Common Surf Fishing Terminal Rigs
Fishfinder Rig
The
Fish Finder Rig is perhaps one of the best forms of terminal tackle
when fishing with a piece of Bunker steak as bait. It is nothing more
than a single circle hook snelled
to a length of leader material. Thread a pyramid sinker attached to a
sinker slide to your shock leader. Attach your hook leader to your shock
leader via a swivel. This arrangement will allow the fish to take your
baited hook and swim away with it without feeling the weight of the
sinker. I like to take a dozen or so 12 inch pieces of 80 lb
fluorocarbon and snell
them to hooks the night before a fishing trip. This allows me to have
spare hook and hook leaders at the ready for a quick change out when
needed.
Fireball Rig
Fireball Rig
On the East Coast of the United States, this is a favorite rig for surf fishermen targeting the voracious bluefish. This is your basic two hook rig, made up of a leader of heavy fluorocarbon with a swivel at the top to attach to your shock leader and a duolock attached at the terminal end for attaching a pyramid sinker. Along the length of the rig are two dropper loops. Each loop has a brightly colored Styrofoam ball and a hook.
The Weight is the Bait
The bucktail jig, a simple and effective lure found in many surf-caster's tackle box. Evolved from the basic jig of lead molded to a O'shaughnessy hook, bucktail jigs simply have the addition of a skirt (made of fur from a buck's tail) tied to the rear of the mold to simulate a bait fish's body. The shape of the mold varies from round, torpedo, bullet, flathead to even detailed fish head shapes. Colors are as varied as the head shapes, however the most commonly used are white or yellow. When shopping for bucktail jigs, despite the numerous choices, you should primarily concern yourself with what's appropriate for your tackle. I find that in the surf, when I choose to use a bucktail jig, I like to work it with lighter tackle (at least by surf fishing standards). I like my jigs to be in the 1 to 2 ounce range. I usually stick with a white bullet shaped jighead with the skirt tied on with red thread, unless through conversations with other fishermen and bait shop owners that indicate a lot of local success with different colors.
Fishing bucktail jigs in the
surf can be effective for a wide range of fish. You can add a little
extra enticement to the jig by adding a scented plastic tail or other
bait on the hook. I like to add a strip of mullet to the hook (this
works great for flounder). I've also used pork rinds attached to the
hook with some success. While fishing a bucktail jig, vary your retrieve
technique, try slow retrieve and fast retrieves. I like to use a whip
retrieve, reel in a couple of feet of line, whip the rod and let the jig
slowly sink back to the bottom. This retrieve will give the appearance
of a wounded or struggling bait fish. One technique that can lead to a
lot of success in the surf, is to use a bucktail jig and Clouser minnow
combination. This can easily be put together on the spot. Take a
three way swivel, tie one end to your shock leader, next take a two to
three foot piece of 40lb test fluorocarbon, attach your Clouser minnow
to one end and tie to your swivel. The last step is to take another
piece of 40 lb test fluorocarbon, this time use a piece up to 1 foot
long, tie your jighead to one end of the fluorocarbon and the other end
to the remaining open swivel.
If
you do not have a three way swivel, but have a barrel swivel instead,
you can still put together a teaser rig. Slide your jighead on to the
shockleader, then tie the barrel to the end of your shockleader. This
will allow your jighead to slide freely up and down the shockleader.
Next tie a 2 to 3 foot piece of 40lb test fluorocarbon to the end of
the barrel swivel, lastly tie your Clouser minnow to the end of the
flourocarbon.
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