# Rig tying question?



## Drumbeater (Jul 18, 2010)

It sure has been a while since I posted on here, really enjoy reading the updates and good info.. Now that that's outta the way..

I'm tying my own rigs (dropper loop) I've been researching the threads and have tied my own before, but I was reading a thread that got me wondering... 

- distance? Between Traces and the distance between the bottom trace and the sinker.. 
- length? Length of the loops or traces... (approx)
- I target pomps, pups, black drum, mullets, spots, you get the jist lol... I have been using 17lb mono, but I'm gonna switch to floro, just for chits and grins, any tips on the length and distance between traces would be awesome, I know that this is a sensitive area for some.. Just trying to see if I'm in the ball park, gonna head to Topsail in a couple of weeks, and I'm going to Ocracoke in November.. Any tips on these two places would be awesome as well, I hope this is enough info to give a detailed answer..


----------



## surffshr (Dec 8, 2003)

There is a rig called the River Rig that is very popular. Research that rig for good advice on tying rigs.


----------



## kayak456 (Jun 5, 2012)

Except NOONE ever wants to share how to tie it


----------



## Drumbeater (Jul 18, 2010)

I've seen-heard of and read about the RR.. My MAIN concern or question was about the distance between the bottom trace and the sinker.. The other stuff was excitement about actually getting time to go fishing lol


----------



## dudeondacouch (Apr 6, 2010)

surffshr said:


> There is a rig called the River Rig that is very popular. Research that rig for good advice on tying rigs.


----------



## Drumbeater (Jul 18, 2010)

^^ lol


----------



## AbuMike (Sep 3, 2007)

LOL....gotta love it


----------



## River (Sep 30, 2006)

I've been working on a RR Shark Rig ----- just for you dudeondaCouch ---- River


----------



## dudeondacouch (Apr 6, 2010)

I'm already using the RR commercial longlining rigs. Will these be better?


----------



## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

hilarious. drumbeater - this is what i do, no expert but target similar fish and tie all my own rigs:

if you are tying a regular multihook dropper rig (which it sounds like you are) you have to decide how far you are going to throw it, just easy lob casting past the breakers you can get away with 20 or 25lb fluoro. I usually tie mine out of 25lb fluoro, dropper loops/snoods about 6" with each snood about 12" apart, sinker about 6-8" below last snood/dropper loop. worked just fine for me from topsail for many years.

you can buy a river rig online for several bucks from the hatteras shops if you want to see what the fuss is about and tie your own. it is something many of us have tied before we knew it as the river rig, and it is a good rig for bottom fishing and works well. in general i would tie it out of 30lb fluoro. if you need to throw more lead you can bastardize an "earl brinn" rig (google it) and mate it with the river rig, use 40-50lb fluoro as your main leader line, then attach snoods (20-30lb test) using the earl brinn method at the same places on the mainline where the river rig traces would be, this will let you keep the snoods at a lighter # test for better bait presentation yet still let you throw 4-5 oz if you need it to hold. or you can just switch to 3oz sputniks which hold like a 5oz pyramid....

but basically you cant go wrong if you follow the following principles: fluoro only using the lightest #test you can get away with, NO hardware except hook/sinker/?beads, high quality expensive circle hooks (owner, gami, mustad demon...i would not trust eagle claw, VMC, etc. if my life depended on it) - change these out after 1 day or resharpen them, and FRESH bait...i prefer live fleas but will also use extremely fresh shrimp (must have been caught within 24h and kept on ice) and live bloodworms...just my 2c, works on small bottom fish at topsail...


----------



## Drumbeater (Jul 18, 2010)

Thanks Greg, I appreciate the insight with out all the RR banter lol, I had a feeling when I posted this question that I may get a lot of RR bashing... I may pick one up when going to ocracoke, just to say I have 😉 and I agree with you on bait selection and tackle, I was thinking I may have been a little short on my sinker distance from the lowest trace, but I was close..


