finlander Posted July 8, 2003 Report Share Posted July 8, 2003 I just received my swim bait bodies from Cabelas. How should I go about rigging these things for muskies?? They do not float, they kind of lay on their side. The large jig heads I have seem inadequately small. I would like to run a wire through towards the belly, attaching split rings and trebles there. Maybe rig it on its' side like a dying fish. Any htoughts?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Splash Posted July 17, 2003 Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 Anyone out there have some rigging tips for these large baits? I've been thinking about getting a 7 or 8" swimbait mold made, but I am wondering about popular methods of rigging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gr8flyz Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 Some folks in my area rig the big plastic shads with a large jighead, usually something with about a 10/0 -12/0 hook, and a trailer hook of about 7/0 - 9/0. The trailer has to have a large ring eye, and is inserted first, then the jig hook is pushed thru the nose of the plastic, back thru the body & thru the eye of the trailer hook, then out the back of the shad. Same thing can be done with a treble using a short section of nylon coated stranded wire & a swivel attached to the treble, but a slot has to be cut into the plastic to insert the wire & treble, then closed up with plastic bait glue. Trebles aren't used for this type of rig much here, as it's primarily a Striper rig, and the single hooks are much easier to rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Drop Shot Store Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 This is my personal preference and is by no means the right or only way to rig swim baits. Go to the hobby store. Get a peice of 1/8 inch brass tubing and a package of R/C airplane nylon control rods made by either Great Planes or Sullivan. Make sure you drive home before continuing.... Sharpen one end of the brass tube. I do it by taking a chamfering tool and putting a chamfer on the ID of the tube until there is a sharp edge. Take the brass tube, starting at the nose where you want the line to enter the bait, push the tube through the bait, angling towards the belly where you want your treble hook to be. The tube will cut enough of a hole so that you can proceed to the next step. Take the inner sleeve portion of the nylon control rod and cut a piece just a little shorter than the length of the channel you just made. Push that piece of tubing through the bait. Open up the entrance and exit areas of the bait and wick in some super glue to hold that tube in place. Get a few #10 machine screw washers and set them on the bench. Feed your line from the nose of the bait down through and out the belly. You will be tying this directly to the split ring on the treble hook. Aquire a large treble hook and a correspondingly large split ring. Put the split ring on the treble. Thread the washer onto your line that is coming out the belly and then tie off to the treble hook. Bury on side of the hook in the bait to hold the treble in position and you are ready to fish. A variation of this rigging method is to cut the line at the nose of the bait and tie on a split ring, effectively making a harness that stays with the bait. I just want to add that these are not my ideas. They are pretty standard methods for rigging swim baits here on the left coast. Once this is done, go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy some 5/8 or 3/4 inch dowel rod. Cut about a 4 inch piece off. Drill an 1/8 inch hole down the center of the dowel. Cut a 4 inch piece of the brass tube, tap it into the dowel rod, and sharpen it as mentioned above. You now have a tool to cut pockets for rattles. Take care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Drop Shot Store Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 Forgot to add one more thing. You can add lead to the belly areas of these baits to get them to sit right in the water. I use the cylinder type weights and push them into a pocket cut with the rattle tool and then glue the channel closed. Experiment in the sink or tub as it doesn't take much weight to make these sit upright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Splash Posted July 19, 2003 Report Share Posted July 19, 2003 Thanks fellas, those sound like good ways to rig up the bigger swim baits. No one uses these here in the Interior of B.C., and I want to try them on the Char and outsized Rainbows. These big trout eat Kokanee (4-10 inches) and I'm sure the plastics will work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finlander Posted August 9, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2003 You state that you run your line thru the tubes placed inside the bodies. Would a wire, in place of the line, rigged with split rings and washers, work OK? I glued the tube in place the other day, seems secure enough. The edges on that tube seem like they could be hard on a line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Splash Posted August 10, 2003 Report Share Posted August 10, 2003 The plastic line is sharp? The metal tube was used to cut a hole for a softer plastic sleeve, as I understand it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
