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Walkers method.

Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 11:16 pm
by Snape
I recall Dick Walker devising a night time margin fishing technique with floating crust thrown into the margin and a piece with a hook in it being lowered in under the rod tip so no line touched the water.
Presumably it is fished with a centrepin reel on the the ratchet so the fish can run with the bait but it won't drift off.
Does this work? Has anyone tried it?

Re: Walkers method.

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 12:47 am
by Mark
It works in the day time for me with an Aerial reel and what a bite indicator it is.

Re: Walkers method.

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 2:18 am
by SilverBirch
Around 1980 i fished a small pit that was heavily fished for its small population of carp and as a a result they became quite difficult to catch fish particularly off the surface...any line on the water was badly recieved...in frustration one day across a bay and into an arm I cast a lead and strung a line across a well used access point, then by casting a honeyed crust baited hook over this I could suspend a bait with no line on the water. As such I tricked most of the stock into biting and banked most of the fish, no traditional tackle at the time just a desire to fool a few leviathans..... not that they went much above 19lb but a twenty was regarded as a serious fish then...

SB

Re: Walkers method.

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 10:27 am
by MGs
SB

I came across a similar problem at about the same time. I went the other way and used a small bomb to anchor the crust (only 2' of water) The fish still approached it as there was no line on the surface.

Re: Walkers method.

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 10:33 am
by Snape
MGs wrote:SB

I came across a similar problem at about the same time. I went the other way and used a small bomb to anchor the crust (only 2' of water) The fish still approached it as there was no line on the surface.
Does that make it a zig rig?
I was surprised that the line from the lead up to the crust didn't spook the fish but someone suggested that vertical line is less spooky as fish see vertival lines (eg weed) whereas line at an angle through the water is unnatural.

Re: Walkers method.

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 10:46 am
by MGs
Snape. No idea what a zig rig is. It was just something I came up with to do the job. I didn't give it a name.
Whether someone else came up with the same solution and named it, I have no idea.

Re: Walkers method.

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 11:19 am
by Snape
MGs wrote:Snape. No idea what a zig rig is. It was just something I came up with to do the job. I didn't give it a name.
Whether someone else came up with the same solution and named it, I have no idea.
Although I avoid fishing with modern equipment and methods I am aware of them and I think a zig rig is for carp fishing with a pop up or floating bait anchored on the bottom but the bait up near the surface.
I'm sure SK will illuminate!

Re: Walkers method.

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 11:23 am
by Gary Bills
As I understand it, a Zig rig - actually named after a bloke called Zig! - is basically speaking any rig where a floating bait is popped up more than a few inches - say more than four or five inches off to bottom to one inch off the top, and anything inbetween. Walker - it could be argued - used a kind of "pre-Zig-Zig-Rig" at Dagenham, when he "popped up" crust to catch a twenty and high double, in 1952. But I think he did that, primarily, to cope with dense bottom weed.

Re: Walkers method.

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 11:24 am
by Snape
farliesbirthday wrote:As I understand it, a Zig rig - actually named after a bloke called Zig! - is basically speaking any rig where a floating bait is popped up more than a few inches - say more than four or five inches off to bottom to one inch off the top, and anything inbetween. Walker - it could be argued - used a kind of "pre-Zig-Zig-Rig" at Dagenham, when he "popped up" crust to catch a twenty and high double, in 1952. But I think he did that, primarily, to cope with dense bottom weed.
Excellent! As always there's nothing new!
Anyone have a view on the vertical line theory?

Re: Walkers method.

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 11:29 am
by The Sweetcorn Kid
Spot on FB. The Zig is used to suspend a bouyant bait at a level you think the fish are cruising, using two rods a varying depths you can chop and change the depths until you find success. This can indeed be anywhere in water layers but from half depth up to a few inches blow the surface seems to be the most popular and successful.

And yes, Walker did use a variation, cementing the fact that there is nothing new in fishing. With Walker devising a rig to suspend a bait above the weed and bottom debris, you could even call it a variation of the Chod rig (Don't go there, I'll not lower the tone of this forum explaining what a Chod rig is!). :tongue: