Shock To The System
Inlines or lead clips? These are both, and they offer you so much more than a standard lump of lead…
It takes a certain kind of analytical product-design team to turn bog-standard lumps of lead into assets that’ll help hook more fish. Luckily, Avid—famed for innovative inline bag leads—possess just such skilled thinkers and have created something genuinely interesting and unique with these new Shock Leads.
1. Central pickup
The way these leads are notched in the centre, and the way the hooklink exits them, means the carp are always hitting the bulk of the weight once they pick up and straighten your rig. This effectively increases the bolt effect and helps drive the hook home, converting more half-chances into full-blown runs.
2. Two options
Avid have launched the Shock Leads in Standard and Distance versions. The flat, squared-off look of the Standard leads will be familiar to fans of Avid’s ever-popular inline leads and are perfect for solid bags, while the Distance versions are more like a classic pear lead, though with subtle fluted grooves on the sides.
3. Versatility
These leads work on a multitude of set-ups, including leadcore or lead-free leaders, tubing or even straight through naked on the main line. You can also fish different tactics without having to change components. For example, you could fish a Zig Rig or a solid PVA bag using the same Shock Lead arrangement and just swap your hooklink over. Very clever indeed!
4. No extra bits
Of course, there are existing ‘centre pickup’ leads on the market, but Avid say theirs stand out because you don’t need to buy half swivels or short bits of leadcore to make up a rig. They’ve been designed to work with Avid’s QC Lead Clips and the central clip fits either the brand’s existing XL Anti-Tangle Sleeve (Distance Shock Lead) or standard Outline Anti-Tangle Sleeve (Standard Shock Lead).
5. Price and options
You might expect Avid to charge a premium for these new leads but, fair play to the team from Telford, they come in at exactly the same price as their other leads at £1.80 a pop. At launch there are three sizes—2oz, 3oz and 4oz—and they all feature the Outline Camo coating that’s proved so successful on other Avid components in recent years.
