# Pulley Rig vs. Fishfinder



## jedi_angler (Jul 5, 2003)

Just looking for opinions on which of these rigs folks like to use better, along with the pro's or con's of each that make for that preference.

Also, what # line (for either) would you want to use for the hook snood, when making your own? (I'm using 50# for the trace).

Thanks all!


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## Ralph (Aug 1, 2002)

*major props...*

jedi, dang at least ya got the fishin lingo right. 
frankly i do not have a preference. imho the name of the game is adaptability. what i have noticed is the guys that are catching fish their tackle is slightly different from the ones "we" order. i apologize for not know the name but line that acts like the pulley but i have noticed it is generally shorted or longer than the one i am using. so my suggestion is to sneak a peak at the competitions'. the same goes for the fish finder rig. the first guy that catches a fish take a look and see how long the line is that is attached to the hook. i' ll bet cha a dolla it is either shorter or in some cases longer than the one you are using. so retool my friend. those that do not retool i.e. ibm, xerox, kodak are destine for failure. 

toyota ralph


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## jedi_angler (Jul 5, 2003)

_Toyota_ Ralph?

What's with that? Rover Ralph, I'm familiar with, but Toyota Ralph?


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## markedwards (Jan 29, 2001)

*here are my thoughts*

the fish finder rig's pros are its easy to tie, very little terminal tackle,can be scaled down for different species, allows you to quickly change wieghts with changing conditions and i allows a fish to take the bait without feeling the sinker.

cons not a long distance rig and you can't cast soft baits a long way.

the pulley rig's pro's are its a long distance rig,the shield allows for soft baits to be cast long distance,good for use over a rough bottom,with pretied rigs you can change the length of the rig to match changing conditions,andboth rigs allow you to use very light leaders for line wary fish.

cons it takes some time to tie,uses a lot of terminal tackle,and can cost as much as 1.50 to tie just 1 rig.

like ralph said flexabilty is the best asset to use regardless of which rig you choose.i love the flexability of the pulley rig in that i can tie a 5 foot rig body(trace) and anywhere from a 6 inch to 4 1/2 foot snell(snood) and fish this rig at extreme distances.it has been the flexability that has made the pulley rig a go to rig for me.


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## jedi_angler (Jul 5, 2003)

Mark - Thanks man, exactly the kind of info I was looking for - very helpful....

jedi


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## LongRanger (Oct 4, 2000)

Hi Jedi,

I sometimes use a 3" snood on my fish finder rig and it WILL cast a long way with small baits (bloodworm or small cut baits). I have also had good luck with wishbone snoods on a fish finder rigs.

If I want more movement in the water I use a long snood on the Pulley Rigs. Otherwise, I keep it short (12"). I have used Pulley rigs that open up to six or seven feet with success. 

I hope this helps.


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## Eric G (Nov 15, 2000)

Check out Breakaway new Terminator (or is Transporter) rig. Bad thing about it you have to use the Breakaway sinker with release clip built in (no Breakaway hoods used in the rig)


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## RegDunlop (Apr 1, 2008)

I have been attempting to use a pulley type rig, but its not working out.

here in NY I have been fishing a 'fishfinder,"typoe setup for stripers in the surf forever, last year I read in a local fishing magazine about the pulley type system....and it has intrigued me, the local b and t was unsure of how to rig it, but they showed me parts that BReakaway sells for constructing a pulley ssystem


now I am interested in getting more breakaway parts and building a breakaway pulley system, those "sputnik" sinkers look like a great idea


Here is my main question:

How do you hook the bait and then hook the hook to the sinker shield?

When I hook a bait (either a cut or chunk of menhaden or clam) I try to conceal the hook somewhat in the bait with just a small amount of hook exposed.

when I hook the bait and try to put it on the sinker shield the bait gets destroyed.


what am I doing wrong? 

anybody have pictures of a breakaway or pulley system being used with the bait on the hook attached to the sinker?


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## dsurf (Aug 5, 2003)

RegDunlop said:


> I have been attempting to use a pulley type rig, but its not working out.
> 
> here in NY I have been fishing a 'fishfinder,"typoe setup for stripers in the surf forever, last year I read in a local fishing magazine about the pulley type system....and it has intrigued me, the local b and t was unsure of how to rig it, but they showed me parts that BReakaway sells for constructing a pulley ssystem
> 
> ...


