Sea Angling Rig Book
Page 4
Now about 8” down the line make a loop of around 5” by tying a tucked half-blood knot, then measure 8” again and repeat, do this for a third time and you should have a trace body of approximately 24 to 30”.
Now cut one side of each of the loops, this should now give you three hook lengths approximately 10” in length.
Once this has been done its time to decide whether or not you want beads, these are a good idea and the best ones to use are brightly coloured ones, however you will only need either one or two per hook length.
The material for the actual feather can be almost anything, however one of the best things that I have found to use that is plastic based and comes in a variety of colours from silver and gold through to metallic red, green, blue and even holographic is tinsel, this is very easy to work with and most households have it, if not you can purchase mixed packs for around a pound from many shopping outlets.
You now need to cut your tinsel or other material into lengths of around 3 to 4 inches, once done, to keep it all together use a very small amount of superglue, select your hook, in my case I will normally use a size 1/0 or 2/0 BLN, if these are unobtainable use the same sized Aberdeen hook.
Now comes the hard part, it can however be made easier with the use of either a match hook tyre, fly tying or small bench vice, with the beak of the hook held firmly use a dab of superglue to hold the tinsel in place running down the shank of the hook, now put the beads up the hook length and feed the free end through the eye of the hook, the reason for BLN or Aberdeen hooks are that the eye is just the right size for the following operations.
You need to push around 4.5 inches of the hook length through the eye, now either tie a tucked half-blood knot incorporating the hook shank or the easy method is to wrap the hook length around the hook shank and tinsel working down the hook towards the beak, do this up to 8 times, you can do less loops around the shank as long you do an even number it will still work, but the more loops/twists you do the better it will hold.
Now still holding the free end push it back through the opposite side of the hook eye and pull up tight working the twists of line up the hook shank and tinsel as you go, you will note that some of the tinsel will pull up also, don't worry this is why the tinsel is the length it is.
When all is pulled up tight drop a dab of superglue in the eye of the hook, leave a few minutes to dry and then trim the tag of line left to around 5mm, trim the tinsel top level with the eye of the hook or lower if possible and then either trim the other end making sure that it passes the hook beak or leave long.
Now repeat on the other two hook lengths and remember as you are making your own you can change the pattern for each hook length.
Finally once finished hang from a nail or rig making board and then on each hook length take hold one strand of tinsel from the hook and holding firmly pull it through your nails of your fourth finger and thumb, you will notice that doing this will make the tinsel curl, do this on two or three strands only and if multi-coloured do one of each colour this will help cause vibrations when used and remember practice makes perfect.
BOAT ANGLING RIGS
DOWNTIDE RIG
When using a Downtide rig, there is no need for the use of a shockleader as you are not normally casting the weight but just lowering it over the side of the boat. This method of fishing accounts for many different species. The Weight used when downtiding can be very important, particularly if more than two people are using this If this is so then the best thing to do is , each person fishing uses a different sized weight, the lightest will drift the furthest downtide from the boat, the heavier the weight, the less the rig will drift, this should cut down on tangles between rigs from the same boat.
The shape of the weight is also important, plane leads work well, the best shape and most common is the coneshaped leads; these can be obtained in a variety of sizes.
PARTS LIST
1 Large Zip Slider. 1 Large Bead, this acts as a buffer between the zip slider and swivel.
2 x Large Swivels approximately size 1/0-4/0. 48” Of Heavy Line, From 25lbs to 50lbs.
36” Of Heavy Line, for use as a hook length, Wire trace line can be used for larger species of fish.
1 Hook, Size 3/0-6/0.
UPTIDE RIG
This method of fishing is a fairly new technique compared with Downtiding, the term Uptiding is exactly what it sounds like. with this method of fishing a shockleader may be needed depending on the size of weight and strength of main line being used. The use of grip leads is very important with this method. The idea of uptiding is to cast a weighted rig from the boat so that the lead settles on the bottom , uptide from the boat, and the baited trace moves with the tide. with this method of fishing, if there are three or more anglers on the boat, a larger area of ground can be covered. This method accounts for many species of fish, as does the downtide rig. The Pennel type hook trace on this rig is optional and works well for the larger species of fish. The clip on this rig is for changing the hook length, to suit different conditions and different species of fish.This type of rig is a type of running ledger.
PARTS LIST
1 Sliding Boom, Although a Zip Slider can be used. 1 Large Bead to act as a buffer.
2 Large Swivels Size 1/0 to 4/0. 1 Clip Link or Snap Link. 1 x 3/0 - 6/0 Hook
18-24” Of Heavy Line, for use as a hook length.
1 x 3/0 and 1 x 5/0 hook, if using a Pennel Rig.
