• Latest
  • Trending
How to setup a Helicopter Rig Guide

How to setup a Helicopter Rig Guide

3 years ago
Catching Mega Carp At Dream Lakes in France

Catching Mega Carp At Dream Lakes in France

5 days ago
How Parker Baits Make Carp Fishing Wafters

How Parker Baits Make Carp Fishing Wafters

6 days ago
James Armstrong – Carp Fishing at Embryo Lakes

James Armstrong – Carp Fishing at Embryo Lakes

6 days ago
THE SECRET TO CONFIDENCE – JAY ‘MUNGO’ CATER

THE SECRET TO CONFIDENCE – JAY ‘MUNGO’ CATER

2 weeks ago
Korda’s New Product Releases May 2023

Korda’s New Product Releases May 2023

2 weeks ago
Dan Yeomans Carp Fishing in Belgium - Episode 1: Drawn to the Lock

Dan Yeomans visits Belgium – Ep1

2 weeks ago
Neil Spooner & Rob Burgess - Holiday Fishing Masterclass

Neil Spooner & Rob Burgess – Holiday Fishing Masterclass

2 weeks ago
Horcott Lakes sets new 40lb+ Mirror Lake Record

Horcott Lakes sets new 40lb+ Mirror Lake Record

3 weeks ago
Spring Carp Fishing with Alfie Willingale – The Drop

Spring Carp Fishing with Alfie Willingale – The Drop

3 weeks ago
NEW Spectre Flurocarbon Leaders from Ridgemonkey

NEW Spectre Flurocarbon Leaders from Ridgemonkey

4 weeks ago
Parker Baits Visit Linears Brasenose 2 for a Social

Parker Baits Visit Linears Brasenose 2 for a Social

1 month ago
scott lloyd reflects on catching the croc

Scott Lloyd Reflects on Catching the Croc

1 month ago
CarpTalk
  • FROM THE BIVVY
    • Videos
    • From The Bivvy
    • Reviews
    • Rigs
    • News
    • Tactics
    • Features
  • WHERE TO FISH
    • All Carp Lakes
    • Syndicate
    • Runs Waters
    • Motorhome Friendly
    • Log Cabins
    • Lake Exclusive
    • Day Tickets
    • Club Ticket
    • 30lb+
    • 40lb+
    • 50lb+
    • 60lb+
    • 70lb+
No Result
View All Result
SUBMIT CONTENT
  • Login
  • Register
CarpTalk
  • FROM THE BIVVY
    • Videos
    • From The Bivvy
    • Reviews
    • Rigs
    • News
    • Tactics
    • Features
  • WHERE TO FISH
    • All Carp Lakes
    • Syndicate
    • Runs Waters
    • Motorhome Friendly
    • Log Cabins
    • Lake Exclusive
    • Day Tickets
    • Club Ticket
    • 30lb+
    • 40lb+
    • 50lb+
    • 60lb+
    • 70lb+
No Result
View All Result
SUBMIT CONTENT
  • Login
  • Register
CarpTalk
No Result
View All Result
How to setup a Helicopter Rig Guide

How to setup a Helicopter Rig Guide

Tom Jehu Talks us through his favourite rig- the helicopter setup

3 years ago
in Rigs
125 10
1
487
SHARES
2.7k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Helicopter set up by Tom Jehu

The helicopter set up has undoubtably become the go to lead arrangement for most anglers in recent years. With the mass advertising it has received in the past 3 years from most companies in the angling industry, it’s easy to see why. Although the lead clip and inline set ups have their place, the helicopter is most definitely the most versatile of these and for that reason it suits most anglers’ requirements. Although the helicopter has its benefits there are a lot of people who use it because it’s what they have seen in the most recent videos released by large companies in the industry, while they don’t actually understand why it is suitable for certain situations.

My lead setups of choice are always, a helicopter for fishing in silt or weed, a lead clip for firm bottoms such as sand, clay and gravel or an inline system for solid bags.

The main benefits to using a helicopter are that it very rarely tangles, it’s easy to cast, with the lead being at the end of the set up the ability to feel the lead down is exaggerated more than with other lead systems and it’s easy to present your rigs over a range of different lake beds when used correctly. By simply adjusting the position of the top bead on the leader, you can ensure that your hook link is always going to present on top of any debris. With the helicopter setup your hook link will always sit against the top bead throughout the cast, allowing a set amount of separation between your rig and the lead. When fishing in silt your lead will always penetrate into the silt no matter what size lead you use, but thanks to your top bead being set a few inches higher than the depth of the silt your hook bait will always be presented. The same applies when fishing in weed also. As a general rule of thumb, I always try to keep my rig as close to the lead as I can get away with, while still ensuring that I can present my rig above any debris. I do this to ensure that the fish comes into contact with the lead as quickly as possible to help set the hook and minimize the chance of being done. For shallow silt I tend to keep a few inches between the lead and top bead, for deep silt and light weed I tend to move it further up. I never fish my top bead any higher than 1m when using a leader, the only time I change this is when I am fishing heavily weeded waters and left with no choice. In that situation a naked helicopter setup will always be the best option. In this situation I make sure that the buffer bead is placed only a few inches below the top bead, I do this to minimize the amount of movement of the rig before I get any indication on my alarms. This style of fishing is very difficult, and indication is normally minimal, sometimes a single beep is all you get. it pays to watch the rod tips when fishing in deep weed as you will always need to fish locked up and because of this you will often see the rod tip move toward the spot before the alarms sound. I would not recommend doing this at night for obvious reasons.

