BIG CARP RIGS: The Amazing Zig Rig

The zig rig is used when carp are cruising the upper water column and not grazing on the lake bed, so bottom rigs will just not work. Fishing the zig rig is something that is not commonly done in South Africa and only a handful of carp anglers have tried it out. If you want to fish zigs successfully there are a couple of things that you need to know before you cast it out.

You need to know your water depth in the area where you want to fish. If you cast a 10ft zig into 5ft of water you might end up catching a duck or something else! Use your marker float to determine your water depth. Clip up and measure out exact distances. Once you have determined your water depth you are almost good to go.

Normally I look for fish activity. I will then decide to cast a zig at active fish to determine what length zig I need to cast. I determine water depth and I choose my zig length accordingly: if I have 20ft of water I will normally start out with a 19ft zig. After casting it out I will cast out one spomb with zig mix on top of my zig. Make sure your spod rod is clipped up at the same distance as your actual zig rod.

One spomb or rocket on top of your zig is enough for a start. If you don’t get any action, work your way down by shortening your zig by either a foot or two at a time. If you don’t get a bite within 20 minutes you must adjust your zig length. After casting it out again put another rocket or spomb on top of your zig.

Don’t overdo it in new waters with spombs or rockets. If the fish are not used to it you will scare them off. A spomb or rocket every 20 or 30 minutes into the target area with the right mix should get your rod ripping off sooner than later.

Basic pop-up colour combos include: Black-Yellow-Red, Yellow-Black, Yellow-Red, Black, Yellow, Red and Orange.


Sometimes you will have surface activity but the fish will feed 5-10ft below the surface. Work your way into the strike zone. Once you determine the depth keep it simple. Don’t over feed, don’t make too much noise and make sure you hit the target area by hitting the line clip every time.

Casting out a zig can be a tricky thing but once again there are two simple things that you need to do to make it easy. First make sure that your zig doesn’t tangle on the ground. Just lay it down and you can either put the hook on an old bucket lid or on something with a smooth surface – to make sure it doesn’t hook into something on the ground. Or you can use PVA nuggets to protect your hook from hooking up or getting nicked on the ground.

The second thing to cast a zig is to always watch it and hit the line clip. Watch it as it travels. With a bit of practise you will see the splash of the weight and the splash of the hook. When you use PVA nuggets this is a lot easier to observe when the rig is travelling through the air.

Zig presentations can often make the difference between a bite or not. I have found that there are a couple of basic colours that work on zigs but you have to be prepared for all situations.

A zig sits differently in the water to any other rig and that’s why the bait presentation also differs from standard presentations. The bait must be very close to the hook – maximum a millimetre away – otherwise touching the hook. This makes for better hook-ups.



Another and final two things that you need to remember with zigs is that hook size and zig line makes a big difference. Marry hook baits with your bait size just as a basic principle. Small baits with small hooks and big baits with big hooks. Most hooks that are made for stiff rig presentations will work a charm for a zig. I have two personal choices, the ACE Stiff Rig hook and the Mixa from Korda.

Don’t use fluorocarbon on zigs. Why? Because fluoro is made to sink. Use monofilament lines. Normally a 25-30lb line will work a charm. I prefer something simple like Double X Extreme abrasion or Drennan Double Strength hooklink material. There are many different ones available, but remember one thing – keep it simple!

Where can you fish zigs? I have caught fish on zigs in a lot of places in South Africa. Harties, Roodekoppies, Roodeplaat, Bloemhof, the Vaal River and all over. The awesome thing about zigs is when nothing else works they normally get you a bite or two.

Dip spray or pre-prepare your hookbaits with flavours of choice. This is something that will attract attention to your bait.

Prepared hook baits.

And then to finish off – there are two basic lead systems that you can use for zig fishing. Number one is an inline system straight onto your leader. Leadcore or limpet leaders just cause unnecessary tangles. The second one is a bolt system that will also drop your lead. Put this on your leader and forget about the fancy stuff. Keep it simple and you will minimise tangles and maximise fishing time.

Lead systems.

Landing fish on zigs up to 12ft is easy, but as soon as you go beyond 15ft you will need help.

Once again, keep it simple and happy fishing!



The latest digital edition of THE BANK ANGLER / DIE OEWERHENGELAAR is now available!

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