“What kind of rig do I buy for what?”



All the different fishing rigs on the market can confuse the
novice and the experienced fisherman alike. Bait and tackle stores may have
a whole wall of rigs that can make you scratch your head and wonder, “which
one should I buy?”



You can always ask the clerk working in the store which ones to
purchase. If you do that, you need to tell him or her where you will be
fishing and what you will be fishing for.



If you’re not sure what kind of fish you will be fishing for,
you can at least pinpoint where you will be fishing. Decide whether you will
be fishing from the surf (casting off the beach) or whether you will be
fishing in the bay (drifting in a boat or standing on a pier, bridge, or
bulkhead.)



“I’ll be surf fishing!”



O.K. If you are a new saltwater angler, the first basic rule of thumb when
surf fishing is that you can choose the rigs that have brightly colored
Styrofoam floats on them. These are all surf rigs, as you rarely use floats
on your hooks in the bay. The red, yellow, and green floats placed right
next to the hook does three things when fishing in the surf. They make your
baits more visible to the fish; they elevate the bait off the bottom floor
so the moving sand does not cover up your bait; and it helps keep the
troublesome speckled crabs from chewing off your bait.



So, you’ve found the surf rigs with the Styrofoam floats hanging on the
wall. There are at least 50 different varieties. What to buy? To simplify,
some are one-hook rigs and others are two-hook rigs. Others are made with
bigger hooks; others are made with smaller hooks. Still others are made
specifically to bait a whole “finger mullet.” What to choose?



Now you need to decide what you will be fishing for and what kind of bait
you will be using. This will help you choose the correct rig. Here’s where
another “rule of thumb” comes in to play. If you are using any kind of cut
bait such as squid, mullet, or bunker you can use a surf rig with medium to
large sized hooks. (Sizes no. 4 and larger) If you are fishing with some
kind of worm you can use a kingfish or spot rig that is made with smaller
size no. 6 or no. 8 hooks.



Rigs in packages will actually pinpoint the fish they will catch. Anything
that says “bluefish” is good for bluefish, stripers, drum, sharks or trout.
Any rig that says kingfish, spot, whiting, or perch will be good for the
kingfish, croaker, spot, and small sea trout. The smaller the hook, the
smaller the surf floats. So if you plan to use worms and a smaller hook,
look for the rigs with the smallest surf floats.



If you plan to target the bluefish that can be in the surf all season long,
you may want to buy a “finger mullet rig” surf rig. These rigs are made
specifically to bait a whole finger mullet. It is a rig made with a wire rod
and a detachable hook. Sea Striker and Chick Bullen make a “mullet rig” that
is extremely easy to use. It is made with a two-hook treble hook that can be
removed, allowing you to push a metal rod through the mouth of a finger
mullet and out the anus. Then you re-attach the hook. It has a 3-way swivel
and a Duo-Lock snap for simple attachment. These come with a pear-shaped
float. (You attach your sinker to the Duo-Lock and the three-way to your
line or snap swivel.)



Some people feel these rigs are complicated, but they are
actually quite simple. Always buy a couple extra hooks as sometimes they
fall off or bend when catching the snapper bluefish. The advantages to the
mullet rig is this: You need no knife to cut your bait; the bait stays on
the hook; and since the rig comes with a fairly long leader and a big float,
the crabs generally stay away from it.



“I heard stripers don’t like the Styrofoam surf floats!”



Stripers will take any rig that also works for bluefish. But, if
you are specifically targeting stripers you may want to use a rig without
surf floats. Keep in mind, that without floats, the crabs will nibble away
at your bait, so you need to keep it moving slightly or check your bait
often.



Any pre-made rig that has “drum” on it will also work for
stripers. Many of these made by Sea Striker or Eagle Claw are simply a
single-leadered hook with a fish finder rig inside the package.



“What’s a fish finder rig? How do I use it?”





A fish find rig is a simple plastic sleeve with a sinker snap
attached. You can’t buy one already set up, because you have to put the fish
finder on your line before you put on your leadered hook. To use a fish
finder rig, you feed your line, directly from your rod and reel, through the
plastic sleeve of the fish finder rig. Then you attach a snap swivel to the
very end of your line. Then, attach a single leadered hook to the snap
swivel. Attach a sinker to the sinker snap attached to the plastic sleeve.
The advantage of the fish finder is this: The fish can pick up the bait
without feeling the weight of the sinker and it also eliminates line twist.



Ranger “long cast” rigs are also available, pre-made in some tackle stores.
These rigs are available with or without floats. These specialty rigs allow
the angler to cast out with the baited hook attached to a plastic “hook
holder” so the rig and sinker do not go into two different directions when
casting. These rigs allow anglers to cast 30 per cent further.



Another very simple rig to use in the surf for stripers is a heavy-duty top
and bottom rig with two snelled hooks attached. Use either long shank,
Octopus style, or circle hooks in the 2/0 to 6/0 size ranges. These are
often packaged by companies like Sea Striker, J.T. or Eagle Claw and labeled
“Drum Rigs.” Like we said earlier, anything labeled “drum” works fine for
stripers!



“What kind of sinkers should I use?”



Sinkers are probably the most important aspect of surf fishing. Round or bay
type sinkers will roll back in with the waves. You need to use pyramid,
hurricane, or sputnik type sinkers. Hurricane type sinkers will hold better
per ounce than the traditional pyramid types. Rule of thumb with surf
sinkers is this: If you have a regular 10 to 12 foot surf rod with 20 pound
test, buy three, four, and five ounce pyramid or hurricane type sinkers. If
you are fishing with a 7 to 9 foot surf outfit with 12 to 17 pound test
line, pick up two, three, and four-ounce pyramid or hurricane type sinkers.
If the surf is very rough, and you need more weight, try the 2 and 4-ounce
sputnik sinkers. These sinkers have retractable wires that need to be re-set
after every cast. Only use these sinkers when you have to, but always have
one or two around. Believe me, there will be days when you need them. If
you have a heavy surf rod rated up to 8 or 10 ounces, you can go to the
6-ounce sputnik sinker on a very rough day. But if you are a beginner, and
the surf is extremely rough, it’s really better to go another day!



Buying surf fishing rigs is not as complicated as it looks. If you are using
cut bait, use the rigs with medium to large hooks; if you are using worms
use the smallest rigs; and if you are using whole finger mullet use a
“finger mullet rig.” If you are specially targeting stripers, use a rig
without floats such as a fish finder rig, Long Ranger rig, or a simple top
and bottom rig with two hooks attached.



Next week… rigs for the bay….



Good fishing….