# trying to tie my own rigs - newb



## lfunk11 (Jun 17, 2010)

so I messed around tying some rigs and got pretty good at putting the dropper loop where I want it. Well, I was using 20# flourocarbon and I can't get the dropper loop through my #6 hooks. Is there some other way to tie high/low rigs without dropper loops? I guess the answer is smaller # test flourocarbon?


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## RjTheMetalhead (Dec 3, 2011)

I just thread the hooks on before hand...


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## lfunk11 (Jun 17, 2010)

RjTheMetalhead said:


> I just thread the hooks on before hand...


will they move around too much and hit the main line?


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## RjTheMetalhead (Dec 3, 2011)

lfunk11 said:


> will they move around too much and hit the main line?


Possibly. Doesnt happen often to me. Even with 6ft long Spanish jig rigs

Or make it long and clip one end and Snell the hook.
Or tie a River Rig.


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## RobVB (Mar 17, 2012)

I use the tag ends of two perfection loops, upper and lower, for smaller circle hooks (#6-2/0). I then use a single dropper loop for larger hooks (3/0-8/0) with double surgeon loops at each end for sinker and connection to a swivel snap.


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## lfunk11 (Jun 17, 2010)

RobVB said:


> I use the tag ends of two perfection loops, upper and lower for smaller circle hooks (#6-2/0). I then use a single dropper loop for larger hooks (3/0-8/0) with double surgeon loops at each end for sinker and connection to a swivel snap.


my have to try this and the snell suggestion above. So much easier using the dropper loop though, but I don't want to go up in hook size


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## George Gravier (Oct 28, 1999)

This is how I tie my bottom rigs, I snell a hook, I use owner mutu circle lites 1/0, decide how long you want the bottom line to be then I tie a short two wrap surgeons loop this will be for the weight, I like to put a small coastlock snap for my weight but you don't have to, then decide how far up you want the top hook and tie a 6 wrap surgeons loop, make sure your loop is about 4 or 5 inches long, I then clip one leg of the surgeons loop so now I have a single line for my top hook and I snell another hook on this line, don't have it too long or it could tangle usually tie mine no more than 4 inches or so, then I clip about 6 inches and tie on a small barrel swivel to attach to my main line and that's it. If you don't know how to snell you can just tie your hooks directly...geo


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## pods (Sep 10, 2013)

I had that same problem, and also a bigger one.
The bigger one is why do I use a 60# shock leader and then 20 lb on my bottom rig? That means I have 20# as the weak link between casting power and the weight. Shock leader is useless.
So, I tie my rigs by using a 3' section or so of 60 lb test. In that I tie 2 double overhand knots where I want my drops. Pull them down like a slim beauty knot. Then I snell my drops (fishing bible) using 20 lb fluoro and usually Kahle hooks.
Thread the end of the snell down through the pretzel of the double overhand and tie a uni around the main line. Pull everything tight and you are done. 
Now I have fluoro droppers, and 60# from reel to weight. Someone said there is a name for the rig but I forgot it. I just experimented until I found something that I liked. Using the double overhand and weaving the drops through from the top makes it stand out a bit more and I have had less fouls this way.
Good luck!
(edit: I usually tie a snap on the bottom and a mighty mite barrel swivel on the top to finish it)


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

lfunk11 said:


> so I messed around tying some rigs and got pretty good at putting the dropper loop where I want it. Well, I was using 20# flourocarbon and I can't get the dropper loop through my #6 hooks. Is there some other way to tie high/low rigs without dropper loops? I guess the answer is smaller # test flourocarbon?


Tie the rig normally, using the Dropper Loops . . . Clip one strand of each Dropper Loop, close to the knot . . . Tie the Hook on each Single Line, shortened to whatever length you want . . . Presto !


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## Fish'n Phil (Nov 11, 2002)

geo,

I do something similar (cutting the surgeon's loop) when tying a rig with multiple hooks for spot but have yet to find a reliable way to snell the hook with only one free end of line. Sometimes the snell holds and sometimes it loosens. Any instructional video recommendations?


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## lfunk11 (Jun 17, 2010)

thanks for all the suggestions. I was actually able to get the dropper loop through the eyes of the hooks. I had to use needle nose pliers and I am sure I weakened the line a bit, but for the small hooks I won't be targeting anything big. I will try cutting the loops and tying on the hooks with the single line if I have any issues with weakened line. I didn't have much luck tryng to snell the hooks with 20# test, #6 hooks, and fat fingers .


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## DANtheJDMan (Aug 29, 2012)

lfunk11 said:


> thanks for all the suggestions. I was actually able to get the dropper loop through the eyes of the hooks. I had to use needle nose pliers and I am sure I weakened the line a bit, but for the small hooks I won't be targeting anything big. I will try cutting the loops and tying on the hooks with the single line if I have any issues with weakened line. I didn't have much luck tryng to snell the hooks with 20# test, #6 hooks, and fat fingers .


There is an easy and a hard way to snell a hook. Just google it and use the easy way. Its really easy. I just made a bunch of river rigs with 30# High Seas flouro. I use a forcepts to hold the hook and then my big fat thumb to hold the end loop and 7 snell loops. Its easy.

