# Tree Rigs/straw rigs



## The Skink

Everyone has their own way of tying tree rigs. There is no right or wrong as far as I know when it comes to shape, size or color. We sell 2 kinds at the pier and I also tie and sell straw rigs. I'm sure that smoothlures can go into much more detail about them. They seem to emulate silverside minnows or some other kind of baitfish. Spanish love em...

Like I said , I,m sure others can go into much more detail on them, But I thought I'd get the discussion started

BTW great idea for a discussion Bubba


----------



## BubbaHoTep

I've seen that SeaStriker rig for sale before, and I've also seen one South Bend used to make with the mylar. For the $$, it's hard to go wrong with the Lazer Sharp sabiki rigs, too. I've never had luck with those down in Myrtle Beach - have farther south, but I have some similar to those (only they have white skin) in my bag. I think mine are size 6 hook and maybe the leader is 12# (not sure), and mine is a L946. I haven't seen the plain L946-2 rig like that one before.

It looks like from your photo on the left that you threaded the hooks on before tying the dropper loops, which would prevent straw "moveage" and ensure that your hooks always pointed upward. I picked up some heavier mono leader line (50#) and had wondered about doing just that. I've always tied the dropper loops first and then secured the hooks via Palomar knot, and like I said in that other thread, we used to tie big loops, tie the Palomar, then go back and tie a smaller knot as close to the hook as possible, to try to keep the straws in place. I tried to make some up with the heavier mono line that way, but I would have to go up to about a 3/0 or 4/0 hook to fit the doubled line through the eye. I think I'll make up some by threading the hook on there ahead of time and then tying the loop using the heavier line, but I'm wondering what the heavier line would do to the up-and-down motion of the hooks (maybe not much difference). That will keep the straws on there for sure. Luckily, we have restaurants around here with yellow straws/red stripe and others with white/red stripe, and I am stocked up.  I think having a little red on there must be the key.

Of course, one of the downsides to using the lighter line (which I normally do) is that if the blues are around you can have those chopped off pretty easily. I usually make mine up with 15-17# and have plenty on hand.

Some folks (was posted before you joined up, Skink) were talking about using lures on the bottom, for the weight. I think it was Evan (kingfisherman23) who said the guy he learned from at Cherry Grove used a diamond jig. I have never done that, but I think if I did, I would want to use the heavier line (less chance of a chopoff). I've always used the smallest weight (1 oz pyramid or bank sinker) I could get by with. As I posted some time ago, I think that's a really good idea puting a lure on the bottom, but I'd hate to lose one to a chopper. 

The man who taught me most of what I know about fishing the salt and showed me how to make these rigs always said he did better using the smallest hook you could get by with, and that's what I've always done with mine. We used to use 2's and 4's all the time. Advantage: if the Spanny bite is slow and the spots move in, which spots are wont to do, you'll have some small hooks to bait with shrimp without changing rigs! 

I'll add a couple of more things and then wait and see who picks up the discussion and what direction it goes.

I also use a barrel swivel at the top like the one in the left photograph. A lot of people say that Spanish will be spooked by it, but I have not observed that. I do usually tie the weight on the bottom, rather than using a swivel down there, though. 

I've also heard from many a good fisherman that you always want to keep the number of hooks on the rig an even number, preferably 4 or 6. I always put 6 hooks on mine, about 8-10 inches apart. I'm wondering how many other folks have heard that about the even number.

All for now, will check back.


----------



## The Skink

I have made some with the diamond jigs and used them off my boat in deeper water. Made them with heavy line. They worked great, but they seem to want to tangle up in shallower water because you cant put as much distance between them.

The rigs I tie for the tourists are 17 lb test with 4 hooks and a red stripe straw. The serious spanish jiggers tie their own. We even designed a t-shirt several years age called Garden City Pier friggin' Jiggers. When I get home I'll take a pick and post it. I did the artwork on it. It's pretty funny

The touristas just want to hook a fish so we dont put alot of effort into them because they sell faster than I can tie them when the spanish bite

My personal preference is to use 25lb test and aquarium tubing over a gold hook


----------



## bluefish1928

were u the one that sat next to the counter tying rigs on saturday( or did all of u do that)?

back onto the topic of spanish rigs. at apache a lot of ppl use neon color straws. i tried them on sat, but i guess due to the slow bite i didn't get anything. i saw one guy using panfish lures(3 inch grubs) on his rigs, he caught some bluefish when the menhaden school came around. i noticed how at MB state park pier where i learned to jig for spanish, many fisherman tie directly to heavy mono using double overhand knots. elsewhere most ppl use dropper loops.


