zig rig need help

[rabbit_killer 2]

went fishing last night first time in just under a year to my new syndicate lake i have only been once before and blanked it

 

so got there and set up last night i no its weedy realy weedy so i knocked up a good helicopter rig thought id give that a try no luck

 

the other rig was just a notless not with a pop up on no luck

so i thought about the zig rig but i just cant rember how to build one

 

can you help as im not gona give up with this lake

[mole catcher 1]

I copied and pasted this from another site, should tell you all you need to know, good luck

 

 

WHAT IS A ZIG?

 

A zig rig is simply a way of presenting a static buoyant bait at any depth you require in the water column, either by using a long hook link straight off the lead, or by using an adjustable zig rig, which allows you to alter the depth as and when you require without breaking the rig down.

A float fished bait would be impractical for anything other than short lengths of time, whereas a zigged bait can be placed on an alarm and left indefinitely without wind or surface tow affecting it.

Zigs are used to catch carp that are either feeding at a certain level in the water column, or simply cruising or lying up;anywhere from a few inches off the lake bed right up to the surface.

As carp spend far more time hanging or cruising in the mid water layers than most people realise or believe, a zig can be effectively used any and every time you go angling. High pressure weather systems do seem to produce the better catches on zigs, and while there are various theories on how air pressure affects carp, I'm lead to believe that they are more likely to spend more time off the bottom while high pressure is prevalent than when a low pressure system is in effect. High pressure in winter in particular can provide some excellent catches to zigs, as long as the carps holding depth can be found, and I'm sure all carp anglers have seen fish cruising around during the hot, still days of summer.

That isn't to say that zigs will not work when those wet and warm south westerlies kick in, quite possibly it has more to do with anglers reverting to the 'traditional' methods of carp angling as soon as the cloud appears and the fish stop cruising on the surface. I have had countless carp on zigs in both high and low pressure, certainly enough for me to be confident of catching on a zig at any time of the year regardless of weather conditions.

 

TYPES OF ZIG.

 

There are two types of zig rig that I use - fixed length,and adjustable.

As the name suggests, a fixed zig is a long monofilament hook link set at a certain depth off the lead to allow a popped up bait to be fished off the bottom.A fixed zig can only be altered by either tying a longer hook link up or shortening the one in use.

Your normal lead setups are what you need here,whether inline or eyed,coupled with a mono hooklink of any length you desire.Use fluorocarbon at your own risk,I personally find it too brittle,and in longer lengths it can easily sink a small bait like a 10mm pop up.

They can be used with running leads, semi fixed, or with lead clips to allow the lead to be lost in the event of weed.However,leadcore ,tubing or leaders of any type should not be used with a fixed length zig due to the possibility of breakage.

A carp towing something around is bad enough,a carp towing a leadcore leader or length of tubing at the end of a 10 foot hooklink is asking for trouble,so don't do it.It serves no purpose and isn't needed.

Fixed length zig.

 

 

An adjustable zig allows you to alter the depth without reeling in and changing the hook link by means of a sub float at the base of the hook link, and a free running lead behind that.

The whole lot is cast out, and then line paid off slowly a foot at a time until the sub float reaches the surface. The sub float and bait are then pulled back down a foot at a time until you reach the depth you require.

 

 

Both types of zig have advantages and disadvantages over the other, for example; fixed length zigs are very difficult to use at a depth greater than your rod length, and the hook link must be changed or shortened if you wish to alter the depth, whereas with an adjustable zig you can simply pull some line in, or pull some off the reel to alter the depth of the bait.

On the other hand, fixed zigs can be cast good distances without fear of tangling, while adjustable zigs have an unrivalled ability for tangling!

While fixed zigs give you the option of altering the lead set-up to experiment if takes are finicky, adjustable zigs, by their very nature, can only be fished with running leads.

Finally, longer hook links on fixed zigs can lead to hook-pulls if a lead-clip is not used as the lead can, quite literally, bounce the hook out, while adjustable zigs only have a hook link a foot or so in length.

 

Most of my zig rig fishing these days is done using an adjustable version, purely because the benefit of being able to alter the depth of the bait instantly without breaking the rig down outweighs the tangling problems that can be encountered. On shallow, clear waters however, a fixed zig would be my choice purely so there was no sub float around that may put wary carp on edge.

