The Winch Rig

The development of the winch is probably one of the biggest advances in predator fishing in recent years. Its impact on the UK cat scene has been immense. The original idea was devised some time ago by well respected catfish angler and long term CCG member Phil Aylett, who realised that in order to fish a healthy live bait at any kind of range, it was imperative that the bait wasn’t cast out from the bank. The damage caused to a bait as it ‘smacks’ the water after the cast will often kill it and at best drastically affect its behaviour and attractiveness although it could be argued that a partially disabled bait acting in a distressed manner may be more attractive to predatory fish but generally speaking, one's preference is to have as healthy and vigorous a bait as is possible. Good live baits are often hard earned and preserving them in good condition on the hook for as long as possible is paramount. Either way, casting a live bait will definitely damage it and will restrict us as far as the distance we can present a bait at is concerned. Large baits will be unusable too. Previously, the only way to present an active and healthy bait at any kind of distance was to take it out with a small boat or to use a remote controlled bait boat from the bank. Both of these methods have logistical problems and on many waters they are banned. This is where The Winch Rig is crucial.

Explaining the method is difficult, so please watch the video clip if you need clarification.

 

 

Start by removing the end tackle from your rod and replacing the lead with a large; maybe 4-6oz ‘grip’ style weight or square pear lead - anything heavy and 'dumpy' in shape.,This should be tied to a large, free running ceramic ring. A 5 or 6 mm. rubber or plastic bead is threaded on and a strong swivel is tied to the end of the line. You then need a specialist piece of winching kit – half a rod! The butt section of any old rod with large diameter rings is needed. The Winch rod is normally about four and a half feet in length but it's not crucial. Put a reel with a decent line capacity on this and thread the line through the rings. On this line you must thread a winch float and then tie on a swivel with a snap link. On to this link you clip the swivel from your casting rod. The Winch float is just a length of boom tube with a round or oval polyball or ‘pike type’ of float glued onto one end of it. Leave half an inch of tube proud of the top of the float and slide a piece of silicon tubing onto it. The swivel is then drawn back into this tubing to ‘lock’ the float in place. Ok, if you are still following, you should now have one and a half rods, each with lines threaded through (one with the winch float on) and joined by a snap swivel. You now need to place the butt of the winch rod into a butt spike or rod holder so that it supports the rod at about 45 degrees to the ground and pointing at the area you want to place your bait. Alternatively you can get someone to hold the winch rod for you. Open the bail arm on the winch reel and cast the heavy lead at least as far as you want the bait to be, (you can always wind it back later if you cast too far). Both lines will follow the lead to your casting spot. Now for the clever bit! Place the fishing rod onto rod rests and leave the bail arm open. The winch float will have brought both lines to the surface and the large grip lead should stay in position. Reel in the winch rod and the line will spill off the other spool in the direction of the lead. In theory, if there is no weed or underwater structure in the way, the line will pass through the run ring and come back to the winch rod. When the float reaches you, unclip it and tie your rig to the loose end. Be careful at this point not to let go of this line or you will lose it and have no option but to wind the line back in and start again. Of course you will need a new lead too as there is no way of retrieving the old one. The winch rod can be set aside at this point. You now have the line from your fishing rod going out into the lake to the lead which should still be where you cast it, through the run ring and back to the bank where you have tied on the rig. It is then a simple matter to hook on a bait and place it in the water at your feet before winching it carefully and slowly back to the lead – magic! This method can be used to take out any size of live or dead bait as long as the water is clear of weed or snags and the bait is either buoyant or is mounted on a pop-up style rig. Any other type of rig will catch the bottom when it is winched out. The Winch rig is only suitable for use with ‘free running’ leger rigs. Fixed rigs or paternoster style rigs such as the Cat O-Copter will still need to be cast or boated out.

Pitfalls to avoid when using the winch rig:


• On windy days the two lines could tangle on the cast, in such conditions try and spread the two rods apart further to keep the lines separate.

• This method inevitably puts twist into both lines. Attach a ‘Spin Doctor’ or other untwisting device on your line after every session to reduce the chances of tangles.

• Steer clear of using an undersized lead weight; it will only pull towards you when you reel in. Similarly a grippy type of lead will help to hold bottom better than a standard ‘bomb’.

• An undersized winch float won’t easily bring both lines to the surface and may cause line retrieval problems.

• Don’t wind in too fast; it is essential that you do everything smoothly to avoid moving the lead.

 



 

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