Surf Bait Rig Rundown
- Nick Honachefsky
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
By Nick Honachefsky
Top Bait Rigs for Surf Success
The surf is a varied and wild arena. Completely different environments span from the Northeast to the Carolinas to Florida, Texas and California, but some rigs can be ubiquitously applied. Varied surf rigs can confuse those who don’t understand their applications. Pick out the right rig for your species: Hi-lo, pill float, fishfinder, chunk rig, mullet rig for all fishes from stripers to redfish to pompano and sharks.
HI-LO
Theory: Why have one hook when you can have two? There’s more to the logic of the hi-lo than just having another hook as the hi-lo rig covers subtleties in the water column where fish are feeding. Even a foot can make a difference to get bites targeting true bottom feeders or to convince wary fish to come up and snap on a bait. Can also use on bridges or piers, hooks scaled accordingly. Baited with worms, clams, shrimp, small chunk baits.
Design: 75-pound barrel swivel, 30-inch section of leader tied with two dropper loops 16 inches apart, appropriate hooks scaled to species on droppers, loop knot for weight on end. In surf, pyramid sinkers work best to hold.
Species: Surf Stripers, snapper, grouper, sea bass
FISHFINDER SLIDE
Theory: Built to allow feeding fish to pick up a bait without feeling any unnatural resistance to trigger it to spit out the bait. Mainly for use of live baits such as bunker, eels, pilchards, sandworms, bloodworms. Can use chunk baits or fresh clams as well. Also good to use in inlets or creeks where tide is running as you can free spool the line and allow the fish to take it unhindered in the current for a natural presentation.
Design: Fishfinder slide with sinker clip for pyramid or bank style sinker, or can substitute egg sinker for the slide clip, 75-pound barrel swivel 20 to 30-inch length of leader, snelled hook.
Species: Fluke, Southern Flounder, Striped Bass, Red Drum, Cobia
PILL FLOAT
Theory: To keep the baits floating off the bottom to prevent crabs from stealing your baits. Sand fleas, shrimp fishbites, worm bits, clam bits. Targets are generally smaller species up to 4 pounds and for procuring live baits such as grunts, pinfish for the livewell. Great for fun fishing along bridges and piers too.
Design: Hi-Lo rig design except small Styrofoam pill shaped floats in front of the smaller size #4 to #8 baitholder hook
Species: Pompano, whiting, northern kingfish, white perch, grunts, pinfish
CHUNK RIG
Theory: Made for bigger game when you want to throw big baits. Use chunk baits such as menhaden, bluefish, cut mullet, pinfish, grunt, sardine. Long leader allows for bigger fish to pick up bait and have effective hookset once it swims away. Great all around rig when casting from the shoreline to explore for species as everything eats chunk baits.
Design: Three way swivel, sinker clip on one eye, other eye a 30-inch piece of 40 to 80-pound mono leader, snelled octopus or circle hook, scaled accordingly (5/0 to 12/0).
Species: Sharks, Striped Bass, Bluefish, Red Drum, Black Drum, Snook
MULLET RIG
Theory: Specifically designed to throw fresh or frozen mullet, allows for the whole bait to be fished in a natural manner. Mullet bait floats around just above the sands in an enticing manner to attract feeding gamefish. Also float keeps bait off bottom where crabs can pick it apart.
Design: Small oval Styrofoam float built in with a 4-inch length of wire where a dual barb hook is looped on the end of the wire. To bait, hook is removed, mullet is threaded on from mouth down through the body out the anal vent, then hook looped back on and one barb pierced into the side of the tail. Connected via three way swivel where sinker clip is latched.
Species: Tarpon, Snook, Striped Bass, Bluefish, Red Drum, Sharks
Depending on the beaches you fish and their target species, adjust your rigs accordingly for surf success.
Check out all episodes of Saltwater Underground on Saltwater Underground Youtube:
Or on Waypoint TV at:
Follow @nickhonachefsky on Instagram for daily catch photos https://www.instagram.com/nickhonachefsky/
Or at:
