TIPS & TACTICS ASK MOST specimen anglers their go-to stillwater rig, and they’ll probably tell you it’s the helicopter set-up.
As well as having superb anti-tangle properties, it’s a great hooker and presents a bait well over a range of substrates.
Huge roach, tench and bream have all fallen to this simple yet efficient rig, and nobody could deny its effectiveness – I’m a huge fan of it. But, on most anglers’ rods, you’ll find the rig tied with very short, stiff hooklinks, often around the 3ins mark. These do work, but they’re not my favourites.
I don’t like playing fish with a feeder bouncing around right by their heads, particularly when it comes to soft-mouthed species like roach. And, with such a short hooklink, you miss out on that…