tonybranno

Ok mate heres my twopenneth. Your set up sounds ok but i would like to know what size of fish are in your venue? If they are only singles to low doubles then i would consider dropping your hooksize down to a size 10. You say the bottom is silt so in truth i would drop the coated hooklink altogether and use standard braid of around 8-10 inches in length? Also im not sure of the tactic of using pellets with a pop up. If your baited hook is off the bottom, then why use pellets which will sink? I know this tactic has supposed to have caught loads of fish, but i think that the pellets have been taken first and then the pop up will be taken last..... maybe some hours later, so in truth you may have been fishing with a single hookbait for the majority of the time. I only use pop ups when im using them as single hookbaits or over a scattering of boilies. And when i say scattering, i mean over a wide area of about 20 yards square.

One question..... How do you know that the fish are picking up your hookbait and dropping it immediately?

If you actually read the instruction with the picture it will tell you why the ring on the shank is used.....

Zander i know what you mean about fishing in weed. My syndicate is chokka with the stuff in places and its a steep learning curve for me also regarding presentation. Got some ideas to try this weekend though and im well looking forward to it.

Fair point and i agree with that mate. Thing is though my syndicate has got me well and truly by the nads so at the moment all my thoughts are on that and its occupants. But considering zigs do work on there very well, it shouldnt be long before something picks one up if i experiment. Like i said, im not putting too much emphasis into using zigs just yet but i will try one if and when the conditions dictate. All i need is one take mate then i will be sorted, confidence will then be there. Once again mate its down to confidence. If your set up works for you then great carry on with it and keep hauling, im just trying to explain to you my thoughts on it, thats all. Now that is interesting. Everytime you read about using a zig, most articles advocate the use of a light semi fixed lead but obviously the fish has a VERY long way to travel before you get an indication. And if the fish doesnt move the lead at all, then you will have no way of knowing if you have got a take anyway. But can running leads be used in weed? I was told thats a complete no no for the safety aspect. The only reservations of using flouro for zigs is that its too heavy. On short lengths, you may get away with it and your bait might be bouyant enough, but on a longer hooklength i can see it causing you problems.

Yes i see what you are trying to explain but just remember. That small bit of foam is holding up a hook plus maybe upto a 10 foot length of mono hooklink. So to think that your hook is gonna be positioned "exactly" like that when you are using mono, down turned eyed hooks and your foam positioned half way along the shank and not on the bend is asking a bit too much mate and i dont agree with your explanation. When its out in the lake i still think that the hook shank could be positioned more horizontally than you think (maybe even with the hook point lower than the eye) and the only way to be absolutely sure that it isnt is to don scuba gear and have a look PS, i dont do pastie bashing either

Just to let you know Zander, you are tightening up on the mono hooklink yourself. You may find that once you are actually using the zig on the bank, that the hook doesnt sit exactly the way you are showing there cos the foam can only put so much tension in the mono hooklink. Once again though, its a method that does deserve some experimentation to compare results and over the summer i will have 1 rod on a zig just to try and gain some confidence in the method.

Like i said i have never caught a fish on a zig but i do prefer using a size 10 Korda Choddy hook because the baited hook sits perfectly IMO. I would NEVER used an inturned eye with a mono hooklink because you are closing the gape of the hook which will make it harder for it to take hold.

I also tie the majority of mine on the bankside now. I will tie a couple up at home and put them in the wallet just to get me started when i first arrive at the venue, but if things change, or i need to adjust something, then out comes the materials and i can tie one there and then to suit the situation. Its much better that way IMO.

Dont fall into the trap of thinking that you need loads of rigs. Stick to 2 or 3 which should cover all of your fishing situations and get your confidence in them and i guarantee that you can take them to any water knowing full well that you can and do catch on them. That way you can save all the hard work for location and watercraft which is faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr more important.

Its not that hard fella, a simple knotless knot on braid is simplicity in itself. I have never bought a ready made rig in my life and will never do so either.

If the top bead can be pulled off the tube easily then it can be used.

Ok ive just tried the snell knot (which is the same as a whipping knot on a choddy) on a combi rig and here is my effort..... I cannot get the gap between the knot and the eye of the hook any smaller (in this case its 10mm) but the braided section definately isnt any longer than the shank of the hook (in this case a size 6 ESP Big T). But with a bit more practice i might be able to get it shorter if needs be.

Cheers fella, i will look into that knot to see how you tie it cos it would add another chink in my armoury for sure. Nice one

Well that might be worth a bit of experimenting but if you use such a short length of braid (considering some hooks have a short shank) IMO there isnt much room to actually tie the knot and get it tight. I think it will be much easier just to use coated braid and carefully strip a 2mm section of outer material off, to get the 'hinge' effect, right near the eye of the hook. But like i said, there is some experimenting to do there to compare results.

why's that Keith? Im stumped as well. When i tie my own, true, combi rigs out of 2 different materials, the braided section can be as little as half an inch, upto two thirds of the entire length of the hooklink. For e.g. If my hooklink is 9 inches, then the braided section will be 3 inches in length. It works for me.

Its the Multistrand that can take the colour of the lake bed because Merlin is a green and white colour if i remember right. And the best thing to use for your combi rig is a knot, not a ring.

So, are you using 11 foot of leadcore as a leader? Cos if you are using a leader which is shorter than your hooklength then you may as well drop the leader completely cos its doing nothing for you..... is it?

6ft the last fish i had on zig was on 10ft hooklink i cast it of my unhooking mat i use 3oz inline lead with leadcore Why use leadcore on a 10ft zig? dont have to be leadcore u could use toub .i use it to stop it tangling on casting that all So i take it when you are using 10 foot zig hooklengths, you are using a 11 foot leadcore leader! And i guess when you floater fish, you use a leader as well...... to stop tangles

Even though i do try a zig every now and again, i can honestly claim ive never caught a fish on the method. So with that i have no confidence in it whatsoever. I will keep on trying though.

I remember it and im certain it was called something else long ago and TBH it does sound like the Superstiff stuff. But you say it isnt so im stumped.

As long as its set up correctly

Its down to personal preference. I spoke to Jim about this and he favours a loop because it gives the hooklink a bit more movement. Try them both and see which one you favour. Its all down to confidence mate!

Im just thinking about the water quality on any certain venue where leads have been dumped quite regularly! Would it do anything to it whereas the fish could suffer in the long term? Because once a lead as been dumped, thats it, its there forever and nothing short of donning scuba gear and trying to find them out will rectify that. Obviously my fears maybe totally unfounded but it would be nice to know all the same.

Im still very much concerned about the environmental side of things though with the dumping leads after each take.