Backleads have been around for years and have been used to good effect by many anglers in deceiving wary carp. The principle of a backlead is that they are attached to your line to pin it down to the bottom.

Clip-on back leads have been used for years and were first used with stones and paper clips. Nowadays there are many available on the market such as  Korda Intelligent Backleads (See picture below). The idea behind clip-on back leads is that once you’ve cast out you slacken off your line and clip on a small weight. Once clipped on you slide the backlead down your line into the margin. This pins it down out of the way of any passing fish, thus concealing the line from their ever wary nature. These also work well in preventing tangles when playing fish under the rod tip as they hold your other lines out of the way. The disadvantage of backleads is they can create unnatural line angles. These unatural line angles reduce indication of bites and can at times cause your line to sit awkwardly, especially in the presence of weed.

Flying back leads such as  Korda Safe Zone Flying Back Leads (See Picture Below) are attached to your line prior to casting out. They are shaped so that they fly back up your line towards the rod on the cast using air resistance. Flying back leads sit closer to your terminal tackle and pin your leader down more effectively than clip-ons. Unfortunately lying back leads also have a few disadvantages as they are affected by side winds, casting technique and also cause awkward line angles if used incorrectly.

Tungsten putty is reasonably new to the carp world but has been used to good effect since its appearance. It can be moulded on hooklinks and leaders to pin them to the lake bed. You can also rub tungsten putty up and down braided mainline or hooklinks further enhancing your presentation. Tungsten putty is incredibly heavy for the quantity you need and it works really well at pinning everything down to the bottom out of the way of wary carp. There are many brands on the market with a range of colours available including  Gardner Critical Mass Putty . (See Picture Below)

The newest product available to modern day carp anglers are the  Korda Sinkers which are tungsten hooklink weights. Korda Sinkers are easily threaded onto your hooklinks to keep them pinned to the lake bed. Sinkers are easy to attach, grip the line incredibly well and are fish friendly. (See Picture Below)

All these products will work to your advantage in the right situations. Give careful consideration to when and where to use them, as if used incorrectly they could hinder your chances of catching. Think about the make up of the lake bed, depth variations, weed growth and decide whether they will work to your advantage. Take these factors into account and you might find, one or a combination of a few of these products will help you put more fish on the bank. Give them a go and Pin It Down.

Tight Lines

Dave