----------



## BubbaHoTep

Hey Skink, do you mean just clear aquarium tubing? I've never seen that before. If it's clear and doesn't add color, why do you do that? 

I've used lead jigs similar to diamond jigs on the bottom, btw, but they were lead jigs by a buddy of mine when we used to jig for white bass here, more for weight than anything else - no flash except for a little holo sticker - always called them "diamond jigs," but not the same as the ones that set you back a few bucks.


----------



## The Skink

BubbaHoTep said:


> Hey Skink, do you mean just clear aquarium tubing? I've never seen that before. If it's clear and doesn't add color, why do you do that?


Yeppers! Just clear tubing. I dont know why it works, but it does

Try it one time Its easy to make. I rekkin it looks like a silverside minnow. Plus it gives some protection from the teeth


----------



## BubbaHoTep

makes sense - yeah, will do some of those

Just curious, skink, how much do you all charge folks for the handmade ones with straws? a buck or so apiece?


----------



## SmoothLures

Good idea on starting this, I'll try to describe what I do later.


----------



## The Skink

BubbaHoTep said:


> makes sense - yeah, will do some of those
> 
> Just curious, skink, how much do you all charge folks for the handmade ones with straws? a buck or so apiece?


3 dollars apiece and cant make em fast enuf


----------



## bluefish1928

3 dollars is a fair deal imo. 
btw does anyone else use neon straws?


----------



## The Skink

bluefish1928 said:


> 3 dollars is a fair deal imo.
> btw does anyone else use neon straws?


I have seen some people use them but I never have. It would be kewl to do a side by side comparison when the bite is on


----------



## bluefish1928

skink, is that spot at the south west corner of the end of the pier
( the area around the bar), where most Spanish are caught? on saturday, everyone was trying ot get near that spot, but the only spanish caught were from exactly that spot and no other). i was fishing next to a guy less than 5 foot apart. he caught 2 i caught none.

another idea for mackerel tree rigs would be to use bucktail teasers(this would be expensive though). has anyone used red or silver hooks with any luck? 
some other homemade innovation i have seen on these rigs include metal strips stapled onto a hook(i assume it was aluminium), aluminum foil wrapped on a hook(tried it no luck), crappie tubes(buy them from bps in 100 at a time and they are fairly cheap), plastic worm strips, and simply plain gold hooks.

has anyone found any strong gold hooks other than pre- snelled ones? the crappie Aberdeen 1/0 and 2/0 eagle claw hooks most of us use get straightened easily by bluefish over 3 pounds.


----------



## Skizzik

I fishing from springmaid saturday with a gotcha plug, i caught only 3. i didn't catch the quantity everyone caught off the tree rigs, but it was a lot of fun. they were just using the red striped straws. i didn't see any fluorescent colors. i think they're actually selling the tree rigs for almost $5.00.


----------



## kingfisherman23

I have always used the diamond jigs on the bottom of my gold hook rigs. Unless I'm fishing one of my guaranteed-Spanish specials, then you'd have to fish next to me to see what's going down .

I tie my rigs with two hooks to a loop, back to back and threaded before tying off the dropper loop. I don't use straws unless the person using the rig wants them. Line is 15-20#, generally red or clear (depending on my running line lol, I just tie the rig into the running line then cut off and add a swivel when I'm done fishing).

Since my last trip to the beach, I may have discovered my new secret Spanish weapon. I'll research it and let y'all know.

I like a barrel swivel on the top and a small flat-black Coastlock clip on the bottom.

Evan


----------



## Skizzik

Do you have a picture of any of your rigs?


----------



## CIRCLEHOOK76

bluefish1928 said:


> 3 dollars is a fair deal imo.
> btw does anyone else use neon straws?


I've had some success with the neons at GC; I seem to be the only one using them. Tied one w/ all neon pink for my girlfriend to match her pink rod and she outfished me...lol.....makes since, always did well w/ pink & white gotchas and maria jigs......


----------



## kingfisherman23

Skizzik said:


> Do you have a picture of any of your rigs?


Not at the moment. I'll try to take some pics tonight.


----------



## BubbaHoTep

Sometime before we go to the beach (we're heading down June 18thish, I think), I'll take some pics of the rigs I have and put them on photobucket and put links here.



kingfisherman23 said:


> . . . . I tie my rigs with two hooks to a loop, back to back and threaded before tying off the dropper loop. . . .


I've never seen that. I like that idea, Evan. 

Last night, I was thinking about what Skink said about the clear aquarium tubing and I'm wondering if you couldn't take some red jighead paint and dip a toothpick in it and put a little red speck or two on the clear tubing to give the impression of a bleeding bait - or even pink.