Lets have a look at the different ways to set zigs up and how the different types and set-ups can affect bite registration.

 

SETUP AND HOOKING POTENTIAL.

 

Let's deal with a fixed zig first, as there are a few lead options available, each with advantages and disadvantages, and also the option of losing the lead when a take occurs to make landing fish easier. Unfortunately, there is no perfect set-up that allows us to cover everything, so different venues may require different approaches.

 

The simplest way to set up a fixed zig is with a standard running lead. This gives the best indication at the rod, but at the expense of the lead playing a part in the hooking of the carp. Because the length of the hook link theoretically gives the carp a large area of possible movement before a take registers, they can sometimes be no more than a few beeps or the knocking of the rod tip, so a running lead set-up can be a great help in detecting a take.

A run ring should always be used for maximum sensitivity, and, if weed is present, the running lead can be attached to the run ring with a weak link of 3 or 4lb monofilament to allow the lead to break off if it gets snagged.

A running lead can be a very good choice, and a tight baitrunner or clutch can help to make up for the lack of a semi fixed effect by helping to drive the hook home as the carp realises something is wrong and bolts.

 

Semi-fixed leads (via a bullet bead, tail rubber over the hook link swivel,inline leads etc.) play a part when using zigs, but at the expense of bite indication. A carp has to move the lead before the alarm sounds, so thought must be given to the length of the hook link, as a 12 foot hook link on a semi fixed lead gives the carp a lot of movement that can go unregistered on the alarm. On the plus side, a semi fixed lead should help with hooking as there will be a jolt as the carp hits the lead, which should help set the hook just that little bit more. On the whole, I would only really use semi fixed leads on shorter hook links of 3 or 4 feet to hopefully avoid giving the carp a large area in which to shed the hook without registering on the alarm...unless weed is present (see below).

 

Lead clips are the third and final option, and if there is any weed present than they can be used with good effect to get rid of the lead. This allows us to present a zig rig over heavy weed if necessary with no fear of the lead getting caught up. They also have the benefit that when playing a carp and the lead is ditched, the carp will often come to the surface and can be played over weed with ease.

I don't use them with a tail rubber though, as i want them to be ditched on the take. There should be just enough resistance on the clip itself for the hook to jolt home before the lead comes off the retaining lug. Once the lead is ditched, landing a carp is much, much easier because you no longer have the lead bouncing around and possibly bouncing the hook out.

Lead clips are subject to the limitations of semi-fixed leads though, in that indication is impaired, and again, I try to keep the hook links short if possible. However, if there is weed about, then I will use them regardless of hook link length and sacrifice some bite indication for peace of mind knowing that the lead is going to come off the rig as soon as it catches in weed.

 

When using adjustable zigs, by their very nature a running lead must be used, preferably on a run ring to minimise resistance and allow easy popping up of the bait. If the venue has some weed or snags present then the lead can be attached to the run ring with a weak mono link, which will allow you to lose the lead if it gets caught up.

Even with the running lead, indication can be impaired, the longer the length of line from lead to hook, the more apparent this is, so vigilance is needed. Takes can vary from a rod tip knocking, to a few beeps, through to full blooded runs.

 

Hooks and hook links are a personal thing, what works for me others may hate. However, for the record and to give you an idea of the tackle I use, my hook link choice for adjustables or fixed is either Drennan Double Strength or Berkely Trilene XT in 8 or 10lb breaking strain for normal conditions, and Pro Gold in 10 or 12lb when weed or bars etc. may present a problem, due to the simply amazing abrasion resistance this line has.

Coupled with these hook links are Drennan Super Specialist Barbel hooks in size 10, 11 or 12 in most cases. They are a nice matt grey colour, which helps to avoid any shine from the sun, they have massive strength for their size, a slight downturn on the eye, and most importantly of all, they're sharp.

Although I only use the Drennan hooks, use whatever you're comfortable using, but bear in mind that because the rig is in mid water or on the surface, everything is so much more visible than if it was on the bottom. For this reason, I avoid shrink tubing on the hook, and keep any silicone tubing to a bare minimum. The slight downturn on the eye of the Drennan hooks, coupled with a knotless knot makes the hook sit at a nice hooking angle, which seems to give good hook-holds.

This leads me on to the length of the hair as there's a lot of zig articles written in magazines every summer, and, without fail, the authors invariably recommend baits fished tight to the hook. Quite why there's a need to do this I don't know, as when fishing bottom baits the same authors recommend long hairs!