----------



## River (Sep 30, 2006)

I am doing my best dudeondacouch to make it the best, one of my friends is the Cape Point Sharkmaster --------- never used a Dropper Loop on a RR and more length on the drops (snoods) up to 12 inches also a little more in between em too ---- You're spot on about the smaller Fluoro, go as small as you can stand but I also use 25 ----- I shot you a PM Drumbeater --- River


----------



## Drumbeater (Jul 18, 2010)

Got it river.. I shot you one back, hopefully not two.. Lol.. I'm on my phone so its a little contrary


----------



## dudeondacouch (Apr 6, 2010)

River said:


> I am doing my best dudeondacouch to make it the best, one of my friends is the Cape Point Sharkmaster --- River


wait... are you serious about the shark rig?

a ff rig with a nylon-coated steel bite leader won't work for him? does it need to be castable? is he a braid heathen? (<- serious questions)


----------



## River (Sep 30, 2006)

dudeondacouch ---- He ties his on Rigs and he does use coated steel leader with braid main line - He yaks the bait out, he works at Teaches Lair and gets the Tuna heads and other stuff from the fish cleaning guys ---- he catches a lot of Sharks and fishes for em at least 3 days a week when he's not working ---- I was just kidding about the Shark Rig, I'll stick with Fluoro Rigs ---- River


----------



## greg12345 (Jan 8, 2007)

drumbeater - just to clarify those measurements were not meant for tying "river rigs" but rather traditional two or three hook dropper rigs


----------



## dudeondacouch (Apr 6, 2010)

ah... if he's yakking baits out, he doesn't need anything special.


----------



## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

Just about 20ft of 400lb mono and a couple feet of cable or even better single strand. Gets it done most of the time, I would prefer not to catch little biters on river rigs, fluros expensive


----------



## JAM (Jul 22, 2002)

kayak456 said:


> Except NOONE ever wants to share how to tie it


Not True, Offer Stands at the Roost, buy one and I will show you how to tie it.. More Important I will show you the Components that its made from.. 

JAM


----------



## JAM (Jul 22, 2002)

River said:


> dudeondacouch ---- He ties his on Rigs and he does use coated steel leader with braid main line - He yaks the bait out, he works at Teaches Lair and gets the Tuna heads and other stuff from the fish cleaning guys ---- he catches a lot of Sharks and fishes for em at least 3 days a week when he's not working ---- I was just kidding about the Shark Rig, I'll stick with Fluoro Rigs ---- River



Last weeks Lemon Shark... 150 pound Braid to 400 Pound Mono.. 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...927.1073741851.210314212339165&type=1&theater

JAM


----------



## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

Dats a nice un


----------



## Drumbeater (Jul 18, 2010)

Wow, that is awesome! Those are rare up this way.. Aren't they? Lemons?


----------



## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

No lemons are pretty common, only rare shark I can think of besides exotics is a nurse


----------



## Drumbeater (Jul 18, 2010)

10-4, thanks. 
On another note, I met River today.. It was just a chance meet, he is a super nice guy. And he showed me how to tie one up. Very simple rig, but I havent tied anything like it.. He was super knowledgable and gave great tips and pointers.. Sorry that our meet was so brief I coulda picked his brain for hours, not often you get to talk with good experience especially when your 4 -6 hours from the coast.. Thanks River, 
and if you guys are ever in Hatteras, I recommend giving him a chance to teach ya something.. he makes a ton of good points.


----------



## gilly21 (Feb 15, 2006)

I dont really know the back story on the RR debate animosity etc. But I been tieing the rig called the river rig for about as long as I have been fishing the surf. Been using floro since 2004 or so when it was readily available to my modest budget back them. It works. It is proven and if you dont like it use something else. Maybe River is a nice guy maybe he's as big an @$$ hole as me, IDK, but good on him for figuring a way to make some extra cash out on the island. Aint as many of us tourons going through there supporting the economy like it used to.

For origional post. I like to tie my rigs so that when I have them on the rod, I can hook the two hooks together and they are drawn tight by the loop or lead clip. It keeps the hooks from flying all over and being dangerous. The trace starts at 6" minimum but gets shorter as it is bit off, rubbed etc...


