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Most people who have read my previous articles on this website will know that I make big game trolling lures for a living. But, just because I live and breathe fishing lures every day and preach the merits of lure fishing doesn’t mean that I don’t still use natural baits as well. I must say though that rigging large natural baits for big game trolling is an art in its own right. I would never claim to have enough experience to qualify me to write about techniques such as bridle rigging a live Skipjack Tuna, rigging a Spanish Mackerel as a skip bait or preparing a split tail mullet. There are many people out there who know far more about this than I do.
But I do regularly use small natural dead baits and my preferred technique still employs my much loved trolling lures - in a deadly combination! The technique of combining baits and lures is well known throughout the big game fishing world but it does seem to enjoy greater popularity in some areas more than others. I don’t know why this is, but wherever I have used this technique it has always worked for me so it’s always worth giving it a try, even if it doesn’t seem to be a standard method in that area. There are many days when the bait/lure combo will out-fish plain lures. I have probably spent more time fishing in the Caribbean than anywhere else and here bait/lure combinations form an integral part of most crews trolling spread, regardless of species. Marlin, sailfish, tuna, dorado, wahoo, they all fall to this great fishing method.
The Basics
The basic technique involves rigging a natural dead bait on the hook and then running a small to medium sized trolling lure directly on the baits nose. This combines the feel and scent of a natural bait with the fish attracting properties of a lure, i.e. smoke trail, vibration, etc. The lure also acts to protect and streamline the bait and allows it to be trolled at reasonably fast trolling speeds. With completely naked natural baits it is necessary to troll more slowly (and hence cover less water) otherwise the water pressure would quickly destroy the bait.
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The bait should be fairly streamlined with a slim body. Ballyhoo and Flying Fish are commonly used, and are ideal, but short dumpy baits, such as small Skipjack Tuna for instance, do not work well. The photos in this article actually show small Atlantic Mackerel but this is simply for photographic purposes as it’s rather difficult to get hold of fresh Ballyhoo in the UK, where I am writing this article!!!
Use small to medium sized trolling lures, depending on the size of the bait. When the head of the lure is sitting on the baits nose the skirts should extend about half to two thirds the length of the bait, always make sure there is a reasonable amount of the tail end of the bait showing. Don’t be afraid to shorten the lures skirts a little if necessary. Pick lures that have a straight predictable running action, I like simple ‘pusher’ or ‘chugger’ styles that will just pop and track straight - bullet head lures are also popular. I don’t like splashy surface running lures or ones that have exaggerated zig-zagging and darting swimming actions. If you look at the Sekard Technology lure range (www.sekard.com) two lures stand out as favorites for this method. The Bally-Buddy was made specifically for this technique, and is perfect for small/medium size baits. Then the regular size HardPlay Special excels with slightly larger baits, but the skirts do usually need trimming back a little.
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The Pin Rig
Firstly we must assemble the hook, leader and lure to form our combination rig. I use what is generally called a ‘pin rig’ and this holds the bait in place and prevents it from coming adrift or sliding down the hook during trolling.
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The pin rig can be incorporated into both nylon monofilament and single strand wire leaders, depending on the angler’s preference and species being sought. I generally prefer to stick with monofilament for my leaders, but I do include what my good friend Capt. Frothy de Silva calls his “Wahoo Cheater”, which helps greatly in reducing the number of bite-offs from wahoo, barracuda, etc.
To make a pin rig you will require the following materials;
Leader - Nylon monofilament leader is usually my preferred choice of a weight/thickness to suit the type/size of fish.
Hook - The Mustad Sea Demon is my choice for medium to heavy tackle applications in sizes 9/0, 10/0 or 11/0, depending on bait size. For lighter tackle applications and smaller baits an O’Shaughnessy pattern or other good quality medium wire hook such as the Gamakatsu SL12S in sizes 8/0, 9/0 or 10/0 will be ideal.
Crimps - Three are required, of the correct type and size to suit the chosen leader.
Single strand stainless steel wire - 6 to 8 inches in size #6, #7 or #8 (approx. 60lb to 100lb BS)
Bait rigging spring - Some purists frown upon rigging springs and prefer to use the more traditional methods of thin copper wire, floss or rubber bands to hold the bait in place. I find rigging springs to be simple, quick and reliable so that’s what I normally use. They are cheap and readily available from most big game tackle retailers.
Anti-chafe tubing - Two one inch pieces, of a size to suit the chosen leader.
