# Twisted dropper loop rig



## Shortrod (Apr 7, 2020)

. Anyone tried something like this?


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## Harrymanz (May 28, 2018)

Yes i put an orange bead on there so it looks professional


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## Shortrod (Apr 7, 2020)

How does it fish? I was wondering if it’s too stiff. My regular loops have some play to them.


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## slosh (Jul 1, 2017)

Not crazy about the visibility of the legs on that rig.


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## Eltonjohn (Aug 1, 2018)

Definitely gonna be way more visible than a single strand branch. Probably fine for a lot of species, but the sight feeders may turn their noses up at it.


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## Shortrod (Apr 7, 2020)

I’d never seen anything like it. Found this on a catfish forum, might be there for a reason.


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## Harrymanz (May 28, 2018)

Yeah i do just fine with them i like the twist because it keeps the hook stable if that makes sense


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## Drum Junkie (Aug 10, 2020)

River rig will out fish that thing all day long!!


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## fish bucket (Dec 5, 2002)

If you are worried about abrasion just use heavier mono


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## Shortrod (Apr 7, 2020)

What’s this river rig you speak of????? Sounds magical!!! Jk😁


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## Gorge (Jun 13, 2017)

The River rig is magical. Take a four foot piece of florocarbon and tie an overhand loop a foot from each end. one loop goes to the running line, the other loop goes to a sinker. The two free ends get circle hooks and a bead or no bead.


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## Shortrod (Apr 7, 2020)

We catch some nice mullet on that River rig! Haven’t got a citation pomp on it yet though. I go bead on the top hook naked on the bottom.


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## james hunt (Mar 28, 2021)

anybody try the Double Leprechaun or Donkey Rig? Take a four ft section of leader and tie hooks/lure on each end with non slip loop. Pinch the middle of the line and lower one side so it rides above the other i.e. tail to nose if using soft plastic/ slam Shad. Tie a loop at the pinch to tie to main line. The lines won't tangle and you can work them in tandem to look like a pair of baits darting independently.


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## ABombs (Oct 13, 2020)

Gorge said:


> The River rig is magical. Take a four foot piece of florocarbon and tie an overhand loop a foot from each end. one loop goes to the running line, the other loop goes to a sinker. The two free ends get circle hooks and a bead or no bead.





james hunt said:


> anybody try the Double Leprechaun or Donkey Rig? Take a four ft section of leader and tie hooks/lure on each end with non slip loop. Pinch the middle of the line and lower one side so it rides above the other i.e. tail to nose if using soft plastic/ slam Shad. Tie a loop at the pinch to tie to main line. The lines won't tangle and you can work them in tandem to look like a pair of baits darting independently.


You guys should make video(s) to describe these rigs.

I have fished the dropper loop rig and it is fantastic. It holds the hook in a way that catches the fish on the lower lip with a very high hookup rate. I have also fished a river rig with one drifting hook and the hookup rate off the beaches and passes has not been as good, but my experience is limited.


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## River (Sep 30, 2006)

Remember ... the RiverRig uses mostly circle hooks so you have to let the fish hook itself .... if you're a Rod watcher and grab your rod and jerk with the first bumps, you'll lose a lot of fish ..... forget the bumps and nibbles and wait till the rod bends down or the line goes slack ..... then pull back, don't jerk and you'll miss very few fish .... if you're getting bumps and the rod never bends or the line does'nt go slack .. then it probably a small fish or crab and not worth catching .... as I tell everyone .... "Let him eat" are you'll pull the hook outta their mouth ..


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## Shortrod (Apr 7, 2020)

Sound like ABombs might be referring to a Carolina style rig as a River rig. Maybe he needs the real thang


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## james hunt (Mar 28, 2021)

ABombs said:


> You guys should make video(s) to describe these rigs.
> 
> I have fished the dropper loop rig and it is fantastic. It holds the hook in a way that catches the fish on the lower lip with a very high hookup rate. I have also fished a river rig with one drifting hook and the hookup rate off the beaches and passes has not been as good, but my experience is limited.


