MASTER THE MINIATURE ZIG
Tom Forman reveals how coming just a little bit off the bottom will transform your cold-water catch rate
ZIG FISHING is a devastating way to catch carp that has become increasingly popular in recent years.
Most anglers assume it’s a tactic best suited to spring and summer. And sure, in the warmer months, targeting the upper layers where the fish spend a large percentage of their time is a reliable method. But when the carp are not in those top few feet of water, what are they doing?
If you look at a carp’s 24-hour life cycle, how many of those hours are actually spent on the bottom feeding? Two? Maybe three? The rest of the time they spend just off bottom or in the middle layers, where they feel most comfortable or where natural food is gathered. This is when mini zigs do the business.
I have lost count of the number of times I’ve completely changed my session by switching on to mini zigs after fishing on the bottom or with higher zigs in the upper layers.
Commit to it!
I often hear anglers commenting that they’ve been fishing one rod on a zig all morning without any success and, as a result, they’ve switched back to a bottom bait. This is simply not giving the tactic the time or effort it deserves, yet they’re happy to sit with three bottom baits out, even though that tactic isn’t working either.
If I’m zig fishing, I commit all three rods to it, fishing each in a different area, at a different depth and with a different coloured/flavoured hookbait. When one tactic proves successful, I switch the rods to that method too, in the hope of increasing my bite rate.
Keep working
Many of my mini zig bites have come shortly after recasting. The great thing about zigs is that
they can be fished over pretty much anything. Gravel, silt, weed, you name it. Fish safely, and you should have no issues in terms of presentation and landing the carp.
I often set a timer on my phone and recast one of the rods every 20 minutes. That means that over the course of an hour, I’ll have recast each rod at least once. It’s a great way of working your swim effectively and, hopefully, finding out where the fish are holding up.
Beating weed and debris
Mini zigs are perfect for fishing on top of low-lying weed, particularly during the warmer months when the weedbeds are full of naturals. The carp will often spend time in and around these weedbeds, so presenting a zig just above them can prove absolutely devastating.
Flavour boost
To increase my chances of a bite I often add a flavour to my hookbait. My two favourite zig hookbaits are a small piece of foam or a small pop-up, both of which can be soaked in a flavour of your choice.
Changing depths
Zig fishing is all about finding the depth where the fish are holding up. During the colder months in particular, carp spend most of the time where the thermoclines are at the warmest and they are most comfortable.
We all know that carp aren’t inclined to feed when temperatures hit rock bottom – however, if you can present a bait right in front of their noses, more often than not they won’t be able to resist snatching at it.
Fishing over bait
Another great tactic I often adopt is to fish a mini zig over my baited spot. This can prove incredibly effective, particularly when the fish are in the area but are not willing to feed hard on the bottom. A small pop-up fished on just a 2ft zig off the side of a baited spot can get that extra bite or two.
“Zig fishing is all about finding the depth where the fish are holding up”