It’s a source of constant amusement to us that Rob Bell just can’t get his head around the use of Zig Rigs. In his defence, it is totally bizarre that they should work, especially when used with a fake bait that smells of nowt. But as we all know, they do.
      So, it was with some trepidation that I watched him during our second round of Celebrity Cricket Fishing against Dave Lane and Nigel Sharp. It was classic Zig territory: clear blue sky, bright sunlight and 20ft of water in front of us. I was first to try it, caught, and then of course the rest of the gang jumped on it.
      We all caught – Rob too, and from page 26 you can find hard knowledge on how Nige ‘turned-the-corner-for-Rob’ by showing him his clever Adjustable Zig Rig, which now thankfully turns us all into Terry Hearn clones when it comes to catching carp in the winter – i.e. easy.
      This was all great, but with a few ‘iffy’ bleeps on the ‘Zig rods’ during the match, it lead me to the conclusion that either: 1) my hook point wasn’t sharp enough, or: 2) the rig wasn’t working effectively enough. After changing the hook and not the rig I can conclude it was the former.
      That then got me thinking; sharp hooks equal more bites, which equals more fish landed (as you can see, maths is a strong point), so we instantly got Jason Hayward on the case with a two-parter about hook points starting this month on page 17.
      Self hook sharpening as always been seen as a “no-no”, but with an impressive list of ‘big names’ getting their curved bits of steel sharpened by Jase – and the supporting evidence we have in the way of super close up photographs, it seems as though those not taking advantage of doing so are missing out.
      This is great (and unlike those hook manufacturers, we don’t just end up saying, “Buy another packet – they might be sharper.”) because not only does Jason tell you about the finer points (get it?), but he also shows how you can sharpen your hooks, which going back to my original equation means: ‘more bites’. 
      Enjoy the issue.
Joe Wright, Editor

Words: Kenny Dorsett, Joe Morgan, Tom Dove, Bill Cottam, Gaz Fareham, Myles Gascoyne, Keith Moors, John Baker, Ali Hamidi, James Turner, Keith Sykes, Rob Hughes, Simon Scott, Jason Hayward, and Pete Regan. Pictures: James Turner, Tom Dove, Gaz Fareham, Ali Hamidi, Joe Morgan, Keith Moors, Jason Hayward, Myles Gascoyne, Bill Cottam, Simon Scott, Kenny Dorset, Rob Hughes, Keith Sykes, Pete Regan, Hall of Fame entries and various tackle companies. Special thanks this month to: Tinker and Dave Lane.