No need to try to conceal the hook.


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## eric (Oct 24, 2007)

I'll tell ya simply 

the pulley rig just does not work here in NYC on the surf. Our beaches just aren't deep enough to make good use of it. Also it is possible to make a clipped ff rig. I'll take pics of it later.




RegDunlop said:


> I have been attempting to use a pulley type rig, but its not working out.
> 
> here in NY I have been fishing a 'fishfinder,"typoe setup for stripers in the surf forever, last year I read in a local fishing magazine about the pulley type system....and it has intrigued me, the local b and t was unsure of how to rig it, but they showed me parts that BReakaway sells for constructing a pulley ssystem
> 
> ...


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## markedwards (Jan 29, 2001)

eric said:


> I'll tell ya simply
> 
> the pulley rig just does not work here in NYC on the surf. Our beaches just aren't deep enough to make good use of it. Also it is possible to make a clipped ff rig. I'll take pics of it later.


any pics yet? inquring minds wanna see it.


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## Jersey Hunter (Jul 26, 2009)

*a couple of photos of pulley rigs*

http://i1040.photobucket.com/albums/b404/jerseyhunter1/DSCF0001.jpg

http://i1040.photobucket.com/albums/b404/jerseyhunter1/DSCF0002.jpg

In photo from the sinker you have IMP from Breakaway, bead, you can just see a part of a swivel, second bead,breakaway fast clip,swivel leader and hook.

Between the IMP and the fast clip I use 4 or 5 ft of leader, my snelled hooks I keep fairly short from 4" to12". If you google rolling tackle box I think you can find most of this stuff, I prefer the IMPS to the older types of rigs breakaway had.
As you can see I just clip my leader above the hook I think it releases better then it does when buried in clam.

Hope this helps


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## markedwards (Jan 29, 2001)

thanks for the pics, but i use the pulley rig too i was hoping to see this clipped down fish finder rig that eric is using sounds promising.


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## RegDunlop (Apr 1, 2008)

thanks

interested in learning more about the rig eric mentioned


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## Soapboy (Nov 10, 2009)

*snood?*

Hey everyone,

I'm assuming that "snood" means snell, please correct me if I'm wrong. 

I would love to see or hear more about these pulley rigs and or a "clipped down" fishfinder rig. I have pretty much only ever used a fishfinder in the surf. When I hear "pulley rig", I think of a rig I have seen guys using to target big sharks from the surf. The rig that I have seen these guys use actually has a pulley wheel as part of the terminal rig that gets tossed into the water.

When targeting big drum, I generally "snood" my hooks very short, 2" or less. Even that short, the bait will helicopter eventually. Heck, a cannonball rig will helicopter depending on conditions. So, does a "clipped down" fishfinder not helicopter? 

Any info or pics would be great

Thanks


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## Jersey Hunter (Jul 26, 2009)

I would like to see how to make that rig too. Have an idea of how I would make one but never tried to see if it would work. Not sure what the advantage of a fishfinder would be over the pulley,they both allow the fish to pick up the bait without feeling the sinker.


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## moose22dog (Feb 17, 2010)

im pretty sure i know what a pully rig is but like said would love to see some pics,if anyone has some. whats up mark.LOL


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## FishinMortician (Jun 19, 2007)

Pulley rigs are not all that special, they do work very well for extreme distance needs and for fishing over rough bottom. They do well at distance because everything stays streamlined and nothing flaps around. Good for rough bottom, because when a fish is on the hook, the sinker is raised up and away from the sea floor. Less likely to snag that way.

Here is a simple drawing I made to illustrate a basic rig.











You should have a bait clip on the sinker. This must be strong, which is why an Imp or an Impact Shield, both Breakaway products, don't do well. Pull too hard and the imp can break or bend the clip, and an Impact Shield would slide and disengage. A solid piece of wire attached directly to the sinker, and behind is best. It would be easy enough to rig up something like that. 

If the clip fails to release, and when wound back in, still has the baited hook attached- open it up a bit. If it releases on the cast, close it in some.

