Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Winter zig rig edges – Wayne Izsatt
Zigs are very effective for getting bites in the cold. Dynamite Baits’ Wayne Iszatt reveals his top tips for catching carp up in the water
AS WE all know, winter can be a tough time to put carp on the bank. Carp can be localised and grouped into shoals, often reluctant to move far for days, or even weeks, at a time. This means that getting your location spot-on is imperative to cold-water carping success. Location doesn’t only refer to which part of the lake they are holding in, but also what depth they are sitting at. Fish can be reluctant to drop down to feed if they are holding up in a warmer layer of water known as a thermocline. Thermocline’s are created by air temperature change, after a warmer spell of weather during the colder months before turning cooler again. This produces a warmer layer of water at a particular depth or certain area of the lake. It is in situations like this where zig rigs come into play.
Search for weed
Until recently, it was pretty much a guessing game and a case of trial and error when it came to finding at what depth the carp were sitting. Castable sonars such as Deeper, however, have made this task much easier to calculate. Until last winter, my bite alarms were the most technologically advanced items of tackle I owned. I have never considered using a bait boat as I feel casting is a big part of angling. But as these devices have been designed as castable, I persuaded myself to give it a go. And I have to admit it is a huge edge in the colder months. Carp activity can become virtually nonexistent in the winter and even if you keep your eyes glued to the water there’s every chance they won’t give you a single clue as to their whereabouts. Life is too short to spend 16 hours a day in dark, cold and damp conditions only to be nowhere near any fish, especially if, like me, you generally only have the time to fish one night a week. As the saying goes – it is better to spend nine hours looking and one hour in the right location than 10 hours in the wrong location. So, with the help of the Deeper, you stand a good chance of getting both the location and the zig depth right. Weed is a magnet for carp in cold water and providing it isn’t too high or dense, it is an ideal feature for zig fishing for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the lead system and last few yards of line will be concealed within the weed and secondly the zig won’t look as suspicious to a wise old carp if the depth of the zig has been set to present itself just above the weed. This will resemble a fly hatch or spod mix that has settled on the top stems. I personally look for weed rather than clear spots when leading around or using the Deeper when zig fishing.
Trigger a feeding response
Once you are confident that you are on fish, the hard part then is getting a bite. That is where high attraction is needed to trigger a feeding response within a dormant shoal. I rely on two main methods of attraction when zig fishing:
1. PVA MESH BAGS:
The standard method of using a mesh PVA bag attached to the hook containing sinking baits won’t work effectively with a zig rig. However, by dropping the lead into the mesh bag before tying it off and then pushing the swivel out to attach on to the lead clip, the hook doesn’t need to be attached to the PVA bag. I figured why not fill the bag with a floating bait mix and use this method with zigs to create some rising visual attraction that is 100 per cent accurate in relation to my hookbait, without the disturbance of using a Spomb? The bait mix can be anything that is buoyant, such as crushed floaters or chopped pop-ups soaked in plenty of liquid attractant. The random-sized particles from the crushed baits rise at different rates and the liquid leaks off to create a vertical column of attraction around your zig. I use different coloured pop-ups for this PVA bag mix, so the carp get used to seeing various bright colours in different shapes and sizes, which takes any suspicion out of the coloured zig aligner.
2. SLOPPY SPODDING:
This produces an abundance of visual attraction throughout the water column around your zig. The idea is that the bait mix contains very little in the way of actual food items to prevent drawing the fish down and away from the zig. A good sloppy spod recipe and the reasons why each ingredient is included is as follows: Zig cloud groundbait – This makes up the bulk of the mix. This is a fine grade and slow sinking groundbait that forms a lingering and attractive smelling cloud that encourages the carp to investigate. Crushed hemp – Because it is crushed, it falls at a slower rate, adding to the clouding effect. Some particles will float, extending the attraction area. It has little food quantity, but may attract silver fish which can often get the carp’s attention and trigger a feeding reaction and hopefully a bite. liquid food – This adds irresistible smell that carries through the water and is designed to trigger a feeding response. It will also add to the cloud effect in the water. hi-attract oil – The high oil content creates a flat spot on the surface that will carry the scent further for a wider radius of attraction. Floaters/chopped pop-ups – I usually add a small amount of these to the mix with the
intention of attracting gulls to take them off the surface. We usually do not want gulls around when carp fishing, as they can be a nuisance. However, when zig fishing and your hookbait is safely under the water, the gulls batting the surface actually replicates a fly hatch scenario and will likely be noticed by any carp in the area and attract them to your spot to investigate the food source. The risk with spodding, of course, is the disturbance it makes can sometimes spook the carp. On well-stocked venues, though, it has been likened to ringing the dinner bell, so it is always worth a go. Single zigs can be your best bet for pressured fish, so that casting disturbance is kept to a minimum.
Colour selection
Regarding what colour of zig to use, this can vary depending on factors such as how often zigs have been used on the venue and water clarity. It can be effective to add baits to match the zig colour you are using – add sweetcorn if you are using a yellow zig, red maggots if you’re fishing a red zig. These more solid baits are better used on a weedy spot, though, and chopped and crushed when added to a zig mix so they flutter down and settle gently on top of weed at around the same level as the zig is presented. Black zigs – my favourite colour – can be deadly as they match many natural bugs. When there is a bright moon, black will stand out nicely against the moonlight surface and can even be most effective at night. Zig fishing can be an action-packed method and I hope some of these tips may help put more carp on the bank. If you have not done much zigging, get a sloppy bait mix made up, get on the barrow and hunt down that bite!