GIANT COMMON FALLS TO A ZIG RIG

ZIG RIGS are a devastating early spring tactic for tripping up carp that are cruising about in the upper layers.

At that time of the year, the fish’s metabolism has yet to fully kick into gear and it can be tricky to get a bite on traditional bottom bait or pop-up tactics. Suspended baits are often a far more productive approach, as college student Kai Richards proved by using a trimmed down pop-up topped with maggots and presented 12ft off the deck to catch a pb 40lb 8oz common from the New Forest Water Park.

After a quiet first night at the venue, Kai visited a friend on the opposite bank and began to form a plan.

He said: “My friend had managed to catch one at first light on a zig rig and he told me the last few fish all came out on zigs and were all at night.

“I took this information back over to my swim and whacked out two zig rigs on top of fish that were showing themselves. I used a trimmed down pop-up with maggots tied to the top.

“I knew that the spot I was fishing over was roughly around 16ft deep so I tied up a couple of 12ft zigs for the night.”

Having Spombed out a mix of maggots and crumbed boilies over the spot, Kai sat back and waited.

“Early the next morning, around 5am, my middle rod started beeping away. I quickly got my shoes on and hit into the rod. She went 40lb 8oz, a new pb common and on a 12ft zig! I couldn’t believe my eyes - to say I was buzzing was an understatement!”