My own personal experiences and observations have lead me to believe that longer hairs on zigs translate to far more hookups than a bait tight to the shank. Unfortunately, there will always be carp that get away with it, but I'm firmly of the opinion that a longer hair relative to fish size,gives the bait the ability to move independently of the hook, which in turn leads to more hookups.

 

CASTING

 

Casting a fixed zig is simple enough with a bit of thought, I have never felt the need to coil a hook link up and tie it with PVA as there's too much chance of the hook catching on a coil and not unravelling properly. Laying the bait on the floor under the rod tip and using a normal drop on the lead is all that is required in most cases, as the hook only moves upwards on the cast, and not along the ground in any way. If there is long grass or brambles etc. in the swim, then laying the bait on the unhooking mat solves the problem nicely, or you could wrap the hook in a nugget of PVA foam.

The actual cast needs to be smooth as any jerkiness or winding the cast up too quickly will allow the hook link to tangle in flight. With a smooth cast, zigs can be fished up to at least 100 yards with no problems at all, and if needed, a stringer or small PVA bag of pop-ups can be attached to the hook to bounce it away from the mainline for extra peace of mind.

In comparison to fixed zigs, adjustable zigs are an absolute nightmare to cast, due to the extra drag created by the sub float as it flies behind the lead, sometimes 8 casts out of 10 will tangle! I have played around with all manner of stiff booms and links to try and combat tangles, but with only limited success. The easiest method by far is to keep the hook link as short as you think you can get away with, and encapsulate the lot (hook link, float and lead) in a length of funnel-web. While not a cheap way of doing things, it allows you to cast an adjustable as far as you can with no fear of tangling and while it doesn't look pretty and may get you a few funny looks, it works superbly.

The clear plastic Drennan subfloats are sods when it comes to tangling - I dug up a balsa Middy subfloat from my pike box that is streamlined and doesn't waggle half as much in flight as the plastic ones.

Just recently,I experimented with a wire eye inserted into the subfloat that allows the lead and float to be PVA'd together for the cast.This stopped them seperating in the air and not one tangle was encountered in a full days hectic fishing,but I need to use it more,as one day isn't a complete tangle free guarantee.

subfloat eye

 

Setting the adjustable sounds complex, but is actually as easy as using a marker float to find the depth.

After the cast, tighten up to the lead and then slowly start paying line off the reel a foot at a time while counting how many feet you pull off until the float surfaces, this tells you the depth of water where you've cast the rig. You need to be patient with this as any attempt to rush things can lead to the float overtaking the bait and the result of this is that the bait and hook invariably catches on the mainline and tangles. Although it's a painfully drawn out process in deep water, care is needed here.

Once the float and bait have surfaced then a pair of binoculars is a godsend so you can check the hook link isn't wrapped around the float, and that they have separated properly.

If you wish to fish the bait on the surface then all that is required is to tighten down to the float so it sits upright,half in, half out of the water and attach the indicator.

If you wish to fish the bait in mid water however, then you first have to pull in the same amount of line as the length of the hook link to ensure the length of line between lead and bait is exactly the same as the water depth (once again, binoculars are a great help here).

Once you have the bait at dead depth, however much line you pull back results in the bait being dragged the same distance under the surface, so using the depth count you obtained when popping the float to the surface, you can now determine at what depth the bait sits. For instance, in a depth of 13 feet, when you want to fish the bait at 7 feet off the bottom, all that is needed is to pull in 6 feet of line in one foot increments, while reeling the slack back onto the reel.

A heavy indicator used at close range can drop to the ground and cause the float to sink a little more, so a lighter indicator may be needed. Once you get to ranges around 20 or 30 yards however, the weight of line in the water counters a heavy indicator, so you can fish with no worries about the float being pulled down.

Edited August 17, 2008 by mole catcher

[mole catcher 1]

posted twice, sorry

Edited August 17, 2008 by mole catcher

[rabbit_killer 2]

posted twice, sorry

 

 

thanks mate i remember now

[rabbit_killer 2]

any one got a pic of a adjustable zig rig???

[fergie 0]

the set up for an ajustable zig rig is basicly the same as a marker float set up

[mole catcher 1]

any one got a pic of a adjustable zig rig???