Tip of the month: April
Early Spring is perfect for zig gig fishing and it seems quite apparent that the residents at Abbey Lakes are quite comfortable and confident in taking baits mid water. Generally if fish are showing in your swim and the bottom rods are silent, then there's a good chance the fish are in the upper layers. There is no right or wrong depth to set a zig rig, but I do however much prefer to visualize and figure out what depth the fish are at and then fish a zig underneath them so they are in effect moving down onto the bait. This is for two reasons. Firstly, the fish moving down onto the bait will hopefully not see the full extent of the hooklength and hook and two, I dont want the zig rig higher than the fish level as it may spook fish or potentially foul hook them. So for spring a good starting point would be slightly less than half depth, especially if the weather is unpredictable as it can be this time of year.
Tackle is very important as you will have to scale down. Pro Clear line in 8lb or 10lb, Size 10 or 8 Big T Raptors and some small bore silicone to tidy the set up is perfect. The hookbait should be positioned about 2-3mm off the bend of the hook, which coupled with the straight eye and point of the Big T Raptor helps the rig to sit straight and in line. Hookbait choice is critical as buoyancy aids the zig to stay at its stated depth, so for peace of mind I always like to couple the hookbait with a small piece of foam. Yellow, White and Black Hookbaits seem to dominate catches, but experiment as this can be such an instant method.
At Abbey last week, two zigs at 6ft depth in 13ft of water were cast to the showing fish and literally instantly I started to get action. Three 30's and two 20's in no more than about an hour was the result, and with a bit of thought and a mobile approach the fish are very ctachable with multiple hits common place. Remember that this method can potentially be instant, even with the slightest change in depth or hookbait choice, so keep experimenting but more importantly be different from the rest and the results will follow.
Tackle is very important as you will have to scale down. Pro Clear line in 8lb or 10lb, Size 10 or 8 Big T Raptors and some small bore silicone to tidy the set up is perfect. The hookbait should be positioned about 2-3mm off the bend of the hook, which coupled with the straight eye and point of the Big T Raptor helps the rig to sit straight and in line. Hookbait choice is critical as buoyancy aids the zig to stay at its stated depth, so for peace of mind I always like to couple the hookbait with a small piece of foam. Yellow, White and Black Hookbaits seem to dominate catches, but experiment as this can be such an instant method.
At Abbey last week, two zigs at 6ft depth in 13ft of water were cast to the showing fish and literally instantly I started to get action. Three 30's and two 20's in no more than about an hour was the result, and with a bit of thought and a mobile approach the fish are very ctachable with multiple hits common place. Remember that this method can potentially be instant, even with the slightest change in depth or hookbait choice, so keep experimenting but more importantly be different from the rest and the results will follow.