Surf Fishing Basics Part 3 : Rigs for Bigger Fish!
Welcome back to Surf-fish.com! Getting back to basics , here are two more common rigs that are used at the beach....
These are big fish rigs. Just how big? How does a car hood sized skate or ray sound? Or how about a big Striper or a Trophy Red Drum? Sounds fun , huh? These rigs are what most people will use for these fish , so you'll need a rod and reel to handle both the weight of the rig , plus a long battle with a very determined fish. I recommend a surf rod in the neighborhood of 10-12 feet long with a MH action paired with a reel capable of holding at least 250 yards of 17-20 pound monofilament.
First is a flounder and fluke rig bass fishermen will be familiar with , that also gets a lot of use at the beach....
Use a 2 ounce egg sinker , a swivel , and a 12-18" leader for small live bait , a classic "Carolina Rig" like bass fishermen use - with the sinker on the shock leader and a swivel , leader and a size 1-1/0 hook. I use a glass bead above the knot to keep rough edges from sinkers from nicking knots. Lots of people use this type of rig to target big flounder with a lot of success , but other fish will take it too. This rig is often baited with cigar minnows or strips of squid.
Next is an old standby for rough water , and one that casts better with bigger cut bait , the "Fish Finder"or "8-N-Bait". It's similar , but has a sinker slide or snap swivel with a 4-8 ounce Pyramid sinker attached , instead of an egg sinker , on the shock leader above a bead , then a swivel with a very short leader (shorter is better for long casts) and a 4/0-5/0 hook. Some guys use Uni Knots , some use crimps for 50-60 pound mono to get the leader as short as possible. This keeps your rig and bait from helicoptering during the cast , and when a fish takes the bait the line runs free through the swivel so they don't feel the weight.Circle hooks or Octopus hooks work great on this rig , and it is the go to rig if you want to catch a bigger drum. Skates and rays will take it too , and they are always good for a fight , if nothing else. This rig is perfect for big pieces of cut bait , and small fish heads , so bait it up and launch it towards the other coast!
Tight lines!
JM
These are big fish rigs. Just how big? How does a car hood sized skate or ray sound? Or how about a big Striper or a Trophy Red Drum? Sounds fun , huh? These rigs are what most people will use for these fish , so you'll need a rod and reel to handle both the weight of the rig , plus a long battle with a very determined fish. I recommend a surf rod in the neighborhood of 10-12 feet long with a MH action paired with a reel capable of holding at least 250 yards of 17-20 pound monofilament.
First is a flounder and fluke rig bass fishermen will be familiar with , that also gets a lot of use at the beach....
Use a 2 ounce egg sinker , a swivel , and a 12-18" leader for small live bait , a classic "Carolina Rig" like bass fishermen use - with the sinker on the shock leader and a swivel , leader and a size 1-1/0 hook. I use a glass bead above the knot to keep rough edges from sinkers from nicking knots. Lots of people use this type of rig to target big flounder with a lot of success , but other fish will take it too. This rig is often baited with cigar minnows or strips of squid.
Next is an old standby for rough water , and one that casts better with bigger cut bait , the "Fish Finder"or "8-N-Bait". It's similar , but has a sinker slide or snap swivel with a 4-8 ounce Pyramid sinker attached , instead of an egg sinker , on the shock leader above a bead , then a swivel with a very short leader (shorter is better for long casts) and a 4/0-5/0 hook. Some guys use Uni Knots , some use crimps for 50-60 pound mono to get the leader as short as possible. This keeps your rig and bait from helicoptering during the cast , and when a fish takes the bait the line runs free through the swivel so they don't feel the weight.Circle hooks or Octopus hooks work great on this rig , and it is the go to rig if you want to catch a bigger drum. Skates and rays will take it too , and they are always good for a fight , if nothing else. This rig is perfect for big pieces of cut bait , and small fish heads , so bait it up and launch it towards the other coast!
Tight lines!
JM
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