----------



## The Skink

Last night, I was thinking about what Skink said about the clear aquarium tubing and I'm wondering if you couldn't take some red jighead paint and dip a toothpick in it and put a little red speck or two on the clear tubing to give the impression of a bleeding bait - or even pink.[/QUOTE]

Sounds like a good idea to me


----------



## bluefish1928

The Skink said:


> Last night, I was thinking about what Skink said about the clear aquarium tubing and I'm wondering if you couldn't take some red jighead paint and dip a toothpick in it and put a little red speck or two on the clear tubing to give the impression of a bleeding bait - or even pink.


Sounds like a good idea to me[/QUOTE]

are u simply in third person, or more than one person uses the account as skink?


----------



## BubbaHoTep

LOL Hey blue, he was quoting me. You chopped off too much (typical of a blue, btw). J/K, man 

Blue, I've never used the neon straws before, to answer your earlier question.

The more I think about it, the more I really like Evan's idea about the back-to-back hooks on there. I'll have some time here in the next week or so to play around a little with this. I also got a spool of that red Cajun line that I didn't like, and I wondered about using it for the Spanish rigs. I've never used red line for that before. I got it for visibility issues on my end (easier to see). Do any of you all use that for rigs?

Hey Mark55, we may be "guinea-pigging-Spannie-rigging" here in a few weeks! LOL


----------



## kingfisherman23

Bubba: I have used Cajun on my Spanish rigs before. I't never given me problems.

Evan

PS Check your PMs


----------



## BubbaHoTep

Here are some pics of my "work in progress."

Rather than straws, which I've done many times before, I decided to go the tubing route. I used 1/16" inside diameter (1/8" outside diameter) tubing designed for hook protectors. I got some of the "micro" (1/32" inside and 1/16" outside), but it was too small to thread down the shank of the hook. The 1/16" inside diameter fits nice and snug on there. Below is a picture of the hooks like the ones I use (all I have left in fact LOL), some straws like I pick up around here at burger places, and what I have left of the tubing. The clear tubing is much less pricey than the colored, so I was able to get a lot more of it. I used the colored tubing, rather than trying to use jig head paint.

If you want to know where I got the tubing, you can PM me and I will give you the guy's e-bay username. The colored was $5 for 20 feet, and you could "mix and match" how you wanted your 20 feet. 

<a href="http://s596.photobucket.com/albums/tt46/AJShip/?action=view&current=SpRigs01.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt46/AJShip/SpRigs01.jpg" border="0" alt="Tree Rigs 1"></a>

On the hooks below, I used the 2/0 hooks. I did make up some of the 1/0 in clear and put TINY little yellow and red bands on top.

<a href="http://s596.photobucket.com/albums/tt46/AJShip/?action=view&current=SpRigs02.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt46/AJShip/SpRigs02.jpg" border="0" alt="Tree Rigs 2"></a>

When I get some of the rigs tied up, I will post the pics of those, as well as some of the ones using the "traditional" straws.

What I plan on doing is putting one each (6 total) on a "seeker" rig to see what colors the Spanish prefer that day or if they're picky, then switch over to that pattern if I need to. I will probably put 4 hooks on each of the other rigs I tie. I might mix and match some, too. I don't really know. We'll be leaving for the beach next week, and I need to get these rigs finished before then.

Sorry about the quality on that last pic, but I think you'll get the idea what they look like. I'm a total dork with the camera.


----------



## bluefish1928

i really like the tubing idea. i have used clear tubing9it worked but couldnt tell much difference in it being mroe effective), but color tubing probably works better. now if u could get sparkled tubing........................


----------



## krismoriah

to get the 'sparkled' effect on my gotchas I use womens nail polish that has the glitter in it.. I learned from an old guy in the outer banks..it works. So maybe you can paint the tubing with the glitter and get that effect? 

Look for the one that has the big flecks of glitter and has multi colors such as the blue and silvers..it looks just like scales when you paint it on..


----------



## The Skink

krismoriah said:


> to get the 'sparkled' effect on my gotchas I use womens nail polish that has the glitter in it.. I learned from an old guy in the outer banks..it works. So maybe you can paint the tubing with the glitter and get that effect?
> 
> Look for the one that has the big flecks of glitter and has multi colors such as the blue and silvers..it looks just like scales when you paint it on..


How about using fly fishing "flash" It looks like tinsel and comes in several colors


----------



## BubbaHoTep

OK, first off, sorry about the quality of some of the pics, but I'm not the best in the world with a digital camera (understatement ha ha). Also, these rigs being so long it is difficult to get a good pic, I would think.

