Reducing Drag on Kite Rigs

While most kite fishers focus on kite performance as the only way of improving the number of fishable days available to them, very few consider ways of reducing the drag on the fishing gear and consequently the work the kite has to do.

Streamlining your fishing tackle is not only considerably cheaper than buying a bigger or higher performance kite, it is often more effective.

Reducing the amount of drag on your line you can vastly improve the setting efficiency of your kitefishing rig in extreme conditions and turn previously unfishable conditions into productive days.

For instance, in very light winds and high surf the bottle can be more of a hindrance than a help as the surf can sometimes drive the bottle back towards the beach.

Conversely, in extremely strong winds, when you need to use a larger bottle (like a 4 litre container) in order to counter the pull of the kites, more resistance in the water is created.

The gear can still struggle to get through very high surf or be carried down the beach in strong longshore rips.

Conventional lead weights are another area of inefficiency in light winds.

As the weights are dragged along the bottom they can become bogged in the sand during lulls in the wind and this can allow the paddle crabs to strip your baits at best or stall the set completely at worst.

Rolling Weights

The rolling weight is the most effective way to reduce drag on any kitefishing rig without the need to seriously modify your rig or compromise the safety of the kite.

It's a bit like the Black Magic yachting team said, "if it doesn't make the boat go faster, get rid of it or fix it so it does".

Rolling weights are a great idea that has been tried by kitefishers aware of the importance of reducing drag on the gear for some time now.

The ones we have seen range in size from 4.5 kg concrete ones moulded into a baked bean tins with an axle through the roller down to 900 grams models with intricately moulded lead wheels.

All of the ones we have seen to date have been designed as "one size fits all".

While the existing designs of rolling weights work well in a narrow margin of wind conditions they have not been adjustable and can often be either overkill for the light wind conditions or simply not heavy enough in strong winds.

The reason rolling weights are so effective is that while a normal load of 3kg weights will require around 3kg of pull to drag it along the bottom, a rolling weight of the same size only requires a few grams of pull it.

This means that the kite in this instance will have over 3 kg of extra pull to tow the gear out. It all adds up to faster sets, less paddle crab problems and more fishing days.

This adjustable rolling weight in the diagram is made by Paul's Fishing Kites and can be set up to weigh between 1.35 kg and 4 kg in 675 gram increments. The wheels are 675 grams each and can be changed in a matter of seconds.

All combinations from two wheels to six wheels are possible on the one frame. Nylon bushes in the wheels prevent the sand from wearing out the lead wheels. An assortment of nylon spacers is provided to keep the wheels spread evenly.

This model is suitable for all Dropper Rigs and Longline systems except for the Pocket Sled Rigs which use two 8oz ball sinkers on the frame instead of wheels.

Paul's Fishing Kites Rolling Weight

Paul's Fishing Kites have recently developed an adjustable rolling weight which covers most wind conditions and suits most kitefishing and kontiki rigs.

Click here for secure online purchasing and rolling weight pictures

The heavy duty 5mm diameter stainless steel frame of the new weight takes up to four standard 225 grams (8oz) ball sinkers as well as up to six specially moulded lead wheels which weigh 675 grams (24oz) each.

The design of the frame allows for the lead wheels or ball sinkers to be quickly changed and spacers are provided to keep the wheels correctly spread out for maximum stability.

The new rolling weight can be as light as 450 grams when using two 225 grams ball sinkers or 1.35 kg when using two of the new lead wheels. They can carry up to a maximum of 900 grams with ball sinkers or 4 kg with all six lead wheels.

In most cases the rolling weight is heavy enough to completely counteract the lift of the kite on Flexiwing Rigs or bigger rigs powered by Super Kites or Nighthawk Kites.

On these occasions as the lift of the kite is less than the total weight of the roller there is often no need for a float bottle.

When Skyhooks are used on any of the rigs the bottle can be under weighted so that it will bounce over the surf without allowing the hook section to lift off the bottom.

Rolling weights are a well proven concept that definitely improve the efficiency of any kitefishing or kontiki rig they are fitted to and the new adjustable rolling weights can be adapted to perfectly suit any kitefishing rig.