I often hear my mates say: “I hate zig fishing” or “zigs never work” when we’re out together on the bank. I couldn’t disagree more with this, and I truly believe zigs can be a devastating tactic at all times of the year.
For people who might not be familiar with what a zig rig is, it’s a tactic used by anglers to target carp which are swimming or feeding in mid-water. A lot of people believe carp constantly feed on the lakebed, but this really isn’t the case, in fact the only sure way to catch them when they’re swimming around up in the water column is with zigs.
USING THE BEST CARP FISHING LINES WILL HELP IMPROVE YOUR ZIG FISHING AND REDUCE TANGLES.
Go all out on zigs
When fishing with zigs, I feel as though you need to give it all you’ve got. This means making sure you put all your rods on zigs and leave them long enough to bring a bite. I have seen so many people use zigs but only try them for a couple of hours, or only fish a zig on one rod.
When you use three rods, you’re able to work the water much quicker, experiment with different depths and colours, and eventually unlock the code. You’ll often find, when using zigs, that there will be a specific depth or colour which results in a bite.
THE BEST FISHING BIVVIES WILL KEEP YOU OUT OF THE ELEMENTS WHEN YOU'RE CARP FISHING.
Get your depth right
I’ll always start the session with three zigs at three different depths. Many people spread the zigs out so one is located in the bottom third, one mid-depth and one in the upper third, but I’m not a fan of this method.
The longer you use zigs and observe the water, the more accurate you start to become at predicting the depth at which the carp will be sitting.
If the swim I’m fishing is 12ft and I feel the carp are near the surface, what’s the point of putting out a 3ft zig? In this instance I’d put out 9ft, 10ft and 11ft zigs. If they don’t produce a bite after a few hours, I can cut the zig down or change the hookbait.
In summer, spodding over zigs can be a prolific method – especially on highly-stocked venues where you can create competition for food. It’s something which I avoid in the winter though or until the water has really warmed up again.
BITE INDICATION IS KEY WITH ZIG FISHING SO ENSURE YOU ARE USING THE BEST BITE ALARMS.
A roving approach
Location and moving around is always critical in carp fishing, and it’s the exact same with zigs. One great advantage of the tactic is you’re only fishing with a single hookbait, therefore you’re not committed to a baited area. You’re able to cast the rigs around the swim and locate exactly where the carp are holding up.
How long should you leave a zig in the water before changing and casting out a different one? I used to be incredibly impatient and terrible when it came to timings. Obviously, if a colour or depth isn’t working, you want to try a different combination, but it’s important to give each zig a good enough test period to see if it will get a bite. The shortest time I’d leave a zig in the lake for is 45 minutes, and this is only
when I feel like I should have got a bite very quickly due to the number of carp present in the area. In most situations, an hour and a half to two hours is a good time to leave a zig out in the lake before making a change.
Saying that, don’t be afraid to leave zigs out for longer. In the past I’ve caught carp on zigs which I’ve left out in the lake for 18 hours–so it can pay to be patient!
I hope this helps you think about zig fishing in a more positive light, rather than the negative connotations which surround this method. Your chances will improve if you do!
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