Zig fishing

[yonny]

9 hours ago, nigewoodcock said:

Should be plenty of foam you can use in Portugal.

I believe portugese cork is supposed to be the best in the world too!!

[salokcinnodrog]

6 hours ago, yonny said:

I believe portugese cork is supposed to be the best in the world too!!

As long as it is aged properly in the case of wine corks. 😉

Not that I could ever of thought of using a sliver of a used wine bottle cork with fake or real maggots superglued to it for pop-ups or zigs...😖😉

[carpepecheur]

18 hours ago, elmoputney said:

Couldn't  you coil up the zigs a bit and then using some PVA tape or string, tie them up then it melts and rises to the proper depth that may help with the cast 

Yes that’s exactly how to do it. It is a simple and cheap method.

Slide your weight onto the line so that it is free running through a large ring.

Take a wine cork and push some stiff wire into one end to form an eye that is just slightly narrower than a large float stop. Slide the cork float onto the line so that it slides freely.

Now put a large float stop on the line.

Tie a zig on the end of the mainline (or use a short length of “invisible” leader if you think your fish are very shy).

Push the float stop a measured distance from the zig. I like to use 3 metres if the water is deep enough to avoid any chance of the float spooking the fish. At this stage it is impossible to cast because the long 3metre distance between float and hook will tangle and also the force of the weight will slide everything down to the hook.

Wind some PVA tape CLOCKWISE around the body of the cork (make sure it is dry  ). Now wind the 3 metre hook length around the PVA ANTICLOCKWISE until only the zig is left. Nick the hook of the zig into the PVA and you will find everything holds rock solid.

After casting, the PVA melts freeing the hook and it floats up, unwinding the 3 metre hook link as it goes. Let the cork float to surface. Pull in 3 metres of line and you now know your zig is on the surface. Then simply take in the amount of line you need to fish at your required depth.

When you land your fish, the 3 metre hook link is not a problem because the float stop can now be simply slid along the line to shorten the length to something more manageable because there is no longer anything to hold it firmly in place.

Sorry it is a long explanation. It is far easier to do than to explain but it works flawlessly for me.

Edited July 13, 2019 by carpepecheur