Rig guide · Intermediate

Zig Rig: How to Tie and Fish It

The zig rig suspends a buoyant hookbait, usually a trimmed piece of foam, anywhere between the lake bed and the surface on a long monofilament hooklink. When carp are cruising and feeding in the upper layers, which happens far more often than most anglers act on, a zig will often outfish anything on the bottom.

Published by the GilledIt editorial team · Last reviewed 2026-07-07 · Part of the carp rig library

1. 1

   Find the depth

   Everything about zig fishing starts with knowing the depth. Use a marker float or a known depth for the swim, because the hooklink length is what sets where your bait sits in the water column.

2. 2

   Choose your hooklink length

   A common starting point is a bait in the upper half of the water, for example a 7 to 8ft hooklink in 10 to 11ft of water. In warm, bright conditions fish often sit higher; in cold water they may hold lower, so treat the first cast as a starting depth, not a fixed one.

3. 3

   Tie the hook

   Tie a size 10 wide gape hook to the mono hooklink with a knotless knot, leaving a short hair, or slide on a zig aligner kit which mounts the foam and kicks the hook at an angle in one go.

4. 4

   Mount the foam

   Trim a piece of zig foam so it comfortably floats the hook and sits neatly on the hair or aligner. Black is the classic starting colour, with red and yellow the usual changes; nobody fully knows why carp take bare foam, but they reliably do.

5. 5

   Attach to a safe lead setup

   Connect the hooklink to a lead clip arrangement that can release the lead if it snags, or use an adjustable zig float kit for depths beyond a comfortable hooklink length. A long zig with a locked lead is a fish safety problem, so get this part right.

6. 6

   Cast, watch and adjust

   Cast to showing or cruising fish where possible and give each depth a fair chance. If nothing happens, change depth in roughly 1ft steps before you change anything else. Depth is the single biggest variable in zig fishing.

Zig Rig: common questions

What depth should I set a zig rig at?

Start with the bait in the upper half of the water column, for example around two thirds depth, then adjust in roughly 1ft steps until you find fish. Carp move up and down with light and temperature through the day, so the right depth at 8am is often wrong by noon.

What is the best hookbait for a zig rig?

Trimmed zig foam is the standard, with black the classic starting colour and red or yellow the usual alternatives. Small buoyant pop-ups work too. On many waters plain foam outfishes flavoured baits, so change colour and depth before you change anything else.

Are zig rigs allowed on all fisheries?

No. Some venues restrict zig length or ban zigs entirely, usually for fish safety reasons around long hooklinks. Always check the venue rules before fishing zigs, and use a lead arrangement that can release the lead if it snags.

What line should I use for zig hooklinks?

A supple, reliable monofilament around 8 to 10lb is the common choice, balancing low visibility in open water with enough strength for the fight. Very stiff or very heavy lines make the foam behave unnaturally and can reduce takes.

Do zig rigs work in winter?

They can, and on some deep waters winter is when zigs really earn their keep, because carp often sit at a comfortable layer in mid water rather than on the bottom. Expect to fish lower in the water than in summer and to work harder to find the taking depth.