Favorite fishing rigs and how they are tied

[deathray]

  OK guys how about some of your favorite rigs and how to Ty them starting with say blackfish rigs
 

[Hotrod]

Great Topic

[ped579]

Okay I will start with 2 that I use all the time the HI LO rig for fishing this time of year for stripers (yes they are still around) and the teaser rig for said same species.

The Hi Lo rigs I like to tie are usually made out of 40# leader material for some reason I am stuck on Ande leader material I guess because it is cheap and it is easy to handle. 

My rigs are usually 3' long and I am trying a 3 hook configuration this year and I will let you know how it works out.  But the usual rig is with 2 hooks so you might want to shorten this up just a little.

My first knot is a double surgeons knot to attach to a swivel to the main line.  About 10 inches below that I tie a dropper loop and continue to tie two more dropper loops every 10" or so inches.  At the end where the sinker goes I tie using a Palomar knot A breakaway F11 Fast Link.  This makes changing out sinkers or what ever you are using as a weight to get this rig out into the water and planted firmly.

The hook sizes I use this time of year are 2/0 or 3/0 circles that I Snell myself with about 6-8" of leader material that I attach to the dropper loops with again a loop with a double surgeons knot. Pass the hook through to dropper loop and then pass the hook through the surgeons knot and pull tight.  By using this method I can change out the hooks in no time in cold weather.

The Second rig I use is similar only I like to shorten it up a bit to about 30" and only have one dropper loop tied about 18 inches above the Fast Link that I either clip on a plug or my choice an AVA in the A17 range.  This past year in December this rig was deadly for stripers caught mainly on the teaser which was thrown in the sloughs and retrieved painlessly slow.  The colder the water the slower the retrieve.

BTW for fishing this time of year in the surf your best bet will be small chunks of clam on either a 2/0 to 4/0 hook and just let it sit there.  The bass are around but they are very sluggish and will only feed on small bits of whatever food may come along.

The reason for the small chunks is because their metabolisms are running in extremely slow mode right now and it will take too much energy to digest large baits.  They feed on small scraps but they feed often.  A small cup of salted clams will go a long way this time of year.

I will be trying to get out tomorrow to Ortley for some fun as the temps are going to be near 50 deg.  If I go it will be near late morning as the change in the tide will be around 11:00 AM give or take a few minutes.

Happy Catching

Paul

[ChrisL]

Great thread. 
I'm hoping to learn how to tie my own stuff over the next couple months.  So I look foward to everyone's additions here.

[0ffShoreRy@n]

hhow do you guys tie your fish finder to your line . also your barrell swivel

[bassnblues]

hhow do you guys tie your fish finder to your line . also your barrell swivel

- slide your main line thru the plastic sleeve of the fishfinder.
- tie a barrel swivel that's big enough to stop the sleeve from sliding down onto the main line with a clinch or palomar.
- tie a 3' to 4' length of leader material to the other end of the swivel with a clinch or palomar.
- tie a hook onto the end of the leader with a clinch or palomar.
- put an appropreiate weight on the snap on the fishfinder.
- Go fishing!

[0ffShoreRy@n]

thank you