Carp leashes: how to choose a leash material, how to make a carp leash with your own hands

The carp leash is one of the main elements of the equipment, since it has to withstand the bulk of the entire load, as well as various negative actions that appear during fishing. There will be no high-quality hooking if the leash is chosen thoughtlessly or is tied incorrectly when making it yourself. Taking into account the fishing conditions, these carp leashes are made from different materials and have different sizes and diameters.

Carp leashes with rigid hook fixation

Criterias of choice

When choosing a leash for carp fishing, you must consider the following parameters:

Elasticity. Particularly relevant when attaching light baits for maximum efficiency in performing the main task of the leashes.

Feeder carp installation paternoster - the leash is made of monofilament with a diameter of 0.15-0.2 mm.
Durability . This parameter directly determines whether the leash of the carp on the hook can withstand.
Resistant to stretching and abrasion . All negative impacts should not be reflected on carp leashes.
Diameter _ It is best to choose a medium thickness. If the leash is thick, the breaking load on the line will increase. If it is very thin, the quality of the bait will decrease.
Color . Green is considered the most optimal, but brown or silver are also often chosen.

Criteria for choosing leashes for carp

When collecting equipment before going fishing, it is important to select the optimal leashes, taking into account the composition of the bottom, fishing distance (approximately), and type of fish.

The composition of the bottom in a reservoir . Leashes 20-30 cm long are used if the bottom is hard: with stones, clay and sand. Quite long leashes are suitable when catching carp from a muddy bottom. Short 10-20 cm - with a hard clay bottom and a large current in the reservoir.
Catching distance . Many fishermen know that leashes that are too long are difficult to cast over long distances due to tangled gear. Casting gear will be easy with short leads, but it is worth considering the overall casting distance. The catch will be more successful if, for example, when casting gear no more than 20-30, you use a medium or short leash.
Type of fish . Due to the elongated body of both carp and carp, the best choice of leash is small and medium-sized.

Types of leader material for carp fishing

Today there are the following types of leashes for carp fishing:

Neutral . They are convenient to use when fishing; they are also invisible in heavily overgrown ponds. They are not suspicious for carp, as they occupy a neutral position in the required layer of water.
Pop-up leaders are used when bait needs to be suspended above the bottom. When fishing in muddy waters, it is recommended to choose wicker materials.
Hard leader materials are chosen if the fish is accustomed to soft material, and also if there have been cases of fin cutting. If the material is hard, it is more difficult for the carp to get off the hook. To secure it to the gear, a “method” loop is used. This way the leash can move freely.
Invisible leashes made of fluorocarbon It is advised to choose in transparent reservoirs without vegetation, when the carp has already learned other leashes and sees them. Once frightened, he will no longer swim to the fishing spot.

Carp leashes made of fluorocarbon are the most invisible in the water
Sinking while lying to the bottom will be invisible even to very careful carp, since the leashes match it in color. But they are only suitable for a clean area. If there are irregularities, then flails are likely and the fish, when fishing, can simply spit out the hook. Before using these leaders, it is best to first examine the bottom.

About rigid products

They are used on a reservoir with a hard rocky or shell bottom. The popular carp rig Stiff Rig is made from this material. Monofilament and fluorocarbon scaffolding are used as the main material. This material appeared on the fishing market in the 1980s. It was produced by the Kryston company. Experienced fishermen used homemade leashes made from ordinary nylon monofilament lines. With the advent of “braids”, almost all fishermen switched to them. Today, fluorocarbon is widely used in the production of leashes.

This material sinks perfectly and is completely transparent. In addition, it has sufficient rigidity to prevent fish from escaping. For those consumers who practice Chod-Rig and Combi-Rig installations, manufacturers have launched the production of a separate type of fluorocarbon leader material. Among consumers it is called “soft fluorocarbon”. The material is steam treated, making it easy to bend it to the desired shape. The leader in sales of hard leash materials was Korda.

