Choosing which rigs we should use for sea fishing really can make the difference between success and failure. Hooks that are too big and trace lines that are too weak are just two of the problems you might run in to if you make a bad choice. Jansen Teakle is on hand to help you negotiate the wonderful world of rigs, what they’re for and when to use them!
Walking the low tide line on a popular shore fishing venue will often reveal snagged sea fishing tackle. Lead weights, rigs and shockleaders will be found and are all victims to the terrain which is now their final resting place.
Since childhood I’ve enjoyed scouting the low water mark for lost tackle and it can be fascinating seeing what anglers are tying to their lines. Picking the right rig for the job can be so important, but perhaps the easiest way to to decide what to use is to first take a look at what’s available and go from there. With numerous ready made rig designs out there, plus of course the option to make your own, let’s take a look at four of the most popular rig designs. If you’re new to sea angling, it’s advisable to get familiar with these four rigs. Most other rigs are simply variations of those below, but these should be the foundations of your rig making.
Potentially the most popular sea fishing rig there is. Favoured by anglers targeting larger species of fish on rough ground venues, the pulley rig allows for a hooked fish to lift the lead clear of the sea bed, reducing tackle losses. A single large bait presented on either one single hook or two hooks alongside each other (Pennel rig), the pulley rig can be cast a long way when needed. Used with a bait clip for the most part, if you only intended to be casting as close range, you could make a pulley rig without a bait clip. Pulley rig bodies (the part of the rig that the main swivel slides along) are usually anywhere between 80 and 120lb b/s to take the strain of the cast.
Although this rig was designed for fishing over rough ground, many anglers will use it over sand and other clean areas. It’s easy to tie and made up of minimal components.
The flapper rig consists of two or three hooks branching away from the main body of the rig. Older fishing literature would refer to this style of rig as a Paternoster. It is perfect as a way of presenting multiple baits for small to medium size fish and allows for the use of several different baits all at once. This can be useful to determine what the fish are feeding on.
The term flapping refers to the fact that the baited hooks are flapping, and not clipped down, so this is a rig for short to medium range casts, often where the intended species will be found.
Small hooks are often used with size #2 – 1/0 being favoured in most instances. Trace lines are usually between 15 and 30lb b/s as a general rule of thumb and the rig body between 60 and 80lb.
Very similar to the Flapper rig above, but with the addition of bait clips for each hook. A clipped down rig will become more streamlined, making it more aerodynamic on the cast and so offering the potential of longer casting when required. Components used in the construction of these rigs are usually very small and neat, sticking with the aerodynamic theme.
Tied with two or three hooks, each hook has its own bait clip that it will only release from its clip upon impact with the water at the end of the cast. As with the Flapper, this rig is great for targeting small to medium species of fish, but in this instance when they might be feeding at greater distance. Bait stops consisting of a small section of silicone tubing or a stop knot tied above a bead or sequin on the trace line prevent the bait sliding up and away from the hook on the cast. Small hooks are the norm with this rig and usually range between #2 and 1/0.
Another variation of the multi hook rigs above, this one was designed with a view to presenting a baited hook length below the lead. The bottom snood features a cascade swivel a few inches from the baited hook that the baited hook above can clip in to. This also means that both clipped down baits are as close to the lead as possible, meaning that the rig is aerodynamic and can be fished at range when necessary. The loop rig can be used with two or three hooks, and if a third hook is used, it will clip on to the cascade swivel that forms the middle snood of the three hooks.
Bait stops consisting of a small section of silicone tubing or a stop knot tied above a bead or sequin on the trace line prevent the bait sliding up and away from the hook on the cast. Small hooks are the norm with this rig and usually range between #2 and 1/0 though you can fish with larger hooks.