Q Whenever I fish three rods to a baited area and I get a run on the middle rod, it always ends up wiping out all three. Any tips to stopg this happening? I’m fed up with redoing all three rods every time I get a run.

A This really should not be happening, mate. I know an awful lot of people are reluctant to fish multiple rods on a spot because they think this will happen but, in reality, it’s very rare. So, let’s look at possible causes and some solutions too.

The only time I have found this to be a real problem is when fishing over a steep bank of weed, where all the lines are held up high. In this instance a fish travelling hard left or right can take out the line immediately adjacent to it, as it drags across the lip of the weed wall.

I’m really not sure how you are getting all three lines wiped out unless you are either totally failing to control the fish, or it is happening under the rod-tips.

With the latter, this can on occasion be hard to avoid, even for the most experienced angler. However, by being aware of where the fish is and where it is going, and being prepared to pass a rod under another if required, you will help to avoid a disaster. The very reason for fishing multiple rods on a spot is to benefit from multiple bites, so wiping all the rods out with one bite completely negates this very favourable scenario.

When a fish is hooked, almost always it will travel away from you, rising in the water. It simply doesn’t happen where a fish turns hard left (or right) and then burrows under one of the other lines.

This is what people imagine happens but it reality it is a myth. Fishing with tight clutches will encourage the fish to rise in the water after the bite, as will an ejected lead.

Finally, if there is no weed, you might want to consider backleads. These will assist you when the fish comes in close, particularly in the dark. If it is weedy then I can recommend Captive Backleads – these keep your lines down and work well in weed because you are not left with a weight hanging on the line. They disengage on the bite, remaining trapped on a cord to your bankstick.