Leash length for carp fishing

When knitting the installation, you need to correctly choose the optimal leash size, taking into account the distance of the bait spot, the composition of the bottom and some other parameters:

Up to 25 cm . Suitable for reservoirs without strong currents with a dense bottom. At the same time, short leashes are better suited than others for long-distance casting. This way, a piece of leader material will not get tangled with the main line.
25-45 cm . The best option for fishing with a feeder rod and casting over medium and long distances. In this case, the type of bottom must be hard, dense, and there may be a small layer of silt. It is advisable to fish on medium-sized leashes on calm ponds or rivers with moderate currents.
More than 45 cm . Larger leashes are used when fishing near the shore or when casting over medium distances. Sections of up to 1 meter will be required in ponds where the bottom soil is heavily silted; the presence of a current does not play a role.

Purchased leashes for carp fishing
The size of the leash is especially important when fishing for carp using a feeder rig. The stronger the current, the longer the length is chosen. This is due to the displacement of the bait spot, in the middle of which the bait must be located.

The diameter of the leash is also very important. The smaller the cross-section, the less noticeable it will be in the water. That is, the equipment is not perceived as something foreign, this significantly increases the chance of a bite. However, thin leashes are not so strong and they break more easily.

Characteristics of carp leashes

Length

Choosing the length of a carp leash is a difficult and responsible task. A long leash will not immediately alert the carp; the carp will have more time to sense the catch, become alert and free itself from the bait before it is hooked. A shorter leash will alert the carp faster, but will give it less time to think.

Usually the carp takes the bait by bending down to the bottom after it, then straightens up and at this time a strike can occur. But this does not always happen, but depending on many factors - season, weather, activity, time of day, etc. In addition, in the summer, algae will appear in the same catchable place where grass may have grown a week ago. These are all factors that influence the selection of the leash length, which is selected experimentally, initially taking into account the fishing conditions.

Short leash up to 20 cm.
during long and/or sharp casts (long leashes in these cases are prone to getting tangled);
in reservoirs with calm water.
The average leash is 20-40 cm.
on reservoirs with a dense bottom covering and a slightly silted bottom;
for calm water or weak currents.
Long leashes 40-100 cm.
on silted reservoirs;
on reservoirs without a current and with a current.

Expert opinion

Knipovich Nikolai Mikhailovich

Zoologist, hydrobiologist. I am interested in fishing at a professional level.

Important! The length of the leash, depending on the current, is selected when fishing with feeders. Since the current creates an elongated feeding spot, a long leader helps the bait hit the center of the feeding spot.

Strength

The thinner the leader that supplies the bait, the less noticeable it is in the water, and therefore more effective , but the strength of thinner leader material is less than that of thicker material. The optimal choice is a combination of the required strength and low visibility of the leash in the water.

The strength of the leash is correlated with the breaking load of the main line and is selected based on expediency depending on the type of fishing.

When float fishing, it makes sense to keep carefully selected elements of equipment - a float with a sinker of appropriate weight, so the leash performs a safety function and its strength is 10% less than the main fishing line.

In feeder fishing there is no such task. The strength of the leader is the same or higher than the breaking load of the main line.

Basically, the strength of carp leashes in feeder fishing is in the range of 6-12 kg - slightly higher than the running sizes of carp and carp in medium and large reservoirs, where it makes sense to use the feeder fishing method.

Drive materials over 12 kg have too large a cross-section. It is unlikely that a smart and cunning fish will not pay attention to such a noticeable detail of the equipment. However, not everything depends on the magnitude of the breaking load. Experienced carp fishermen, even with a medium-thick leash, manage to pull out 15 kg of carcass. The shock-absorbing properties of the fishing rod, nylon fishing line or the use of feeder rubber help to soften the load on the tackle, and experience helps to take advantage of all the positive properties of each element of the equipment.

Elasticity

Elasticity is the delicacy of the presentation of the nozzle. This indicator is especially relevant for light nozzles.

The most elastic material is braid, however, not so long ago, leading materials with a small cross-section in a shell but high strength appeared, with elasticity slightly worse than that of braid, but without its disadvantages (Coretex from Fox, Mantis from Kryston, Camo Core from ACE Carp ).

Color

Careful camouflage of the leash bears fruit, so the color of the leash affects the catch .

It can be assumed that the fish mistakes the green leash for a string of algae. In any case, even cautious carp are not afraid of such a leash.

Sometimes a brown tree twig color is more effective.

Thickness

As mentioned above, the thinner the leash, the better, but taking into account the required strength.

Wear resistance

Wear resistance - the ability of a material to withstand abrasive loads , especially important in places with a rocky, shell-like, or snagged bottom.

