# Bluefish Rig



## Caviman2201 (Sep 15, 2006)

Anyone have any ideas on how to set up a dual-hook rig to avoid having blues bite the tails off finger mullets going with the current? I was thinking something where you have one hook up near the head and another hook going back to the tail... Anybody ever rig something like that up?


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## fingersandclaws (Oct 17, 2005)

Cavi,

You can use a mullet rig, which basically is a piece of wire which you run thru the mouth and out and anus of the mullet and attach a hook (don't know what it's called, but a 2 hook treble).
There is also a float on the rig to help keep it moving.

Another thing you can do (which I prefer not to use) is putting a stinger on it. It's exactly what you described in your question . . . a trailing hook. 

Hope this helps.


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## AtlantaKing (Jul 7, 2002)

fingersandclaws said:


> ...don't know what it's called, but a 2 hook treble...


Um, a double?


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## Caviman2201 (Sep 15, 2006)

where do you find these mullet rigs?


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## fingersandclaws (Oct 17, 2005)

I have seen em' at Dicks and they got em' at BPS.

It comes in a little baggie . . . usually a float, wire, and hook.


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## bryanorosz (Jan 6, 2005)

Most bait shops carry them. 
Fingersandclaws, I've used the stinger hooks as well, but they snappers bite right through them... 

Gotta love the whole mullet rigs though! 

campNfish


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## hengstthomas (Mar 11, 2006)

bryanorosz said:


> Most bait shops carry them.
> Fingersandclaws, I've used the stinger hooks as well, but they snappers bite right through them...
> 
> Gotta love the whole mullet rigs though!
> ...


You've been quiet ? Hope your getting some fish


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## hengstthomas (Mar 11, 2006)

fingersandclaws said:


> Cavi,
> 
> You can use a mullet rig, which basically is a piece of wire which you run thru the mouth and out and anus of the mullet and attach a hook *(don't know what it's called, but a 2 hook treble).*
> There is also a float on the rig to help keep it moving.
> ...


Sounds like a King Mac rig ... 

I'd say use Mullet filets when snapper are present ... you'll still get the chompers if they are there and some other species too like croaker ,trout,kingfish,flounder,spot,sandperch,and black drum ... When you do get some chompers just switch back to the whole mullet . Trust me when the big boys are present all ya need if fresh cut bait ... dont much matter what it is but I prefer fresh shad overall with bluefish strips close at second.


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## Hannibal (Aug 10, 2007)

I know I am a little late on this but I tied something together last month when I was fishing the Point in OBX. Blues were all over the place and biting only the tails off our mullets. So one night after losing a bunch of tails, I devised a "rig". I'll try my best to explain (forgive me, I don't know all the applicable terms):

I'd start off with a #3-4 circle hook with a long mono leader (come as one pre-packaged peice) and then I'd take a peice of pre-packaged wire leader (12-18") with a appropriately sized J hook attached to the end of it (at the snap). I'd tie them together with a crimp sleeve so that J Hook would hang about 3" or so below the circle. Then I'd snake both hooks through the (whole) finger mullet's mouth and out the gills. I'd would then run the circle hook through it's side and up through it's back. The J-hook would be placed through the base of it's tail with the hook itself breaking through the top of the tail at the very back end. As the lines/hooks would want to roll over and not stay up straight, I would take a couple thin zip-ties and zip them behind the eye hole of each hook and trim off. This would keep the hooks planted firm and in the right position. 

Then you'd just have to attach the swivel end of the steel leader to the fishfinder snap. 

I made up a bunch of these one morning and it worked like a charm. Just "reload" as needed. No messing around with rigging them up each time.

If the blues went after the whole mullet - the circle would get them as soon as they ran. If they bit short or were able to feel the circle, it still allowed me to hook them with the J hook in the tail. It worked so well, that I was even able to reuse the same mullet after landing some fish.


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## scavengerj (Sep 10, 2007)

I usually use the whole mullet rig. Couple of things I have picked up this summer...
1.) There are two types of these rigs. One has a fixed float the other type has a float that moves up and down the wire as the baitfish gets eaten. I prefer the ones with the sliding float. Most tackle shops carry the fixed float type but BPS does carry the sliding float type.
2.) Buy replacement hooks! They are cheap hooks made by Mustad and get dull very quickly. I usually buy a couple 2/0 to 4/0 each time I hit the stores just to be sure I have a supply on hand. I also make sure to sharpen any hooks I've previously used. Helped get a few short bitters this year.
3.) The hooks can and will come off when fighting fish sometimes. After threading the wire through the bait and attaching the hook I take a piece of 22awg. tinned bus wire and give it a few wraps around the shank of the hook. This helps prevent the hook from coming off. After unhooking the fish or when replacing a bait, a quip snip and the wire is off. Have heard of people using the wire bread bag ties to do the same thing.
4.) Lastly I place one of the hook points very near the end of the tail, placing it just under the skin (make sure not to catch it on a scale. This makes it harder to set the hook if a scale is on the point of the hook). This way I have one hook point completely exposed and the other hidden in the bait. 
Do agree, the bigger fish typically take the bait pretty well but, those dinks can be a pain to hokk. Using the above techniques my catch rate on the smaller ones has gone way up!


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## Too Busy (Sep 7, 2007)

I was using a second small hook in the tail of the mullet.
I had it wired to the eye of my 4/0 circle hook. 
I ran the circle hook in the mullets mouth and out the top of the nose. I'd push the stinger hook through the tail so the point and barb were exposed.
After catching a dozen or more snappers I decided I'd rather give up mullet tails than keep catching baby blues, so I got rid of the trailing hook.


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## Fireline20 (Oct 2, 2007)

Caviman2201 said:


> Anyone have any ideas on how to set up a dual-hook rig to avoid having blues bite the tails off finger mullets going with the current? I was thinking something where you have one hook up near the head and another hook going back to the tail... Anybody ever rig something like that up?


What I use is a 6/0 J hook with a 2X long shaft. I run the point thru both mullets eyes and pull the hook's eye out the eye socket then I run the hook down the side of he mullet and then run the hook through the tail making sure the point extrudes out the side.

This works well for two reasons, it hooks the Blues during the standard tail attack they do and if they do miss the hook on the first attack, then the J part of the hook stays attached to the head through the eyes and will hook them if they hit it again.


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## fishhead (Oct 18, 2004)

You got it ... if you need a stinger hook then the blues aren't big enough to bother with. Stingers are good if you're looking for a meal or looking to fish with the kids or other novice and you need to produce some pullage


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## bryanorosz (Jan 6, 2005)

...isn't that true!
I had to add a stinger on the last trip since the baby-blues were robbing me of my finger mullet! 

After that, the baby-blues started chompin on themselves! 

campNfish
:fishing:


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