There are many ways to set up how the lead is attached to your line, but the lead clip arrangement seems to be by far the most common. This arrangement is simple to set up and many companies sell all the components is a set which makes their use even simpler. While this may not be the best set up for all situations, it is great as a all-around rig and works well in many situations. It has the advantage that if your lead becomes snagged, or your line breaks, a hooked fish will not be stuck towing around the lead – this is called being a fish safe rig and can even help you land more fish in waters with lots of snags or weeds.

The first step in setting up a lead clip is to thread on the anti-tangle tube. The purpose of the tubing is to keep your hook link from wrapping around your main line. Two other side benefits are that it protects the fish and adds abrasion resistance.

The next item on is the tail rubber which holds the weight in the clip and also connects the clip to the anti-tangle tubing. After that comes the lead clip. This of course holds the lead as well as the swivel. It is important that the swivel fits snugly in the clip or it will not drop the lead if snagged. In most lead clip systems a size 8 swivel is the right size to do this.

The last step is simply to tie on your swivel of choice and pull it into the clip, making sure it is all the way in. Some clips the swivel will “snap” in, others it is just a tight fit. The Ashima clip is one that relies on the tight fit.

And that is it! The result is largely tangle free and is safe for the fish in the event that your line breaks. As I mention above, there are many clips on the market and most work really well. The Ashima one I used here is one such and the components can be purchased from Big Carp Tackle as a set or individually.