A helicopter system can seem rather complicated when you have not used it before, but it is in fact very easy to setup. To start with I take a Fluro leader, remove the swivel from the end and replace it with a Quick Link and a sleeve to cover the link once the lead is attached. Next I add a tapered sleeve and a bead to use as a buffer, followed by either a QC ring swivel or a standard ring swivel, a tapered sleeve and then the top bead to finish. I moisten the top sleeve before placing the bead onto it to complete the set up. All you need to do from here is add your rig of choice but be mindful that you will need to use a buoyant bait to get the most out of this setup, which brings me into my next point… hook-bait choice.

How to setup a Helicopter Rig Guide

How to setup a Helicopter Rig Guide

How to setup a Helicopter Rig Guide

How to setup a Helicopter Rig Guide

How to setup a Helicopter Rig Guide

How to setup a Helicopter Rig Guide

How to setup a Helicopter Rig Guide

For this particular system, your hook-bait choice is equally important, if not more important than anything else. This whole system has been designed around the idea of presenting your bait over areas where other setups are unable to do so. The simple answer to this is a balanced bait, which simply means you should always use a bait with an element of buoyancy in it. For anyone who is unsure, the term balanced is generally used to describe a bait which has a neutral weight in water meaning it sinks very slowly onto the desired area and this is achieved by adding small amounts of putty to the rig until it just starts to sink, then it’s perfect. This does take time, but it is worth the effort to get results. Personally, I have only ever used balanced pop ups, but others opt to use a balanced wafter and they also work to great effect. When fishing over silt or weed, a bait that falls too quickly will end up partly, or in some circumstance even fully, submerged in silt or weed which defeats the whole idea of using this setup. Whereas a bait which is balanced and falls incredibly slowly will tend to rest on top of the silt and the weed giving you a much higher chance of catching fish from these areas. It’s also worth mentioning that a stiffer material like the Armored Chod from Hobo Armour will always be a better option for your rig material with this lead system as it aids in presentation. This coupled up with a balanced bait is, in my opinion, the perfect choice when using a helicopter set up.

How to setup a Helicopter Rig Guide

To recap, the helicopter is without doubt the most versatile of all the lead systems and will undoubtably add more fish to the bank for any angler who decides to use it, but it is still important to use the right lead system in the right situation to ensure your chances of success are as high as possible!

Related Posts

How To Tie A Sliding D Combi Rig
Rigs

How To Tie A Sliding D Combi Rig

January 19, 2022
222
How To Tie A Hinged Stiff Rig
Rigs

How To Tie A Hinged Stiff Rig

January 14, 2022
225
How to tie a German Rig
Rigs

How To Tie A German Rig

January 14, 2022
217
How to tie a multi rig
Rigs

How To Tie A Multi Rig

January 14, 2022
197
Please login to join discussion
  • How to setup a Helicopter Rig Guide

    How to setup a Helicopter Rig Guide

    487 shares
    Share 438 Tweet 20
  • ON THE OTTER SIDE OF THE FENCE | ASH HUBBARD

    11 shares
    Share 4 Tweet 3
  • Korda Heli-Safe System – How to setup and use

    11 shares
    Share 4 Tweet 3
  • How To Make A Basic Cheap Carp Fishing Liquid/Goos/Glugs/

    10 shares
    Share 4 Tweet 3
  • Carp fishing & Rock Salt for a Spring Campaign

    126 shares
    Share 50 Tweet 31
  • Sonik VaderX RS Rods Review

    8 shares
    Share 3 Tweet 2
  • Daiwa Tournament – S 5000T Review

    10 shares
    Share 4 Tweet 3
  • Drayton Reservoir – Guide | Hints | Tips

    9 shares
    Share 4 Tweet 2
  • Cobb Premier Air Review

    515 shares
    Share 206 Tweet 129
  • Solar SP Spider Bivvy Review

    7 shares
    Share 3 Tweet 2
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Where To Fish

Copyright 2022 © CarpTalk

No Result
View All Result
  • FROM THE BIVVY
    • Videos
    • From The Bivvy
    • Reviews
    • Rigs
    • News
    • Tactics
    • Features
  • WHERE TO FISH
    • All Carp Lakes
    • Syndicate
    • Runs Waters
    • Motorhome Friendly
    • Log Cabins
    • Lake Exclusive
    • Day Tickets
    • Club Ticket
    • 30lb+
    • 40lb+
    • 50lb+
    • 60lb+
    • 70lb+
  • Login
  • Sign Up

Copyright 2022 © CarpTalk

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

VIDEOS
CARP LAKES
REVIEWS
NEWS
Change Location
Find awesome listings near you!