The first pic below is one of the 6-hook straw rigs with a couple of tweaks, thanks to Evan. First of all, I doubled the hooks. Also, I put the hooks on there back to back before tying the dropper loop, and I made the loops smaller than I usually do. I used 50# Stren High Impact mono leader on all the rigs I tied this year. I got a good deal on it ($2.something for 100 yds at ffo-tackle.com) a few months back.

On the Spanny rigs I tie, I leave an end on there to tie on the weight, rather than putting a snap or swivel.

<a href="http://s596.photobucket.com/albums/tt46/AJShip/?action=view&current=SpRigs03.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt46/AJShip/SpRigs03.jpg" border="0" alt="Tree Rigs 3"></a>

The next picture, I think, might be the same rig Skink has in his third picture in the first post in the thread. I found this one in my box, but it wasn't in the package like his. However, his says Sea Striker on it, and I would have sworn mine was an old South Bend rig. Anyway, those have mylar and tubing on the outside. However, once the dropper loop is threaded through the eye of the hook, it is merely wrapped around the tubing, which I would think could lead to problems with biters.

<a href="http://s596.photobucket.com/albums/tt46/AJShip/?action=view&current=SpRigs04.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt46/AJShip/SpRigs04.jpg" border="0" alt="Tree Rigs 4"></a>

The final picture is one of the ones I tied using colored and clear tubing. On those, I used 2/0 hooks, the 50# mono leader, and I also threaded the hooks on there before tying the dropper loops. I had always been reluctant to do that, but decided to do it since I was using the heavier mono.

<a href="http://s596.photobucket.com/albums/tt46/AJShip/?action=view&current=SpRigs05.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt46/AJShip/SpRigs05.jpg" border="0" alt="Tree Rigs 5"></a>


----------



## BubbaHoTep

Hey Chris, that's a good idea, and welcome to P&S!


----------



## SmoothLures

I tie gold flashabou on my rigs, about 1/2" back past the bend of the hook. Helps with baitfish and has helped with the Spanish while the waters dirty.


----------



## NaplesFLfishin

The Skink said:


> Yeppers! Just clear tubing. I dont know why it works, but it does
> 
> Try it one time Its easy to make. I rekkin it looks like a silverside minnow. Plus it gives some protection from the teeth


yea but alot of times i see people use a plastic straw over a treble hook, i made a couple and they do work for spanish


----------



## Bradley

O.K. So now I am looking to up my skill in the saltwater department. (I used to just drown frozen shrimp off of the pier.)

All of what ya'll are saying is a little confusing to me and I want to get some clarification. Now, the method of tying the rig with drop loops, I am not familiar with. Also, what is the type of rod and method of working the rig?

I have seen several posts the refer to the gotcha plugs and am wondering if you jig them next to the pier, or chunk and wind.

I am going to be coming down July 1 through July 5 and I am booked to go on a boat I believe on the 2nd or 3rd, but I want to try and do something different than what I have been doing. I have not been successful in my last few trips and I am getting 'beach bummed".


----------



## bluefish1928

got-cha plugs like with most other lrues are worked and retrieved in. wiht a got-cha plug i cast it as far otu as possible and retrieve it back with quick sharp jerks. asu get near the pier let it drop down and jig a couple of times before casting it back out again.


----------



## Bradley

Wow, so easy I should have known. Thanks. Can I get those at Wally World?

Also, will my 6500's and 7.5 ft. rods be enough for it? I can cast them a country mile.


----------



## bigbear607

Hey Bradley. That's more than enough if not overkill. It's pretty hard to work a gotcha correctly with a rod and reel of that size, least for me anyway. It will wear you out with a quickness.


----------



## Bradley

My bass rigs don't carry the line that I thought would be needed for the distance that I would have to be throwing. What else would work?


----------



## bluefish1928

the perfect outfit for gotcha plugging imo would be a 6 foot 6 or 7 foot fast action graphite rod with a reel holding 200 yards or 10 pound test line(in that area). i use 12 pound test since i happen to have a jumbo spool of that but i think 10 pound test would work better. a foot long heavy mono leader(50 pound test is good) attached to the plug will help hard against bite offs.


----------



## Bradley

Thanks, Bubba has been giving some good info by PM. I definitely feel a little more comfortable about it now. Hope to tighten a line!


----------



## ole-crabby

*rigs*

You can wrap the hooks with bucktail,or with some of the flash-a-bou and then stick them in the tubing, infinite color combinations! :fishing:


----------