----------



## surfmom (Nov 3, 2012)

sigh..he doesn't make any money on them,


----------



## JAM (Jul 22, 2002)

River is a Great Guy and he will sure be missed on the Island, but he has told me to keep showing everyone who buys one how to tie it. Allot of Folks "THINK" they know how to Tie it and what components are used.. But I have not found one person that has said I've been tieing it for years that has been tieing it the way River came up with.. Even the Old Salts that think they are, well Are not.. Just take a look at what is being called the Pro Rig at a few certain tackle shops that decided not to carry the RR.. Lets just say not even close.. Gilly River is a Nice Guy, I'm the @sshole.. LOL.. JAM


----------



## dudeondacouch (Apr 6, 2010)

oooh, riverrig drama now extends to full-on tackle store competition with negative advertising? opcorn:


----------



## River (Sep 30, 2006)

Thanks Jam, Teaches has one great group of people/fisherman and all are my good friends. Moving on to the next item in my bucket - Hatteras Island is a beautiful place, the fish I've caught there was nothing short of amazing, the great times I've had there will never be forgotten but there's a lot of other places I want to fish, the dog and me are gonna regroup and head to the next item. I will still be spending a lot of time at Hatteras - Spring and Fall, thanks to some great friends ---- Surfmom, Don't know if I said something to confuse you but I do get royalty's off the RR ---- and Thanks to Smartphones and Computers I will continue to post what I'm up to here and on other websites - looking forward to visiting the southern beaches of NC, from Beaufort Inlet to Myrtle Beach where I spent a lot of my younger years. I like the Kure Beach/Southport areas a lot - I've caught lots of Flounder there, would love to do it again --- Hope to meet some of you guys during my journeys, even the ones that don't care for me or the RR - Heck, I might even take a spin in the old Cherokee and visit Solid7, who knows ? --- River


----------



## JAM (Jul 22, 2002)

dudeondacouch said:


> oooh, riverrig drama now extends to full-on tackle store competition with negative advertising? opcorn:


No Drama, No competition, Seems to me you are the Drama...

JAM


----------



## dudeondacouch (Apr 6, 2010)

JAM said:


> No Drama, No competition, Seems to me you are the Drama...
> 
> JAM


i'm not the one downtalking something called a "pro rig" (assumedly a competitive product) that's being sold at "certain tackle shops" (assumedly competitive establishments) for being of lesser quality than my favored consumer product.

i dislike all storebought rigs equally. (although NOT the people who make/market/sell them, OR the people who buy/use them, OR EVEN the people who recommend them. I DO, however, find annoyance with people who recommend them to others, when the person wasn't asking what rig to buy, but how to make their own.)


----------



## JAM (Jul 22, 2002)

dudeondacouch said:


> i'm not the one downtalking something called a "pro rig" (assumedly a competitive product) that's being sold at "certain tackle shops" (assumedly competitive establishments) for being of lesser quality than my favored consumer product.
> 
> i dislike all storebought rigs equally. (although NOT the people who make/market/sell them, OR the people who buy/use them, OR EVEN the people who recommend them. I DO, however, find annoyance with people who recommend them to others, when the person wasn't asking what rig to buy, but how to make their own.)


No competition at all, if I was doin that I would have named names, hence I did not..Matter of Fact, up until the the fith word, I have not mentioned the River Rig, in a Post in over a Month.. People think they know how to Tie it, but half of them do not even know how to tie it to their Running Line.. If you re-read the Post I was not tellin anyone to Buy anything.. I was stating the fact that ALLOT of People "THINK" they know how to tie it and quite frankly do not.. Sorry I ain't takin the Bait.. Gonna go catch some Fish on my Yak instead, the water looks so inviting out my Window.. 

p.s. The RR was designed so the Average or Newbie Surf Fisherman or Woman, can catch like a Pro or an Ole Salt, sorry so many folks are p1ssed, because you tie your own rigs and use flouro the average joe does not, now I see why folks are P!ssed, Average Joes can now OUT FISH YOU....... 

JAM


----------



## Drumbeater (Jul 18, 2010)

I will say this about my encounter with River, he made suggestions, and tied the rig in certain ways, that by looking at a store bought version I would not have caught when copying, but when explained why he did it that way,.. it made great since. the way he attaches the hook with a loop, was very eye opening and made a lot of since, and his advice about traces/drops and beads was great to. after having the rig explained to me by the man who made it, I will probably always tie it the way he showed me, he just made a lot of common since.. that you loose when comparing this that and the other.. as far as rig design and ease. 

just my .02

Im 3 - 4 weeks from my trip to Topsail, if everything holds together, and I'm tossing this rig (RR) so hopefully I'll have a great testimonial..


----------



## gilly21 (Feb 15, 2006)

JAM said:


> .. Gilly River is a Nice Guy, I'm the @sshole.. LOL.. JAM



I know  So are all my fishin buddies! It is not a skill to be taught but ingrained in DNA. I think it is buried in the thick skin we also come with.

