# Advice on Rigs, lures and a good knot book



## fairway (Apr 26, 2003)

Looking for a few basic suggestions for blues, stripers or drum on......
12' 5-9oz surf casting

Cut bait rig ____________

Live bait rig____________

A few choice lures ___________

Thanks


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## GraphixDude (Apr 21, 2003)

This might help with the knots..
http://www.pierandsurf.com/knots/


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## rlott (Oct 19, 2002)

Heaver posted a "how-to" with pictures last year on a drum rig, but I can't find it again. Basically a simplifed version of the fish finder rig:
http://saltwatersurffisherman.com/fishfinder.html 

Anyway, it's cheap and simple to make, and pretty much all I use anymore. By changing the size/type of sinker, hook size, leader length/pound test, even adding a small float in between the barrel swivel and sliding snap swivel, it works for cut or live bait of any size.

Heaver - Did you save that post by chance?

Rich


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## Surf and Turf (Oct 1, 2002)

Where can you buy the genie clips?


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## Lars (Mar 24, 2003)

A rod rated for 5-9 oz is too heavy for casting lures. Most surf lures tend to fall in the 1-3 oz weight range (3 oz is getting a bit heavy, IMHO) and I really recommend you get a separate rod for lure fishing. Someting like a 9 - 10 foot rod is ideal and there are plenty of choices out there.

Swimming plugs like Rebel Windcheaters (available in 3/4 oz and 1-7/8 oz models) work well with most fish. I'd also get some bucktail jigs and Storm Wildeye Swim Shad plastics. Tins are good for blues and spanish, but you can get stripers and drum on them too, if you use a slower retrieve. Maybe get a couple of poppers as well.


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## rlott (Oct 19, 2002)

The rig Heaver posted doesn't use all that funky hardware.

All you do is run your shock leader through the eye of a cheap 100lb snap swivel, followed by a bead, then tie the shock leader to a good barrel swivel. (A cheap source of plastic beads is that costume jewlery made for kids, BTW). I rarely change this part of the rig, except for clipping on different sizes and shapes of sinkers.

From there, all I do is tie a hook to the other side of the barrel - leader and hook size, length, type, etc., depends on what I'm after - 12/0 with a cob head all the way to 1/0 with a shrimp. Generally speaking, the bigger the bait, the bigger the hook and sinker, and the shorter the leader (short leaders cast better.)

Rich


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## Heaver (Feb 7, 2001)

Rlott, no unfortunately I did not save the post though I may still have the pic buried somewhere on a disc. I need to go searching for it. That's right, the rig is cheaply made using a Mustad circle hook and a cheap metal snap swivel.

Fairway, a good source of info are fishing and knot books. They'll answer just about all your questions. As far as books go, well I went and pulled these from my shelf (I have about 30-40 books on knots, baits, lure making, net making, trapping, etc). All the books I list here contain some really nice info. HOWEVER, two that seem to contain info unique to this area are "Saltwater Fishing Guide", and "Coastal Fishing in the Carolinas, From Surf, pier, and Jetty". This last book even contains a chapter on king-rigging from piers. Cool!!!

Here's the books:


"Fishermen's Knot's, Fishing Rigs, And How To Use Them", by Bob McNally

"Coastal Fishing in the Carolinas, From Surf, pier, and Jetty", by Robert J. Goldstein

"Vic Dunaway's Complete Book of Baits Rigs & Tackle", by Vic Dunaway

"Saltwater Fishing Guide", by Captain Pete Barrett

"Practical Fishing Knots", by Mark Sosin & Lefty Kreh


I am on my way to LIP for some blues....

Laters,

Lou


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## Shoeless (May 21, 2001)

Check the drum rig on this link. 
http://hatterasoutfitters.com/knotsrigs.htm


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## surffisher (Aug 26, 2002)

hello fairway,
The newest designed rigs that I have played with all last season and love are using the Gemini System. You can build several rigs then just make the replacement traces to clip on. You can find these at either:
web page
web page
I mostly use TackleTactics they are friendly and helpful, And most importantly they answer your emails. All It doesnt hurt the exchange rate is about 50%. I just received my order and it only cost me $4.00 shipping. awesome!!
got it in 8 days.
let me know if you see anything you like. I can help you through it.

