- dropper loop rig
This rig is used for baitfishing for the regular targets of surf fishing (pompano, whiting, red and black drum). It consists of a small black swivel tied to your main line, two dropper loops, and a snap at the bottom for easily attaching and detaching weights. A small black swivel is necessary because the line will twist itself up and cause the hooks to get tangled around the leaders straight line. A large swivel will be easily noticed by a bluefish or mackerel, both of which are toothy critters notorious for striking these and separating your leader and almost prized catch from your main line. Shiny ones will flash in the water, another cause of this mishap. I like to use 20 lb. monofilament for pompano, whiting, and almost anything else that will eat fingernail sized shrimp pieces or sandfleas. Slide a brightly colored spacer bead over each loop to help your target's eyes locate your offering. Then, slide your hook of choice over each loop and push it back through the loop so that it will hold in place. I, as well as most, like either 1/0 or 2/0 circle hooks because when you leave your rod in the holder you cant set your hook. the circles do it for you. These sizes are best for the bait you will likely use and just right for fitting in the mouth of the fish you are after. On your snap at the bottom of the rig, apply a 3 to 8 ounce weight. 3 ounces is usually enough on calm days with 12 to 17lb line. Heavier lines require heavier weights, as do rough conditions. The following picture shows a premade dropper loop rig that you can buy at stores. On it are kahle hooks, another type of hook commonly used on this rig.
This is perhaps one of the simplest of fishing rigs, but very effective. First, you slide a barrel sinker over your main line. Then tie a swivel below your weight. On the other side of your swivel, you tie on your leader, and then your hook at the bottom of that. Although not all common as a surf rig, many cast and retrieve this rig for whiting on a light spinning rod while they have other lines in the water waiting for takers. I only do this on calm days, and use a 1/4 ounce barrel sinker, 10 to 15lb monofilament or flourocarbon leader, and small J-hooks. Over the hook, I like to use a piece of fresh, never frozen shrimp, or Fishbites or Gulp! shrimp. Cast out to the first sand bar, or as far as you can, and slowly retrieve along the bottom, constantly keeping a tight line.
fish finder pyramid rig-
Many people like this rig for surf fishing, but I'm not to wild about it because more often than not, my hook will get all wrapped around my main line. It is the same rig as the fish finder rig shown above and can utilize whatever length or strength of leader you like, as well as hooks, weight, swivel, and bait. The only difference is that above the swivel, you subtract the egg sinker, and add a spacer bead, a sliding weight snap, and another spacer bead. This gives you the freedom of changing the amount of weight you are using without untying and retying. This is mainly used for casting and letting it stay until the bite.
Bluefish rig-
Bluefish are very fast and toothy predators that mainly feed on other fish. With their sharp teeth, I have seen them slice through 60lb mono with no problem. Wire leader is almost a necessity. This rig is essentially the same as the dropper loop rig, and i like to tie it with 60lb mono. I tie the first loop a foot below the swivel, and the second a foot and a half to two feet below the first. I then tie the snap for the weight about a foot below the bottom loop. When pulled tight, you want your loops to be about two inches long. From here, I purchase premade nylon coated stainless steel cable rigs. They usually come in packs of two and are about 8 inches in length. At one end is a hook and at the other is a loop. I like to take a small float and slide it over this loop down to the hook so that your bait floats upwards in the water column, as this is where bluefish usually search for baitfish. Now you wind the wire leader's loop onto your dropper loop. The picture below shows this rig without the wire leaders, but includes extra long shank hooks, which is a good substitute. A good bait for bluefish that is easy to come by is mullet. Using live mullet is fine and often gets lots of bites, but they will usually bite off the mullets tail and miss your hook. I like to take medium sized mullet (4 to 8 inches) caught in a castnet, cut their heads off and save them, and cut their bodies into section an inch or two in length. I'll start by using the tail sections first, as these tend to be favored. After they are gone, I will move to the midsection chunks. If all of these baits are used up, the bite is probably hot, and the heads, which arent generally their favorite pieces, will work just fine. Pinfish, spot, and menhaden are also all good baits for blues.
Casting shark rig-
5 to 6 foot sharks are about the biggest sharks you will catch and land on gear you can cast. But even sharks of this size require some serious hardware. Sharks have very rough skin and are know for rolling in and popping pretty heavy line. My casting setup has a 30lb. main line and at the end of this I use a double uni knot to attach directly to 7 feet of 80lb flourocarbon. Tying these lines together directly allows you to reel the 80lb leader onto your rod, which enables you to cast the rig. You cant cast with 10 feet of line between your rod tip and weight. At the end of the 80lb leader, use and albright knot or swivel to attach to a 3 foot length of 120lb singlestrand wire. At the bottom of this, i like to use an 8/0 4x strong j-hook. Connect using a haywire twist. I then take black electrical tape and wrap it around the shank of the hook, up to and over the haywire twist, and back down. This cuts down the clanking that the shark feels when it grabs your bait, and gives your more time to set the hook. It also keeps your wire loop from moving around on the eye of the hook. After you are on the beach and have your hook all baited up, take a 2 to 3 foot length of 30lb mono, and tie onto the curve of your hook between the bait and the barb. Tie your weight of preference (I like 6 or 8 ounces but will go up to 12 when needed) to the bottom of this. This rig keeps your entire line and leader in a straight line with the weight at the bottom, allowing for long casts, and eliminating tangles. When a shark takes your bait, its teeth will pop the 30lb, leaving the weight behind, allowing for a neat and efficient fight.
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