plastic stem inside the lead to work like a grenade pin.

Since the launch of these products most other brands have done their own versions. That’s the nature of product development sometimes! I guess we could get upset about it, but what’s the point? Instead, we’ve developed the next generation of Drop-Off hardware – terminal tackle and leads that are truly Next Level.

Dropping the lead can make a huge difference on weedy venues. Setting it up correctly can transform your hooked-to-landed ratio when using in-line leads

The Drop-Off set-up with an in-line lead is quite clever and very easy to set-up. It’s a great alternative to standard lead arrangements and can really confuse the fish. They get the initial wallop and bolt effect from the In-line Lead, then the lead is gone. Free from the line and not in the way anymore – making it great on weedy lakes.

The first thing that goes on your line is a tail rubber – softer the better. The new Avid Drop-Off Bag Lead comes with an Outline tail rubber already attached, which is perfect for this set-up. Next you tie on a Drop-Off Stem. The new Avid ones are glass reinforced now and boast the awesome Outline camouflage, as well as featuring a QC clip for easier rig changes. Now you can attach the lead by plugging the Stem inside of the lead and using the tail rubber to secure it over the In-line lead insert. This will hold during a cast, but when a carp picks up your rig and shakes its head, the lead pushes off the tail rubber and the Stem is pulled free of the lead. Bye bye lead and hello direct contact with the carp.

The Groove on the lead is an important feature as it stops your leader or main line getting damaged when the rig touches down on the lakebed. It’s tucked into the Groove making it safe. For many years, using a Drop-Off set-up meant you had to use a solid PVA bag, but those days are gone.

I prefer these days to use a fluorocarbon leader. The Outline fluorocarbon is the best I’ve ever used and I wouldn’t be without it now. This slots neatly into the Groove and gives me a camouflaged setup that’s unrivalled. The Drop-Off Bag Lead itself is a rectangular shape so the bolt effect is optimised when laying your traps, but it’s also the ideal shape for solid PVA Bag fishing. The shape means you end up with an even distribution of weight inside the bag giving you straighter and more aerodynamic casts when using solid bags.

My favourite stalking set-up is a solid bag. I used a simple Slipper Rig tied in Captive braid, a small CRV hook, with a 12mm Ian Russell’s Original on the end. I tend to go for either the Creamy Toffee, Chocolate Orange or Tuna Sweetcorn version, as the swirl of brown will match the pellets being used in the mix. I use an Anti-Tangle Sleeve to attach the rig to the QC Drop-Off Stem, which is fished ‘Naked’ on a 20lb Outline Fluorocarbon leader. You can use it with leadcore or Pindown, too, if you prefer. Either way, make sure you add a couple of lumps of putty a metre or two from the lead - it ensures those important last few yards of line are out of the way, no matter what distance you’re fishing, but they’re especially useful for stalking.

One thing I often do when dropping solid bags down the edge is to use a much larger bag. On some venues, using small baits like pellets can be obvious and something the fish have seen many times. Or the nuisance fish can come in and absolutely smash your set-up! By using a bigger sized bag, I can fill it with boilies and halved baits.

This creates a really slow-sinking solid bag, perfect when the lakebed might be a little soft, due to the air trapped inside. I’ve done really well using this kind of set-up – it’s like the perfect trap for a greedy carp.

In-line leads are something that can be a real edge, and fishing them to Drop-Off is a safe way of combating snags and weed. Give it a try.

The Groove on the lead is an important feature as it stops your leader or main line getting damaged when the rig touches down on the lakebed. It’s tucked into the Groove making it safe. For many years, using a Drop-Off set-up meant you had to use a solid PVA bag, but those days are gone.

I prefer these days to use a fluorocarbon leader. The Outline fluorocarbon is the best I’ve ever used and I wouldn’t be without it now. This slots neatly into the Groove and gives me a camouflaged setup that’s unrivalled. The Drop-Off Bag Lead itself is a rectangular shape so the bolt effect is optimised when laying your traps, but it’s also the ideal shape for solid PVA Bag fishing. The shape means you end up with an even distribution of weight inside the bag giving you straighter and more aerodynamic casts when using solid bags.

I’ve been using the Slipper Rig loads recently. It’s great with supple hooklinks like braid or Pindown

My favourite stalking set-up is a solid bag. I used a simple Slipper Rig tied in Captive braid, a small CRV hook, with a 12mm Ian Russell’s Original on the end. I tend to go for either the Creamy Toffee, Chocolate Orange or Tuna Sweetcorn version, as the swirl of brown will match the pellets being used in the mix. I use an Anti-Tangle Sleeve to attach the rig to the QC Drop-Off Stem, which is fished ‘Naked’ on a 20lb Outline Fluorocarbon leader. You can use it with leadcore or Pindown, too, if you prefer. Either way, make sure you add a couple of lumps of putty a metre or two from the lead - it ensures those important last few yards of line are out of the way, no matter what distance you’re fishing, but they’re especially useful for stalking.

One thing I often do when dropping solid bags down the edge is to use a much larger bag. On some venues, using small baits like pellets can be obvious and something the fish have seen many times. Or the nuisance fish can come in and absolutely smash your set-up! By using a bigger sized bag, I can fill it with boilies and halved baits.

A complete trap, perfect for spring margin fishing or casting to showing fish. Give it a try

This creates a really slow-sinking solid bag, perfect when the lakebed might be a little soft, due to the air trapped inside. I’ve done really well using this kind of set-up – it’s like the perfect trap for a greedy carp.

In-line leads are something that can be a real edge, and fishing them to Drop-Off is a safe way of combating snags and weed. Give it a try.

A lovely common caught on a solid bag chucked deep into a weedy bay. Had I not dropped the lead, I’d never have landed the fish