From the sinker, add a swivel if you like, maybe a clip, but defintely a bead. The bead will keep the pulley from sliding over top of the sinker and possibly damaging the line. The other place a bead is required, is to protect the link/connection on the other side of the pulley device. Again, to halt the movement of the pulley.

You can see where there are two different leader materials- red and green. The green leader material must be sufficiently strong to hold up to a power cast. I recommend a minimum of 60# test, and can be regular mono. The red can be lighter weight, around 40# test and flouro works well enough. Notice that the stronger line goes through the pulley and down the other side for a ways. This is to allow it to absorb the force, and not the smaller sized material. The smaller sized will still have some force applied, but it will work out to be less than half the total. There is lots of room to modify, just becareful.

I like a uni to uni connection, but a swivel works well. You can even make up several different leaders and simply clip the different bite leaders to the same old main rig body. As long as your lengths are close, it works out fine. You can use a flouro carbon leader with a 2/0 hook one minute, then switch out to a steel leader and a 5/0 hook if the bluefish are harassing you.

Overall length is subjective. The longer the more freedom of movement of the hook and the further from the seafloor. May or may not work out to be good for you. The shorter the overall length, the further it will fly.

Now the pulley itself. It attaches to your shock leader. You can simply use a swivel here, doesn't matter, as long as the line is free to move. Usually, a swivel will kink the line and create a disfunctional rig with useage. Breakaway, makes a "Proper Pulley" which is super cool, works very well, and I have landed some big fish using it. It is plastic however, and could break and cost you a nice fish. The picture that follows shows you how you can make your own pulley.










Notice its simplicity. Nothing more than a split ring and a loop protector, mated together. Loop protectors are dirt cheap and used in offshore fishing. I clipped my loop protector to where it fit the ring I already had. I use a clip to attach to a swivel, so that is why it is there. You may not need the Genie clip. This is very slick, does not damage the main rig body, is very strong, and costs little to nothing to make. I showed the other thing, just to indicate its absolute junk value.

You must make certain that the sinker outweighs the bait, otherwise it will not work out for you.

I hook my pulley rigs to my extreme distance sinkers.










Soon......available for sale. This one has a lift attached, but.....that isn't a great thing afterall. 

I was fooling around on the beach one day and pitched a baited pulley rig with my sinker- 169 laser measured yards. Bait at distance- got to love that.

Becareful when baiting the hook. Leave the hook barren from the point to the bend, placing the bend in the bait clip. This allows the hook to free itself when splashdown occurs.

A real caster would sling this thing to Madagascar. I hooked one to a friends spinning rod and he easily passed 150 yards, and he is not a tournament caster.

This setup is also extremely effective on days with headwinds. It will punch its way through.

The sinker is my own concept, and I call it the Hi-Flight sinker. Grips BEHIND the head make it go cat go. The grips don't break the air, but rather travel in the turbulance created by the head. Like geese in formation. The grips dig in hard and set almost too well. Of course they are completely adjustable and can be set to where even a small whiting can trip them, and release the sinker from the seafloor.

You may notice that your favorite hook doesn't work so well with this rig. It has to do with how the fish takes the hook and how the rig interacts with the fish's movements. Some small circles can get swallowed.

I believe you who are curious can find something of value here, and experiment some with this basic rig design. It can be upsized for sharks, or downsized for finesse fishing. Let me know if you need some assistance.


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## markedwards (Jan 29, 2001)

fishinmortician thats an awsome write up. i have thrown a pulley rig 150+yds a few times. that sinker looks like a winner too.


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## markedwards (Jan 29, 2001)

bumped up for kmw


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## Charlie2 (May 2, 2007)

*Clipdown Rigs*

You can make a clip to hold the baited hook for either rig by cutting the point from a 'J' Type hook. Thread the hook on the main line with the curve pointing down. Place a small piece of tubing over the line. Then put the weight on the rig. Hook this clip to the baited hook then slide until taut. Then bend the hook against the line and slide the flexible tube up over it. Pretty cheap, but effective. C2


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## Jersey Hunter (Jul 26, 2009)

Quote from Fishingmortician

You should have a bait clip on the sinker. This must be strong, which is why an Imp or an Impact Shield, both Breakaway products, don't do well. Pull too hard and the imp can break or bend the clip, 

Never had this happen in two years I've been using them, but if I did I would just tie on a new one and continue fishing for the next two years.


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