Lure - A small to medium sized trolling lure as described previously.
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Making the Rig
To assemble the rig;
1. Take a length of leader and firstly thread on two crimps and a piece of anti-chafe tubing.
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2. Then thread the leader up through the eye of the hook (if the hook point is at the bottom, thread the leader through the eye upwards, from bottom to top) and pull through a tag end of at least 5 inches.
3. Use the anti-chafe tubing to form the loop at the eye of the hook and thread the tag end of the leader back through both crimps. Snug one crimp down against the anti-chafe tubing loop and leave a space of approximately one inch between that and the second crimp – do NOT compress the crimps yet.
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4. Now take a piece of single strand stainless steel wire that is twice the length of the distance from the hook eye to the top of the second crimp. Form this piece of wire into a hairpin shape and take it through the eye of the hook and thread through both crimps (N.B. In some cases it may be necessary to use crimps that are one size larger than normal to accommodate the wire). This forms our “Wahoo Cheater” and though this wire only adds protection for a couple of inches ahead of the hook it’s surprising how often this will prevent a bite-off if a toothy fish takes the bait/lure.
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5. Compress both crimps. There should be a tag end of mono left protruding from the top crimp - cut this to one inch in length and bend vertically upwards. This forms the upstanding ‘pin’ and I have colored the pin section with black marker pen in the photo for clarity. This works fine with medium to heavy mono as there is adequate stiffness in the mono for it to act as a pin. If using a light mono leader then make one leg of the “Wahoo Cheater” wire one inch longer than described and bend this up to form the pin after crimping.
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6. Thread the rigging spring and the chosen lure onto the leader from the other end. The rigging spring is conical, the wider end goes at the bottom towards the hook and the narrow end goes at the top towards the lure.
7. Finally, finish the leader by forming a loop at the top using the final crimp and piece of anti-chafe tubing.
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8. The basic rig is now complete. Please note that the dimensions given for the construction of this pin rig are for a typical example and you may choose to adjust them to suit your own needs. For larger baits allow a larger gap between the crimps and for smaller baits reduce the gap, or just use a single crimp.
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Rigging the Bait
It is now time to add the bait to the rig.
1. Select a bait. Make sure it is in good condition, straight and with minimal damage. Frozen baits must be fully thawed. If using Ballyhoo snap off the protruding beak.
2. Gently bend the bait from side to side to loosen the backbone. Some people suggest removing the backbone altogether, but this is quite a skilled operation and I have always found it to be unnecessary.
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3. Take the pin rig and lay it alongside the bait with the upstanding pin just behind the end of the baits nose. Note the position of the bend of the hook in relation to the bait.
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4. Using the point of the hook or a bait needle make a hole up through the baits bottom jaw and through the top of its head. Do this about half to three quarters of an inch back from the tip of the baits nose.
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5. Insert the point of the hook into the bottom of one of the gill openings and thread the hook through into the stomach cavity.
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6. Continue threading the bait onto the hook, carefully working the bait around the bend of the hook before bringing the point out through the middle of the belly at the point noted in (3).
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7. Push the pin up through the hole made in the baits nose and then snug the crimps into the groove below the baits chin and partly into the gill opening.
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8. Slide the rigging spring down, locate the first coil of the spring onto the pin and then screw the spring down onto the baits nose. Screw down for about 4 to 5 turns of the spring.
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9. Check that the bait is straight and the hook comes out of the belly dead centre. Now slide the lure down and allow it to sit on the baits nose with the skirts trailing back along the body for about half to two thirds of its length.
10. For added security some people prefer to add a few stitches of rigging floss to the bait, though this is not strictly necessary. Take a strong and sharp bait needle and a length of rigging floss. Insert the needle through the baits gill plates from side to side and tie the floss tightly under the chin to trap the leader and crimps firmly in place. Now make stitches through and below the baits underside running back to the point where the hook exits the belly, do not stitch too tightly or this will tend to cause the bait to bend. Reverse the procedure, stitching back in the opposite direction toward the head of the bait going back through the first set of needle holes. This will give the effect of criss-cross stitches across the belly of the bait. When you get back to the head go back through the gill plates and tie off again under the baits chin.
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11. The finished and baited rig is now ready for use. Fish this at any normal lure trolling speed of 6 to 8 knots.
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Good fishing
Nick Drakes, Sekard Technology
Technologically Advanced Big Game Trolling Lures
www.sekard.com
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