COD RIG
The Cod is the most popular and sought after winter fish to be caught from the boat, although there are numerous ways and rigs for catching this fish, the rig above is one of the more popular ones. This rig can be used in two or three ways, these are, 1, to lower the baited rig over the side of the boat with a large weight and drift the rig over wrecks and reefs. 2, With the boat anchored lower the baited rig over the side with a 6-8oz lead and use as if downtiding. 3, With the boat anchored, cast the baited rig complete with a grip lead of 6 - 8ozs up tide from the boat, when this settles on the bottom, periodically release a few feet of line off of the reel. If the latter of the methods are used, there may be a need to use a shockleader, depending on the strength of the main line used. This rig will work with a variety of species particularly Pollack and Ling, by changing the trace line, hook size and bait this rig willwork with Conger Eels.
PARTS LIST
1 Medium Eddystone Boom. 1 Large Bead, ( 2 Beads are used if a shockleader is used with this trace). 1 Large Swivel, Size 1/0 - 2/0. Up To 72” Of Trace Line, Average Size Around 30lbs. 1 Hook, Size 6/0 - 8/0, depending on species. A Pennel Hook can be used with this rig.
CONGER RIG
This rig set-up is very similar to the Cod rig, however this rig uses heavier line larger hooks and more swivels. Conger fishing from the boat is normally done by, anchoring the boat over a wreck or reef and lowering the baited rig (normally with a whole Mackerel or flapper) over the side, until it reaches the bottom, this can be left where it is, or the reel can be turned two or three turns to raise the boom off the bottom and away from any underwater snags, doing this may let the rig drift, however this will cover a larger area.
This rig will often attract Ling and other species of smaller fish, before striking in to the fish, be certain that the bite is sharp or is pulling line off the reel. Up to a 2lb plane weight may be needed for this rig, and a main line of 50lbs plus. When boat fishing for larger species, always make sure that the drag is set properly on the reel, to do this, loosen the drag until line can be pulled from the reel, without snapping, the line should not run off the reel freely.
PARTS LIST
1 Large Eddystone Boom. 1 Large Bead.
2 x Swivels, Size 3/0 - 4/0. 1 x Hook size 8/0.
24” Of 200lb Mono, between swivels.
48” Of Wire Trace Line or 200lbs mono.
POLLACK RIG
This rig is one of the more popular ones, and is used for a variety of
other species of fish, used mainly by lowering the baited rig ( with a rubber sand eel) over the side of the boat until the weight hits the bottom, once this has happened turn the reel between 6 and 10 turns to raise the rig off of the bottom, this is about the area in which Pollack swim and feed, however other fish such as Ling and Cod also occupy this area.
Another method that can be used with this rig is to put a flier at the top of the trace, this helps to attract fish towards the rig and ultimately the rubber eel with the hook inserted in it. Rubber eels come in a variety of shapes and sizes, the way that a flier is set-up is to push the trace line through a smaller eel and then push it up to the end of the boom. The most productive being thered and black ones.
PARTS LIST
1 x 8 - 10” Wire Boom.
20lb Trace Line, Approximately 15 feet.
1 Large Rubber eel (redgill/ eddyston. Etc.)
Jelly worms also work on this rig and are worth a try if the fishing is slow.
TOPE RIG
This rig can be used with a grip lead as shown for uptiding or with a plane lead for downtiding, although mainly used for Tope fishing, this can be used for a variety of fish just by changing the hook size and weight. when using this rig it is not unusual to use a whole mackerel for bait, the Tope can take and swallow a whole fish in one gulp. pease note the Tope is a protected species and as such a catch and return policy should be adopted.
PARTS LIST
1 Sliding Boom, Zip slider can be substituted
1 Large Bead used as a buffer.
3 Large Swivels size 1/0 - 4/0.
48” Of 50lb Line for use as a rubbing Trace.
12-24” Of Heavy Wire Trace Line or 60lb Mono.
2 x Heavy Gauge Crimps, if Wire Trace line is used.
1 Hook, Size 7/0 and up.
FEATHERED AND PLANE PIRKING RIG
This rig setup is very common, and is used mainly for Cod etc. The feathers on the rig at the top of the page can be of any colour; however the most commonly used and most popular are the white ones. Pirks come in many shapes and sizes normally between 8 and 16ozs.
Pirk fishing is normally carried out when the boat is drifting over a reef or wreck. A good method is to lower the Pirk, baited with a whole squid, over the side till it reaches the bottom, then retrieve the Pirk about 7 turns of the reel to clear any snags, now raise the rod tip and then lower it.
This is done until the fish are contacted and hooked. Basic Pirks are made from a piece of stainless steel tube, filled with lead, however it is probably best to purchase readymade ones from a local tackle dealer.
PARTS LIST
1 Set Of Cod Feathers.
1 Large 2/0 - 4/0 Swivel.
35lb Main Line.
1 Pirk Between 8 and 6ozs.