How to Tie a Clipped Down Rig
By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026
A baited snood flapping behind the lead turns a good cast into a short, wobbly one, and the bait can be blown up the snood before it lands.
A clipped down rig fixes that. It is a paternoster-style rig where the baited hook sits in a bait clip or impact shield next to the lead, then drops free when the lead hits the water. The rig flies like a dart, so you gain distance. Planet Sea Fishing describes the clip down rig as a heavy duty distance rig for cod, smoothhound and spurdog.
Fishing close in? Clipping down adds work for little gain there, and a flapper rig is the simpler choice.
For other patterns, see the sea fishing rigs hub.
Step 1: Gather the Components and Line
Everything for a clipped down rig fits in a small rig box. Lay it all out before you start threading.
| Component | Typical spec |
|---|---|
| Rig body | About 800mm (single hook), or 30in of 80lb for a pennel build |
| Lead link | About 1m of 60 to 80lb line |
| Snood | About 700mm of 40 to 50lb; 24in of 30/40lb for a pennel |
| Hooks | 2/0 to 4/0; a pair of 4/0s for a pennel cod bait |
| Small parts | Oval split ring, three 3mm beads, snood swivel, crimp, adjustable crimp, impact shield or bait clip, sequin, Powergum |
These figures come from UK sea angling rig guides (Planet Sea Fishing and Talk Sea Fishing), not fixed rules.
Do not skip the adjustable crimp. It lets you re-tension the snood when you change hook size instead of cutting the rig apart. Set it with pliers or a crimping tool.
For a first build, stick to the single-hook specs and leave the pennel for later.
Step 2: Tie the Lead Link and Thread the Rig Body
Few things are more annoying than tying the top ring and spotting a bead still on the bench. Get the threading order right once.
- Tie the lead link to your rig body line.
- Thread on, in this order: impact shield, bead, crimp, adjustable crimp, bead, snood swivel, bead.
- Tie the oval split ring at the top, leaving roughly 800mm of body between ring and link.
- Fix the lower crimp just above the bead and impact shield. Leave the shield room to move.
Talk Sea Fishing’s pennel build swaps this for a lead clip link at the base of a 30in body of 80lb.
Wet every knot before pulling it tight. The split ring and lead link knots take the full force of the cast.
You now have a rig body with one swivel trapped between two stops, ready for its snood.
Step 3: Set the Snood Positions for a 1, 2 or 3 Hook Clip Down Rig
Adding a second hook is easy. Getting both to sit tight in their clips on the cast comes down to where each swivel sits.
Single hook: one swivel, with the snood cut so the hook just reaches the impact shield or bait clip.
2 hook clipped down rig: Angling Direct’s two-hook flapper-style clip build gives a workable layout on a 1.5m leader. The bottom snood swivel is crimped about 15cm above the link clip, and the top swivel about 70cm above that. Snoods run about 60cm on the bottom and 50cm on the top.
3 hook clip down rig: there is no standard layout. Add a third swivel and stops higher up a longer body, space the drops so no snood reaches its neighbour, and cut each snood to its clip. Expect a fiddlier rig that casts less cleanly.
| Hooks | Swivel positions | Snood lengths |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | One, set to reach the clip | About 700mm |
| 2 | 15cm above link, then 70cm higher | About 60cm and 50cm |
| 3 | Build to suit (see note above) | Each cut to its own clip |
One hook for maximum distance; two when you want two baits out and can give up some range.
Step 4: Tie the Snoods, Hooks and Bait Stops
Bait bunched at the swivel on the retrieve means it was blown up the snood on the cast. A small stop prevents it.
- Tie the hook to the snood.
- Thread a sequin onto the snood above the hook.
- Tie the other end of the snood to the swivel on the rig body.
- Tie a Powergum stop knot above the sequin to hold it, and the bait, in place.
For big cod baits, swap the single hook for a pennel. The Talk Sea Fishing build uses two 4/0 hooks on a 24in trace of 30/40lb. Small worm baits do not need one.
A heavy bait changes how the rig flies, so read the beach casting guide before loading one onto a clipped down rig.
Step 5: Tension the Body and Clip the Hooks Down
A slack snood ruins the whole point of the rig. A clipped down rig only works when the snood is tight between clip and swivel. Any slack and the hook flicks out early or the bait flaps anyway.
- Put the hook into the impact shield or bait clip.
- Pull the rig body taut.
- Slide the adjustable crimp up against the bead below the swivel until the snood is tight.
- Lock the crimp in place.
Anglers on the Sea Angling Ireland forum add one step: stretch the body before adding snoods, then stretch the snoods before final crimping. Mono stretches under casting load, so a rig set on unstretched line can loosen.
On a two-hook build, tension the bottom snood first, then the top one.
The hook should sit in the clip with no visible bow in the snood.
Step 6: Add a Weak Link or Rotten Bottom for Rough Ground
Rough ground eats leads, and often the whole rig goes with them. Over rock and weed the lead is what snags, so let it break away.
Tie a short length of weaker line, around 20lb, from the eye of the clip link to the eye of the lead. If the lead snags, that link breaks first and the rest of the rig comes back.
Alternatively, convert a single-hook clipped down paternoster with a rotten bottom clip, so the lead releases rather than holding you fast.
Either way, you leave a lead on the seabed instead of a full rig with hooks and line attached.
Casting onto mixed ground? Tie the weak link before you leave home.
Step 7: Test the Release and Fix Common Faults
A rig can look perfect on the bench and still fail on the first cast.
The hook should drop free of the clip when the lead hits the water. Clip it in and give it a light tug. If the clip grips the hook hard, it may not let go on impact.
Common faults and fixes:
- Bagged or slack snoods: re-tension with the adjustable crimp, and pre-stretch the body and snood line as in Step 5.
- Crimps slipping or pushed out on 50lb line: use adjustable crimps, two stop knots under the beads, silicone tubing stops or spring-type stops. Some anglers leave crimps just loose enough to slide under heavy pressure.
- Stop knots slipping: Powergum and tubing stops can creep on stretchy line, so check them between casts.
Before any power cast, check the space behind and around you.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a clip down rig and a pulley rig?
A pulley rig runs a single snood through a pulley bead on the body, which lifts the lead on the retrieve. A clip down rig is a clipping method rather than a fixed layout: paternosters and pennel pulleys can both be clipped down for the cast.
Is a clipped down rig better than a flapper rig?
Only when you need distance. Flapper snoods hang free on the cast, which suits shorter range where clipping down adds work for little gain.
How does the hook come off the clip?
The impact of the lead hitting the water knocks the hook free of the bait clip or impact shield, so the snood then fishes normally.
Can you fish a clip down rig over rough ground?
Yes. Add a weak link of around 20lb line between the clip link and the lead, or fit a rotten bottom clip, so the lead breaks free instead of the whole rig.