Large Swimbait Harness

[Hoytdaddy]

Alright guys I am working on a 9" boot tail swimbait

I'll be fishing it on the rocks for lingcod so I need it to be top hook

A lot of swimbaits have the lead attached to the hook working as a keel.

How are you guys pouring the custom lead piece that hangs under your hook.

I'll be slow rolling it along big rocks. My other idea was just imbed a hook with a jig head already on it. So I can see a lot of trial and error in the near future

Preferably I'd like a double hook rig somehow inside the bait, but I don't know how that would be accomplished. Any input on that?

Thank you

[Ed_White]

I use a lead insert in a 6" sand eel, with the lead attached to the hook, like a Storm shad. I made a mold from Bondo that I can lay the bare hook in, and pour the lead in, like a jighead mold, and then take the lead/hook insert and put it in my plastic mold, and shoot the plastic over the insert.

To make the hook mold, I used a piece of wood and worked it to get the shape I wanted, put a slice in it for the hook to sit in, epoxied the hook in place, and used it to make the mold from.

Edited April 3, 2016 by Ed_White

[Hoytdaddy]

Awesome

I'll have to get some bonds then. I had never thought about using it.

Any idea how a double hook rig would work?

I have a few ideas but feel like the trailer would just get torn out of the bait

[Ed_White]

Any idea if lingcod are head feeders or tail feeders? Around here where I fish, the 2 fish most prevalent are stripers and bluefish, stripers are head hunters, they turn on their meal, suck in their prey whole, head first, they have no teeth......bluefish, on the other hand, are yellow eyed demons with a mouthfull of teeth with a bad attitude, they tend to chase the same prey as the stripers, but strike from the rear, biting them in half. That's why the rear hook on many striper lures are called the bluefish hook.

If you know which end they are more likely to eat, might only need one hook?

[Hoytdaddy]

In my experience they're all over the place

They're hidden in the rocks and seem to strike when they have the chance

Fishing slow maybe they have time to come out and hit it head first because that's what they see first

Fishing faster they'll chase it down and strike from behind

Sometimes they'll hold on even if they aren't hooked, so I guess that comes down to having a tougher plastic

I use a lot of eel shaped baits that do well but really want something with a bigger profile to attract the bigger fish