Everything you need to know about the new Heli-Safe Tubing Kit
The Heli-Safe System is an amazing product and is already widely used by anglers all over the world, but now, thanks to a clever tweak, even more people will be able to benefit from it.
Previously its use on some waters had been restricted to a large degree by bans on the use of leadcore, and leaders in general, and with any set-up that didn’t lend itself to being fished ‘naked’ on the main line, it meant that people had to look for an alternative option.
That was a real shame, as for anyone wanting to fish a helicopter style of rig, the Heli-Safe really is the ultimate system. It has all of the features of a traditional helicopter set-up - such as its anti-tangle properties; being able to be cast a long way; and allowing the top bead to be set to determine how the hook link settles on the bottom – but the one massive advantage that it has over the others is that when a fish is hooked, it allows the lead to be dropped, meaning there is no danger of it becoming snagged or stuck in weed, which was always one of the big disadvantages and limiting factors of helicopter rigs in the past.
There are of course also plenty of situations where losing the lead is not essential to landing fish, and in these instances the Heli-Safe ‘collar’ can be inserted to prevent that happening.
So, you will be pleased to hear that Korda has come up with a solution which means that the Heli-Safe can now be used with rig tubing, and unless helicopter rigs are specifically banned by the rules, it should mean that this set-up can now be used on pretty much any water in the country.
Previously it wasn’t possible to use the Heli-Safe in conjunction with tubing, and although it was possible to fish a ‘naked’ version, not everyone is happy to have the hook link swivel running directly on their main line without any sort of leader, plus of course it doesn’t have the same anti-tangle qualities when fished in this way.
The solution to the problem may look very simple, but a lot of thought and testing has gone into getting the Heli-Safe Tubing Kit just right, so that it performs in the intended way in terms of still dropping the lead.
Korda’s product development team solved the problem by coming up with a small plug - called a ‘witch’s hat’ - which is located inside the Heli-Safe and holds the tubing in place. When used in conjunction with an adapted Heli-Safe ‘cap’, featuring a hard plastic ‘tail’, this ensures that the tubing can’t come loose and that the system works as it was originally intended to.
Damian Clarke, who came up with the idea, explained: “There is a ban on leadcore and Safe Zone leaders where I fish on Savay Lake, and like many people I’d tried various ways of using tubing with the Heli-Safe, but none of them worked properly.
“The ‘witch’s hat’ is the cleverest part of this product, as it holds the tubing securely in place and can be used with either our Dark Matter tungsten or plastic Kamo rig tubing. I’ve been using it for over two years now, and it is a brilliant set-up. It solves all the problems you can get with a naked helicopter set-up, where you can still have tangles unless you’re using a stiff hook link, plus some anglers aren’t happy having the swivel running directly on the line.
“The tungsten bead moves very easily on the tubing, so it is a safe set-up, but you do need to stop the lead as it hits the water, otherwise the bead can move when you don’t want it to. There are situations where you don’t need to drop the lead and you can set the Heli-Safe for that, as you normally would do in that situation.
The Heli-Safe Tubing Kit is sold in packs including everything that you need for two complete set-ups (excluding the tubing), in a choice of brown or green, and includes: two Heli-Safe caps; five witch’s hats; and two of the new Tungsten Beads.