 Here is a video that I saw: 








Easiest Way To Tie A Donkey Rig [The Double Leprechaun] » Salt Strong Fishing Club


Want to see a cool rig that'll catch a ton of fish on the flats with the potential of catchiing 2 fish on 1 cast? Then check out this post.




www.saltstrong.com





There are others talking about the Donkey Rig using swivels and snaps. (too much hardware). I tie nearly everything or if I need something quick change, I use the Tactical Angler Power clips which can be found on Amazon or a company I use Tackledirect,com. The 50 lb size is just right but for jig heads with very small eyes, they have a micro size (25 lb)


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## ABombs (Oct 13, 2020)

Shortrod said:


> Sound like ABombs might be referring to a Carolina style rig as a River rig. Maybe he needs the real thang


Yeah, this is what I have been calling a "river rig." I tie it with a T-knot and skip the extra hardware.













james hunt said:


> Here is a video that I saw:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Great video link! Thanks. I tie a similar rig for pompano jigs, with 2 jigs on a single line. I haven't seen it done with bigger soft plastics though, and their method for tying it is slightly easier than the way I have been tying pompano jigs. I might try this next time I go out just to see how it goes.


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## Shortrod (Apr 7, 2020)

Check out River rig in The Fishing Bible archive. Lots to read and learn.


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## ABombs (Oct 13, 2020)

Shortrod said:


> Check out River rig in The Fishing Bible archive. Lots to read and learn.



Well... I went through the first 13 pages of the thread you speak of, and I cannot find a single working link (all links are dead), or a description anyone agrees on, nor a diagram, or anything.... Mind linking me to a resource of some kind?


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## Gorge (Jun 13, 2017)

It's really just as simple as I said above. A hook on each end and two loops in between, You can vary the length of the traces and the distance between the loops however you want. I usually make the traces about a foot in length. That leaves a little less than 2 feet between the loops.


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## River (Sep 30, 2006)

Good description Gorge .... make one loop large to thread your sinker on and the other loop small to tie your main line to ..... loops need double knotted to keep from pulling down when you get a fish on ... simple to tie ...


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## ABombs (Oct 13, 2020)

Gorge said:


> It's really just as simple as I said above. A hook on each end and two loops in between, You can vary the length of the traces and the distance between the loops however you want. I usually make the traces about a foot in length. That leaves a little less than 2 feet between the loops.



I tied one as described to look it over and think. Previously I was using something similar and found that occasionally when I hook something big, the weak point in the rig that breaks is the double overhand knots. Using 40 lb fluoro leader, I tied up a rig very similar to this and hooked a very large stingray. I got it right up next to the pier and it pulled back down and broke me off at the knot. Between that day, and a few others like it, I moved away from double overhand knots for multi-hook rigs in favor or T-knots, (like what is shown in the twisted dropper loop rig video linked by the OP). The T-knots are much stronger and less prone to snapping than the double overhand knots, in my humble experience.

Next time I tie up some rigs I will try a modified river rig using T-knots for the loops rather than double overhand knots. If I remember I will take a photo of the final river rig and will post it here.


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## SNUFFY (Mar 23, 2004)

All caught using the River Rig over the past few fears at Cape Hatteras. Need I say more.
Michael


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## FisherDan (Jun 8, 2003)

River, Snuffy - What pound test leader do you fellows like to use for whiting and for pompano? Also, what brand and size hooks. I've had success with the the River rig over the years, but not sure that I'm using the best components. For mullet, I've used Circle Sea hooks, sizes 1 & 2 and Mutu Lights , sizes 4 & 2. I've experimented with 20# to 30# fluorocarbon. Just looking for some advice from the inventor and the Mullet Man - Thanks. FisherDan


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

FisherDan said:


> River, Snuffy - What pound test leader do you fellows like to use for whiting and for pompano? Also, what brand and size hooks. I've had success with the the River rig over the years, but not sure that I'm using the best components. For mullet, I've used Circle Sea hooks, sizes 1 & 2 and Mutu Lights , sizes 4 & 2. I've experimented with 20# to 30# fluorocarbon. Just looking for some advice from the inventor and the Mullet Man - Thanks. FisherDan


You're right in there. Just modify it to be exactly what you like. I use 25 lb Seaguar blue label with #4 offset Mutu Lights. I'll use 30 lb if that's what I have. 20 lb starts to be a little too limp for bottom rigs IMO and wraps up in current.


