tryzard

I think the general view that you should stick to simple rigs which work for you is absolutely correct. It is quite good fun to play around with rigs during the fishless hours of a long session though. On my latest session I had a copy of the May edition of Carpworld in which Frank Warwick describes a fairly complicated affair he calls the Pulley Rig. So I tied one up, put it on one rod and hooked a fish (which was subsequently lost in heavy weed). So the rig worked but would I have hooked it on my usual rig? Therein lies the problem!

I doubt that very much Nick! I've just been lucky so far I guess. Bet your life it'll happen next time out now!

That's strange Nick. I can honestly say I've never cracked off casting a marker float (or a spod come to that).

I've never lost any tackle using a commercial brand of marker braid straight through. Adding a leader is more likely to cause losses as you'll then have a weak point i.e. the knot!

So would I but using a leader won't give me one! Seriously though, I wondered if there was a particular angling problem you were trying to solve. Nick has pretty much hit the nail on the head and I would be reluctant to weaken my setup with a knot above the lead.

May I ask why?

A comprehensive, well-written review Steve. I would comment on one aspect (or is it two?). The soil surrounding the complex is clay based and becomes very wet and "claggy" in inclement conditions. This makes access to the swims to the east (furthest from the A12) side by vehicle impossible at times in summer and almost permanently in winter. By the same token, the banks of some of the swims (whatever their position) can also become very uncomfortable to fish. I recall spending 24 hours on the venue in February walking around with 5lb of mud clinging to each boot!

The whole point of this rig is to be able to use a zig rig in deep water and avoid casting and tangling problems with very long hooklengths. That is what it was designed for - nothing to do with controller floats on the surface. It's simply a development of a setup that pike anglers have been using for a while to present a bait midwater. There is no point in using it in shallowish water. The bait or foam used only has to support the weight of the hook and a short hooklength, the float supports the rest. I suggest you don't knock it until you've tried it - it works, and I've caught plenty of carp on it (so have others, particularly on St Johns at Linear where I think it was first used). On the face of it, it would appear to be a helluva contraption to have in the water but the carp don't seem to mind!

I use it all the time. It is basically a rig for bottom baits but it also works well for popups if you break the coating just below the loop which holds the hook and put your shot/putty behind it. The rig doesn't work with fluorcarbon as the rig ring which is attached to the hair doesn't slide along the loop effectively.

Yes.

The float trapped on a length of stiff link virtually eliminates tangling.

There is absolutely no answer to that!

Yes, if it looks something like this:

Doesn't anyone else use the sub-surface float method fished with a running lead?

Here's a couple of links for anyone wanting to know about zig rigs: http://www.totalcarpmagazine.com/Videos/category_7/video_96/ http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/cheap-fishing-tackle/free-downloads/carp-fishing/the-zig-rig/prod_96.html