Fair point that I am probably not tieing Rivers designed rig. I have however been using floro, and a rig that under general inspection looks similar. I havent bought a rig from a shop in over a dozen years. Doesnt mean I look down on those that do. Again good on River for marketing a talent and filling a niche.


----------



## surfmom (Nov 3, 2012)

River said:


> Thanks Jam, Teaches has one great group of people/fisherman and all are my good friends. Moving on to the next item in my bucket - Hatteras Island is a beautiful place, the fish I've caught there was nothing short of amazing, the great times I've had there will never be forgotten but there's a lot of other places I want to fish, the dog and me are gonna regroup and head to the next item. I will still be spending a lot of time at Hatteras - Spring and Fall, thanks to some great friends ---- Surfmom, Don't know if I said something to confuse you but I do get royalty's off the RR ---- and Thanks to Smartphones and Computers I will continue to post what I'm up to here and on other websites - looking forward to visiting the southern beaches of NC, from Beaufort Inlet to Myrtle Beach where I spent a lot of my younger years. I like the Kure Beach/Southport areas a lot - I've caught lots of Flounder there, would love to do it again --- Hope to meet some of you guys during my journeys, even the ones that don't care for me or the RR - Heck, I might even take a spin in the old Cherokee and visit Solid7, who knows ? --- River


oops guess i was who cares you should get royalities. let me know when your headed to MB! pics coming in a few of the mess of fish I we caughtoff the surf with neeked and beaded RR this am!!!!!


----------



## kayak456 (Jun 5, 2012)

River, i hope you do move to kure. my grandma lives in wilmington and when i visit her i fish kure pier every chance i get, i am on my way home back to maryland right now though 

i caught alot of flounder and drum and trout this trip, and i will write a report when i get home

the reason i didnt write a report yet is because i dont have my laptop and if i wrote a report without pics noone would believe me so ill wait till i get my laptop

About tying rigs, i just eye ball it, usually 4 feet of leaders then tie on a tiny swivel, then a dropper loop, another dropped loop, and a small duolock snap. I like to use #4 or #6 owner mutu light circle hooks . I am interested in trying the river rig and want to order one soon


----------



## AbuMike (Sep 3, 2007)

JAM said:


> River is a Great Guy and he will sure be missed on the Island, but he has told me to keep showing everyone who buys one how to tie it. Allot of Folks "THINK" they know how to Tie it and what components are used.. But I have not found one person that has said I've been tieing it for years that has been tieing it the way River came up with.. Even the Old Salts that think they are, well Are not.. Just take a look at what is being called the Pro Rig at a few certain tackle shops that decided not to carry the RR.. Lets just say not even close.. *Gilly River is a Nice Guy, I'm the @sshole.. LO*L.. JAM


You trying to get my belt or what....hahahahahaha


----------



## bronzbck1 (Jun 13, 2007)

dudeondacouch said:


> oooh, riverrig drama now extends to full-on tackle store competition with negative advertising? opcorn:


Spoken by the drama queen


----------



## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

Sorry to hear you are leaving Hatteras River, I am probably not going to make it down until late October

I was going to show you my new "Garbo" Long distance Drum rig and compare notes on Island gossip

I have not fully tested my new Drum rig but it is bound to out cast all other rigs currently in use, whether or not it out catches the other rigs is the question, but it should in the right hands out cast.....out fish.....out trash talk any other Drum rig out there....

I only tie up a few "Garbo" rigs at a time and they are used with a special secret sinker and these rigs will not be available to the general public unless the Public wishes to pay me enough to retire and go on a extended fishing sojourn like the River Man....


----------



## Loner (Sep 9, 2009)

kayak456 said:


> River, i hope you do move to kure. my grandma lives in wilmington and when i visit her i fish kure pier every chance i get, i am on my way home back to maryland right now though
> 
> i caught alot of flounder and drum and trout this trip, and i will write a report when i get home
> 
> ...


....come on down to Topsail..... River.....there are a few of us that had 100 pomp and 100 mullet citations BEFORE we ever heard of your rig......as good as U do UP THERE...u WILL BE DEATH ON EM DOWN HERE!!!
...in all fairness I do believe we have MORE OF EM down here and a longer season on em too.....


----------