I have pulled 20# flouro through the loop of a hook with another loop. Use a short piece of 10# mono 2 ft. Put one end through the eye of the hook and then the other like your tying a polymer knot. Oops put ith through the middle of you dropper loop before you put in back through the eye of the hook. Now hold the hook with the forcepts or a pair of pliers and yank the doubled over mono. It will either go through the hook or the hook will be deep in your finger. So be careful. It probably weakens the loop a little but its a really small hook and the hook will bend or break first. You can do this to get your beads on there too but the hole in the bead is usually a lot bigger.

I'm a little retentive so I use a forcepts and pliers with tape wrapped around the teeth so I don't mar the hook. I use the same forcepts with tape on it to tie a spider hitch knot for the connection to the main line in my river rig. Then snell the hooks on the drops. 

I use the dropper loop rigs too.


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## RoryGoggin (Jan 6, 2005)

If you really like to loop the dropper loops through the eye of the hook and the eye is to small too easily feed the doubled line through the eye, take a six inch (or so) piece of the same line that you cut off the end first, the feed one end of this through the eye of the hook, then through the dropper loop, then back through the eye of the hook - then pull (using pliers if necessary) the loop through the eye of the hook. 

Hope this helps.


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## George Gravier (Oct 28, 1999)

Fish'n Phil said:


> geo,
> 
> I do something similar (cutting the surgeon's loop) when tying a rig with multiple hooks for spot but have yet to find a reliable way to snell the hook with only one free end of line. Sometimes the snell holds and sometimes it loosens. Any instructional video recommendations?


 I was taught a long time ago when I fished sandbridge pier and was shown in person, im sure someone on here can chime in for a video, basically make a loop with the tag end facing away from you, lay the loop along side the hook with the point facing the opposite direction of the tag end, make a wrap on the hook shank twist the loop and repeat, when you have the amount of wraps you want snug up the tag end and the standing line a little slide up the wraps to the eye wet and cinch up....not sure if that helps you any, so much easier in person!!


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## Fish'n Phil (Nov 11, 2002)

geo,
A few years ago a Filipino guy at Va. Beach Pier showed me how he tied the rig. I got the gist of it but didn't follow the hook tying process. I agree...much easier in person. I'll probably catch up with him at the pier this year. Thanks.


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

Fish'n Phil said:


> Any instructional video recommendations?


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## Fish'n Phil (Nov 11, 2002)

dave...thanks for the video recs.


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

Fish'n Phil said:


> dave...thanks for the video recs.


Anytime, Phil . . . Tight Lines !!!


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## HStew (Jan 8, 2009)

Try a different rig..i.e. Earl Brinn. Or you can get hooks with bigger eyes when using loops (that's what I did). As mentioned earlier use tag ends of perfection knot. I make mine with a long tag on the top perfection knot and tie a overhand loop at the end for affixing the hook via loop through hook eye. Bottom loop is surgeons knot with long tag etc. The perfection knot on top holds the line out at a 90 degree angle ,whereas the bottom surgeons loop tag holds the line up at an angle thus keeping it a little off the ground.


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## Fish'n Phil (Nov 11, 2002)

dave,
The uni snell did not hold well for me. The coffee straw snell works great!


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

Fish'n Phil said:


> dave,
> The uni snell did not hold well for me. The coffee straw snell works great!


Great . . . I usually use the "straw method" but, if I'm in a hurry, I use the Uni . . . Tight Lines !


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## lfunk11 (Jun 17, 2010)

did pretty well and caught a bunch of mullet with some bigger ones


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## CoolDude (Sep 28, 2010)

Go with small loops and just rig already snell ed hooks through them.

I personally like the way the drop loops keep the hooks from tangling again the main line.

I've recently gotten broken off by a few large croakers...that i suspect were in that 17" range. They have a bullish run and i think many of the large ones even spin/roll aggressively. Many times, midway through a fishing trip, the mono leaders are "curled up"....i think that is due to the rolling/spinning. To remedy this I've recently started putting a swivel, not snap swivel, on the dropperloop. It eliminates not being able to thread loop through small hook eye, you can swap out hooks with twisted leaders, it keeps the perpendicular to the main line, change hook sizes without changing rigs...which keeps you from having rigs tangled throughout your tackle box and I'm hoping it will help with those big, rolling croakers 

the downsize is that it increases rig cost.


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## MSRIEF (May 21, 2007)

Ya could always cut the double dropper loops and snell the hooks on FWIW.


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## scorpioreno40 (Apr 22, 2012)

RoryGoggin said:


> If you really like to loop the dropper loops through the eye of the hook and the eye is to small too easily feed the doubled line through the eye, take a six inch (or so) piece of the same line that you cut off the end first, the feed one end of this through the eye of the hook, then through the dropper loop, then back through the eye of the hook - then pull (using pliers if necessary) the loop through the eye of the hook.
> 
> Hope this helps.


+1


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

MSRIEF said:


> Ya could always cut the double dropper loops and snell the hooks on FWIW.


Just like in post #9 . . . LOL !


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## flathead (Dec 18, 2003)

Take a 3'-4' section of fluorocarbon and tie a triple surgeons loop in one end, making the loop itself 3-4" for the sinker and the tag end about 10-12". Tie the other end to a 30# sampo barrel swivel using an improved clinch knot, leaving a tag end of about 6-8". Tie your hooks to the tag ends using a simple clinch knot. Been using this for decades.


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## MSRIEF (May 21, 2007)

ez2cdave said:


> Just like in post #9 . . . LOL !


Post #9 said "tie", my post said "snell" the hook(s)


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

MSRIEF said:


> Post #9 said "tie", my post said "snell" the hook(s)


Snelling is a form of tying . . .


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