Zig Rig - Advice

Yallreet folks,

Wanna try a zig on a local lake as all my action carp wise is off the top (its a 10 top 1 bottom ratio). I had 2 rods on floaters today for the 1st time for about 10 minutes and realised that it was a dog to keep under control with wind, etc hence the need for a zig rig. Any help on the rig or suggestions of others which would hold a floater stationary would be great.

Used those rubber dog biccis today for the 1st time which are counter ballanced so the hook sits out of the water and oh lord did that make a difference. I had both floaters go at the same time which was a 1st for me. The lad in the peg next to me had been sat all day with no fun so I let him deal with it out of pitty .

Cheers, Chumley

Copied from Anglers Net website:

The Zig-Rig has been around in many forms, for many years and has accounted for many large carp.

The Zig-Rig allows a buoyant bait to be fished from the lakebed (legered) at any set depth from a couple of inches above the lakebed right up to the water’s surface. This allows the angler to be able to present the hookbait at the depth at which the carp are either cruising, or more importantly, feeding.

The Zig-Rig can be used in many situations where hookbait presentation at certain depths is critical, like on the surface during hot weather, or as another example, just above light weed where a normal hookbait may become hidden within the weed. Other uses my be sub-surface where carp maybe cruising, say a couple of feet below the surface, or even sub-surface where wildfowl may cause a nuisance.

My preferred Zig-Rig setup is a 10lb Mono hooklength tied to a safety in-line lead, which is then fished on the lakebed (legered) and setup with a bite-alarm and indicator, as you would normally. Fished in this manner the Zig-Rig is therefore a semi-fixed bolt-rig.

The Zig-Rig is a tremendous setup and one that is widely throughout the carping fraternity, however, it’s not without it’s complications. Casting out a Zig-Rig with a hooklength of a couple of feet isn’t a problem, but casting out a hooklength of 12ft is. There are various different ways in which to cast out such a long hooklength, personally I opt for coiling up the hooklink into my (Stainless!) mug, which I carefully place on the bank-side, behind me, before casting out. The hooklength unravels during the cast leaving my (Stainless!) mug cleanly on the bankside.

Alternatively, the hooklength can be coiled, or folded, up and held in place using PVA string before being cast out to the chosen spot.

However, this method isn’t advisable when fishing in weed, as the hookbait might not be buoyant enough to be able to push through the weed and uncoil the hooklenth once the PVA string has melted.

Another method, if the hooklength isn’t too long, would be to cast off the ground by laying the hooklink out straight before casting. Be careful though not to snag on anything as you cast as I’ve heard a couple of funny stories, one in particular involving a snagged unhooking mat and a trip to hospital!!

My preferred method of using my (Stainless!) mug allows the hooklength to be at full length before hitting the water, but is prone to tangles during the cast at distance, so it’s ‘horses for courses’ as to which method you choose.

Landing fish with such a long hooklength can also cause problems, especially with a 12ft hooklength and 3ft length of leadcore (or tubing), on a 12ft rod!! This is where a fishing buddy is needed to net the fish whilst you walk backwards up the bankside.

Any buoyant hookbait can be used from bread to pop-up boilies, or if your hookbait isn’t buoyant, use foam of cork for the buoyancy in addition to the chosen hookbait.

A mate of mine says he gets around the problem of a L--O--N--G hooklink length getting tangled by having a free running lead and letting line out after the cast so the bouyant bait can rise to the surface (or just below it). I've never tried this so I'm unable to comment on the effectiveness.

Lefty wrote:Copied from Anglers Net website:

The Zig-Rig has been around in many forms, for many years and has accounted for many large carp.

The Zig-Rig allows a buoyant bait to be fished from the lakebed (legered) at any set depth from a couple of inches above the lakebed right up to the water’s surface. This allows the angler to be able to present the hookbait at the depth at which the carp are either cruising, or more importantly, feeding.

The Zig-Rig can be used in many situations where hookbait presentation at certain depths is critical, like on the surface during hot weather, or as another example, just above light weed where a normal hookbait may become hidden within the weed. Other uses my be sub-surface where carp maybe cruising, say a couple of feet below the surface, or even sub-surface where wildfowl may cause a nuisance.

My preferred Zig-Rig setup is a 10lb Mono hooklength tied to a safety in-line lead, which is then fished on the lakebed (legered) and setup with a bite-alarm and indicator, as you would normally. Fished in this manner the Zig-Rig is therefore a semi-fixed bolt-rig.

The Zig-Rig is a tremendous setup and one that is widely throughout the carping fraternity, however, it’s not without it’s complications. Casting out a Zig-Rig with a hooklength of a couple of feet isn’t a problem, but casting out a hooklength of 12ft is. There are various different ways in which to cast out such a long hooklength, personally I opt for coiling up the hooklink into my (Stainless!) mug, which I carefully place on the bank-side, behind me, before casting out. The hooklength unravels during the cast leaving my (Stainless!) mug cleanly on the bankside.

Alternatively, the hooklength can be coiled, or folded, up and held in place using PVA string before being cast out to the chosen spot.

However, this method isn’t advisable when fishing in weed, as the hookbait might not be buoyant enough to be able to push through the weed and uncoil the hooklenth once the PVA string has melted.

Another method, if the hooklength isn’t too long, would be to cast off the ground by laying the hooklink out straight before casting. Be careful though not to snag on anything as you cast as I’ve heard a couple of funny stories, one in particular involving a snagged unhooking mat and a trip to hospital!!

My preferred method of using my (Stainless!) mug allows the hooklength to be at full length before hitting the water, but is prone to tangles during the cast at distance, so it’s ‘horses for courses’ as to which method you choose.

Landing fish with such a long hooklength can also cause problems, especially with a 12ft hooklength and 3ft length of leadcore (or tubing), on a 12ft rod!! This is where a fishing buddy is needed to net the fish whilst you walk backwards up the bankside.

Any buoyant hookbait can be used from bread to pop-up boilies, or if your hookbait isn’t buoyant, use foam of cork for the buoyancy in addition to the chosen hookbait.

A mate of mine says he gets around the problem of a L--O--N--G hooklink length getting tangled by having a free running lead and letting line out after the cast so the bouyant bait can rise to the surface (or just below it). I've never tried this so I'm unable to comment on the effectiveness.

the cup made me chuckle i wonder how many ear piercings that has given carp anglers
up to six foot lengths is easy beyod that you need to get clever
use a running lead on a foot of mono from the run ring sleeved in tubing with these semi fixed is next to useless once they start getting longer.
ok you can use ultra bouyant baits and let themrise but any wind or tow plays havoc with them
were all pikers right so i bet a few of you have things like the drennan sub floats?
well use a three foot hooklength above the smallest of these fished inline with the running lead behind the float what depth do you want to fish at just feed the line off the reel.
oh another tip if you have ducks/diving birds at the boilie stop end stick a spangly sequin on it doesnt half put them off

noodle wrote:the cup made me chuckle i wonder how many ear piercings that has given carp anglers

Gavin1928 has pierced a friends daughter's nose whilst casting. Had to use a disgorger to remove the hook.

I usually have tea or coffee in my mug when I'm fishing. Hope he has a spare cup with him. Everytime he recasts, he's introducing the possibility of adding (more) germs and bacteria to his mug.