Jake Wildbore: No.4 The Zig Rig - CC Moore

In this month’s Rig Clinic Jake Wildbore focuses on one of the
key tactics for this time of year – the unstoppable Zig Rig.
60 Crafty Carper
No.4 The Zig Rig
I n my view, this is one of the most underrated and underused
methods, due to anglers having a lack of confidence with the tactic
itself. However, when used effectively it can be one of the most
devastating methods. The main positives with this way of fishing are
that it is an all-round method and is just as effective when used in
the winter as in the summer. During the colder months many deep
lakes contain a warm band of water, and fish tend to cruise through
this, making them shoal up in specific areas.
At the beginning of this year I used this rig on a local water,
when night temperatures were minus. I was casting to the edge
of the ice and fishing a few feet under
the surface. This was a day when you
wouldn’t think to use a Zig Rig, and
most anglers had opted to fish single
hookbaits on the bottom, but because
of the high pressure and lovely clear
blue sky the fish pulled up to the higher
bands of the water where it was warmer
and became really active, and therefore easier to catch.
In the summer months the Zig Rigs really come into their own, as
they can be used with a variety of different methods, whereas in the
winter they are best used as a single approach. The most popular,
and by far the best method has got to be spodding a sloppy mix
over the top. It was back in 2005 when Brian Jarrett and Dave
Gawthorn pretty much revolutionised carp fishing by winning the
British Championship by a mile with this method.
The main reason I feel it is such an effective method is
because the fish feel so confident snatching food items in the
mid-higher layers of the water because they have received such
low angling pressure in this area. The sloppier the spod mix, the
better and more effective it is. At times it can be an incredibly
messy job – it gets in your hair and all sorts, but the cloud it
creates helps the fish gain confidence and can start a feeding
frenzy, making them a lot easier to catch.
“The most popular, and by
far the best method has got
to be spodding a sloppy mix
over the top”
The hi-visual colours are often seen as being the main attraction
to the anglers and the carp, because of the eye-catching appeal.
The bright colours almost force them to take in the hookbait, mostly
out of curiosity. Despite this, many recent big-fish captures have
proved that dark colours such as black can be just as deadly, even
when fished at night, because the contrast to the surface layers
of the water means it is still easily visible underwater. Pop-ups are
considered an alternative to foam and the added scent appeal
is preferred by many anglers; however, after a period of time the
buoyancy of the bait with the hook weight can cause problems,
which makes it less effective.
When it comes to which hookbait to use,
the first thing that springs to mind is the
famous foam. Just like the pop-ups, foam
comes in all shapes and sizes, so you can
experiment with all manner of different
hookbaits and can get carried away with it
all, which all makes it that bit more exciting.
I personally came across the Zig a few years ago, and since
then I haven’t looked back. I spend most of my time fi shing in
the Oxfordshire area, so it’s almost a
religion to put at least one Zig out, and
it’s very rare that I don’t. I would say
that the most important thing overall is
to make sure you don’t use a hookbait
larger than 10mm, and personally I
have never ventured past using a Size
10 hook.
I hope this will give you the confidence to
go and explore this method because it can
have great results.
All the best,
Jake Wildbore.

www.ccmoore.com
The No.1 bait choice for thinking anglers
Crafty Carper Under-21s
Did you know...?
In simple terms, a Zig
Rig is a long hooklink of
monofilament fished in
conjunction with a small hook
and small floating bait on
a standard terminal tackle
setup. This tactic allows the
use of a floating bait fished
up in the water at whatever
depth you choose. Zigs,
as they are affectionately
known, can be a devastating
tactic at any time of the year,
however, they are especially
popular during the springtime
when the carp are waking
up and are happy to cruise
about in the mid- to upper
layers. Zig baits include
standard pop-ups, and small
pieces of foam, with black
and yellow being especially
effective. Many anglers have
also found that Zigs work
brilliantly at night.
I was up against it in
conditions like this.
Jake with a January common
on a lake where he was told
that Zigs didn’t work!
Now turn
over to read
two-time BYCAC
winner Rob Sutton’s
monthly blog
>>
Crafty Carper 61