Combi-Multi Kickers

For those looking at the Combi-Multi Kickers, and thinking ‘it is just a bit of rubber that goes over the hook’, whilst that is the case it is also a component that has been played around with to get just the right length and angle to it.

The Combi Multi rig is a very popular presentation these days, and Darrell Peck has played a big part in that via his catches of massive carp both at home and abroad on this set-up, and which have appeared in numerous Korda films, including Masterclass and Thinking Tackle.

The Combi Multi Rig Darrell Peck style is incredibly user-friendly

Darrell Peck has spent a good few years tweaking and perfecting this rig to get it just right, and that has included playing around with the lengths of the stiff boom section and the supple braided sections of the rig, plus the components that he uses to construct it.

He now feels that he has perfected it and knows exactly what changes he needs to make – such as using a slightly longer braided section when using a larger hook size, such as stepping up from a size 6 to a size 4 Wide Gape X.

Even the types of hook link material have been carefully thought out and played around with, before Darrell settled on the combination of Boom fluorocarbon with Slip-D Braid, which has slightly more inherent stiffness to it than many other braids do.

Darrell has long been a fan of the combi rig, but he wanted a version that he could use multi rig style to enable him just to change the hook, rather than having to use a whole new rig each time the hook point isn’t quite as sharp as he likes it – something he is very fussy about as he sharpens his own hooks by hand.

Eventually he settled on the use of an Albright knot to join the stiff boom material to the supple braided Slip-D section, as this gives a very neat knot – especially with a slightly stiffer braid like the Slip-D where less turns are needed for the knot – and which can be neatly covered with a small piece of silicone tubing. The braided loop that this creates makes changing the hook very quick and easy, and the rig is fished slip D-rig style.

More than just a piece of rubber on your combi rig hook section

Up until now, Darrell had always used a piece of shrink tube to hold the hook, D-rig and hookbait in the desired position, which he fishes line aligner style – meaning that the braided hook link exits out of the side of the tubing rather than the end of it.

But now these Combi-Multi Kickers have been designed specifically for this rig and are just the right length – with two sizes available depending on the hook size you choose to use – and also just as importantly, the right angle as well, and you’ll notice they are far less aggressive than the standard Korda Kickers.

The main reason for this is that they are designed to fish line aligner style rather than just being threaded onto the braided section of your rig. This is easily achieved by using a heavier baiting needle, like the Korda yellow handled one, to make a small hole in the side of the Combi-Multi Kicker (the slightly thinner end that is nearest to the Albright knot.

Then simply use a splicing needle to enter at the fatter end of the kicker (the end that pushes over the eye of the hook) and push it out through the pilot hole that you’ve made, then use the splicing needle to pull the braid loop back through it. Then simply add your hook by threading it onto the braided loop, plus your choice of hookbait already attached to a micro ring swivel or similar, and pass the loop over the hook point to secure it multi rig style.

How well do Combi-Multi Kickers grip your hook shank and eye?

This whole rig relies on the kicker to hold everything in the right place so that the mechanics of it can work and lead to a hooked carp.

This means that it is vital that the kicker stays in place, in exactly the same way that a piece of shrink tubing would do (which is much more hassle to change and involves steaming it), and these Combi-Multi Kickers have been designed to do just that thanks to the rubber used and the way they are constructed.

Ideally you want the end of the D to sit roughly opposite the barb on this Wide Gape pattern, which makes the rig sit nicely, and especially when using a balanced bait like a wafter, which ends up sitting on top of the hook, partly covering it.

The good news is that once the kicker is in place then it won't move, even when blasting rigs out to the horizon – contrary to what some might think, this doesn't actually put any pressure on the hook anyway, so there is no way it can come loose. A Wide Gape hooks ideal for this rig and it is what Darrell has always used himself, with the ability to quickly put on a fresh hook whenever he needs to.

Obviously the one thing you do need to avoid with this rig though is attaching anything directly to the hook, as the extra drag/weight of even a small mesh PVA bag, stringer, or nugget of dissolving foam, could cause the Combi-Multi Kicker to dislodge from the hook. The multi combi rig is incredibly tangle-free anyway, so you don’t need to add anything to it anyway to prevent tangles.