The braid is protected from abrasion by impregnation or a fluorocarbon coating (for example, Korda Hybrid Stiff).

Ready-made driving materials that are resistant to abrasion are available for sale. We can recommend leashes with the inscription on the label “Hight Abrasion Resistance” or “Abrasion resistant” .

Installation of the leash taking into account the material

There are several ways to install leashes, which differ depending on the material chosen. During their manufacture, it is necessary to take into account the presence of algae, bottom features, and fishing conditions.

Made from soft wicker

The leash is easy to knit, comes out soft, and the bait is delicately presented to the fish. The carp hardly feels this material when biting. But the hair rig can twist, get tangled during power casts, and has poor resistance to cuts.

The scope of use of this leash is limited. It is used only if there is a dense and clean bottom, where there are no shells, algae, stones or snags.

How to knit a leash made of soft material

To do this you will need:

select the material, tie a loop on it so that the knot is hidden in the bait;
cut a piece of braiding to the required size;
thread the loop through the boilie, install the stopper;
secure the bait by threading the stopper from below;
pass the heat-shrinkable tube (2 mm thick) through the leash;
set the hair size, tie a hook;
determine how the hook is hooked;
if the knot is too tenacious, it needs to be glued;
equip the leash with a silicone outlet to avoid tangling;
tie the leash to the rig.

Installation of hair in the photo
How to knit a leash and hair accessories, see the video in detail:

Braided material with protection

In this case, a braided fishing line is used, encased in plastic to protect the gear from possible cuts. This equipment is used in snags, on a stone bottom. To prevent the leash from twisting, it must be kept stretched at all times and installed only on rigid tubes.

For production you will need:

remove the shell from the material in the area along the length of the hairline, but first find out the size of the future bait;
tie a loop;
cut the cord to the required size, install the boilie;
secure the stopper at the bottom;
pass the tube through the point, then onto the hook;
set the size of the hair tackle;
secure the hook;
treat the knot with glue;
roll up the heat-shrinkable tube, its end must be adjacent to the tip, thread the diverter or secure the leash on the hook with a swivel, tie it with a ring for a hinged connection;
secure to the tackle using a “loop to loop”.

How to tie a simple leash, watch the video:

Fluorocarbon leader

The specificity of this option is the use of materials of varying hardness. The part of the rig near the weight is made more rigid using fluorocarbon. The remaining parts are made of soft material.

The rigidity of the leash will prevent twisting when diving to the bottom, while reducing the risk of entanglements during casting. However, the fly is quite hard and not suitable for all types of carp mounting, and this is a significant drawback.

Leash combi rig on fluor

For production you will need:

cut off part of the soft material, tie a loop;
put on the boilie, secure it;
insert a stopper from the bottom of the fishing line;
tie a metal ring on your hair;
the hook is threaded through the ring and a knot is tied;
adjust the location of the ring on the hook, treat the knot with glue, if necessary;
tie the soft and fluorocarbon parts of the equipment with a knot;
put on the diverter, tie a loop on the second hard side;
In the area where dissimilar materials are joined, glue a piece of soft lead for reliability.

This way the leash will be as reliable as possible. The hairline, attached to a metal ring, can easily move along the hook. Even while spitting out the bait, when pricked by the sting, the ring will move downwards and the hook, being free, will pierce the carp’s lip.

How to make carp leashes from fluorocarbon - video instructions:

Fishermen's recommendations

When knitting carp leashes, you need to follow certain rules:

When tightening the knot, it must be wetted.
For reliability, glue the nodes with special glue.
The tackle must be camouflaged and suitable for the type of bottom. All installed elements are as reliable as possible, with a high tensile load, while the cross-section of the braid and the size of the swivels must correspond to the dimensions of the trophy.
When installing leashes, it is recommended to start with a simple fishing line. Only after gaining enough experience can you switch to hard materials.
The fit of the equipment at the bottom must be tight, without wrinkles or other protrusions.
Carp is highly susceptible to odors, so the tackle should be free of foreign odors.

You also need to remember that carp are very shy and, in order to prevent the fish from leaving the bait site, it is necessary to maintain silence on the shore and use camouflage clothing, taking into account the existing vegetation. Carp will quickly notice unnatural colors.