Dave


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## Heaver (Feb 7, 2001)

After 1/2 hour of search found the pic.

Here's a pic of that rig. The leader is heavy 80-100lb test, 9/0 Mustad circle hook, cheap snap swivel for "fish finder" sliding portion, and a bead to keep the snap from striking the swivel when sinker is attached.

Mustad is not as pretty as a fancy expensive hook, but they are heavy-shanked and thus much stronger steel.

Each rig can be made for less than $1, all parts are avail at Walmart, and don't have to order anything. It is not a complicated rig, which is important while fishing at night. Most important is that the fish don't mind plain rigs.

Note that the leader is not fed through the eye of the hook and tied around the shank of the hook as per a snelled hook with offset eye. Leader tied directly to the eye so that hook swivels on the leader. I learned this lesson the hard way in the loss of two large tuna. Tie directly to the eye with a nail knot (use nail-knot tool or do it by hand). Other knots may "knot" tighten properly on heavy test lines such as this 80-100ln test leader.

Spanked the drum on this rig.

Lou


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

Heaver,I'm a little confused by what you are saying about not snelling th mustad.I have seen them snelled an I snell all mine but of corse I'm using offset gammis.Been looking at non offset circles an wanna have my stuff straight before I loose a biggun.


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## rlott (Oct 19, 2002)

Thanks Lou.

Cdog - If you snell a hook with a straight eye, the line will part right where it passes through the eye, especially under heavy strain.

If you're careful, you can bend a mustad's eye with needlenose pliers. 

Rich


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

Thanks Rlott,that makes sense.


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## fairway (Apr 26, 2003)

I must have forgotten to check the notify by e-mail when I posted....... been checkin my e-mail and didnt see anything.....decided to drop in and WOW!

Thanks for all the input...it'll take me a while to digest all this info!

Only problem with this board is its giving me fishing fever to the max and i'm 220 miles from the coast! 

Couple of nomenclature questions......til i learn the "language"...........

Chunkin...= cutbait?

8anbait...= 8oz wt. and cutbait?

Shockline... mono?....# test?....how long?

Thanks to all! Fairway


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## rlott (Oct 19, 2002)

I meant to post this link a while back. I made a few of these and man do they hold bottom. A 4-5oz will hold at least as good as as an 8oz frog tongue and they fly real good.

As shown onm the web site, they work good for a high-low rig but tangle up on a fishfinder. I experimented and made a couple with the eye shaft about 4-times longer than the claws and it solved the problem.
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Trails/2615/spider.html 

Rich


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## rlott (Oct 19, 2002)

Oh - and you can also add 2 extra claws for a total of 6. Depending on the current, you can bend out however many you need to hold bottom.

Rich


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## Jake Ace (May 4, 2000)

You know for the soft surf / bay / piers that we fish around, I know it sounds light, but I use only 8lb to 10lb flourocarbon, with about 16-inches of 30lb florocarbon leader tied directly to the 8lb line.

That's for jig fishing. And that's on a 7 foot spinning rod. You don't necessarily need a telephone pole and utility rope to catch a lot of fish around here.

THROW MORE / SOME / ANY / MAYBE A FEW BACK

Jake Ace


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## jay b (Dec 1, 2002)

fairway, Jake Ace nailed that one. It's a lot more fun and sport to catch fish on gear that is sized right. It is nice to fish w/ a heaver when you're targeting the big-boyz but I'm like Jake , most of my fish are caught on 7' rods w/ light line. I use 6,8,& 10lb. test, at least until the fall Striper season when the big-boyz show up, then it's 12lb. test. So buy your heaver, but also get a lighter/smaller rod that you can cast the whole day while you're waiting for something to hit that heaver.


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## Sandcrab (Mar 20, 2002)

Heaver,

I use the same rig as it cuts down on all the hardware. Do you have a good source for frog tongue sinkers?

Sandcrab


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## rlott (Oct 19, 2002)

Princess Anne Distributing has buckets full of them. 6 and 8oz for sure and I believe 10oz.

Rich


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## GraphixDude (Apr 21, 2003)

Lots of good info in this thread. Thanks yall


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