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## River (Sep 30, 2006)

What SmoothLures said ..... 25 or 30 Seaguar Blue label and # 4 Mitu light circle .... if I'm targeting slot pups with fresh shrimp, I'll up the hook size to a 1 or 1/0 ....


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## FisherDan (Jun 8, 2003)

River and SmoothLures - Started out a few years ago using #4 Mutu Lite offset with 30 lb Seaguar Blue rigs and they worked well. Then I started experimenting, caught fewer and fewer mullet over time and I lost confidence in what I was fishing with, where I was fishing, and really in myself. You guys have straightened me out. Just the input I need before I start tying up a bunch of River rigs for the upcoming season. Thanks to both of you. Dan


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## ABombs (Oct 13, 2020)

A little more of my feedback on the river rig versus twisted dropper loop rig. I have been fishing both rigs side-by-side lately, and when there is any current at all, the river rig gets tangled and requires a lot more attention, whereas the twisted dropper loop rig requires hardly any attention at all. Hands down, fishing passes, inlets, and beaches with current, the twisted dropper loop rig out fishes the river rig again and again. I use small pompano floats on each, and the same hook. Twisted dropper loop rig hooks every fish on the bottom lip, which means it is holding the hook and bait up off the bottom in a uniform and predictable manner. The river rig is all over the place, and wraps up on itself, and hookups happen on both upper and lower lips, meaning the hook is floating around in all directions. The potentially more visible legs of the twisted dropper loop rig do not seem to keep any fish away, in my experience.


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## River (Sep 30, 2006)

ABombs said:


> A little more of my feedback on the river rig versus twisted dropper loop rig. I have been fishing both rigs side-by-side lately, and when there is any current at all, the river rig gets tangled and requires a lot more attention, whereas the twisted dropper loop rig requires hardly any attention at all. Hands down, fishing passes, inlets, and beaches with current, the twisted dropper loop rig out fishes the river rig again and again. I use small pompano floats on each, and the same hook. Twisted dropper loop rig hooks every fish on the bottom lip, which means it is holding the hook and bait up off the bottom in a uniform and predictable manner. The river rig is all over the place, and wraps up on itself, and hookups happen on both upper and lower lips, meaning the hook is floating around in all directions. The potentially more visible legs of the twisted dropper loop rig do not seem to keep any fish away, in my experience.


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## River (Sep 30, 2006)

You are correct, The RiverRig will tangle and the longer you make the drops and smaller the fluoro, the more it tangles ... but as my friends say "Its worth the tangle" .... the moving all around is what makes the bait look natural. Theres one thing I don't understand ... 90% of the fish I catch and my friends catch are hooked in the tough area in the corner of the mouth cause as the fish swims off and the circle hook pulls out it goes straight to the corner of their mouth .... don't understand why you're hooking them in the lip which can tear out easily .... with a RiverRig you must allow the fish to take the bait and swim off, if you pick up the rod and pull back before the rod bends down or your line drops slack you'll lose fish or lip hook the fish .... you've got to give the circle hook time to do what its designed to do ... People that run and jerk at the first nibble don't do well with RiverRigs .... they need to use J hooks .... Good Luck and Thanks for the input ..... use what works best for you .


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## ABombs (Oct 13, 2020)

I let them hook themselves. I am never in a rush. I don't jump for pinfish nibbles. I wait until a real fish hooks itself. I even caught a snook bigger than my leg on a twisted dropper loop rig right of the beach a few weeks ago. And snook are notoriously leader shy. It was way over 30 lb, over 4 feet. I wasn't expecting it on this rig. So far, the twisted dropper loop rig has been the best for me. If I need more freedom for the bait to move around, (or just using a very big bait), my next best rig is a fish finder rig.


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