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Rigging a Weedless Worm or Stick-Bait
Rigging a soft plastic Lure can at first be quite daunting, especially if you have not done it before. Below I will attempt to show how to rig a soft plastic Worm or 'Stick-bait'
Rigging a stick-bait can be quite tricky if you wish to present it 'weed-less'. (i.e to be worked amongst the rough stuff will the smallest or a minimal risk of snagging)
To demonstrate this I'm using a Gary Yamamoto 4" Senko and a Gamakatsu 2/0 offset Worm Hook, this demonstration will show you how to set these up both weedless and 'weightless' - as the use of the tungsten nose weight is optional.
First of all - use both hands! Unfortunately I couldn't as I was taking pictures! But you should get the jist!
With the Worm in one hand and the Hook in the other, offer the point of the hook to the top side of the nose of the Worm at approx 45 deg angle.
Push the hook through at this angle and out of the underside maintaining the angle. The purpose of this is to accommodate the offset bend in the Hook.
Next feed the worm round the bend of the hook and up towards the neck.
Then once the hook is fed all the way through, align the hook to the worm to make a note (imaginary line) of where it must pass through the body. This step is important as an error will mean the bait will not be presented properly.
Next bend the worm to allow you to enter the hook perpendicular or square to the underside of the worm to follow your 'imaginary line' through the Lure.
Once through, the worm should sit straight on the hook with no kinks or bends. Entry and exit points should be central to the lure body and aligned.
The next and crucial part is to 'skin' the Lure. 'Skinning' basically buries the hook point to prevent it from snagging on rocks or weed. Only the point should be hidden. To do this, basically squeeze the Lure between your thumb and forefinger to swell the plastic then gently feed the point into the raised plastic. This step may need to be performed several times when using the lure also.
The lure is in now ready to be used rigged weedless and weightless.....
The next part is an optional extra which you do can in order to try and catch the tail 'nibblers!'
Tie a smaller hook to the bottom of the top hook using a suitable knot, I've used a small 1/0 hook and two clinch knots. This is a bit like a Pennel arrangement.
Repeat the steps above to feed the hook through the body. Skin the bottom hook the same way as the top hook by burying the hook point before use.
If you wish to add weight to the lure, use a tungsten / lead nose weight like the on shown below. This can be fed onto the line before the hook is tied on.
There you go, a juicy Black Worm or stick-bait with a sting in the tail! which is ready to be fished amongst the rocks and weed.
Hope this helps
Rigging a stick-bait can be quite tricky if you wish to present it 'weed-less'. (i.e to be worked amongst the rough stuff will the smallest or a minimal risk of snagging)
To demonstrate this I'm using a Gary Yamamoto 4" Senko and a Gamakatsu 2/0 offset Worm Hook, this demonstration will show you how to set these up both weedless and 'weightless' - as the use of the tungsten nose weight is optional.
First of all - use both hands! Unfortunately I couldn't as I was taking pictures! But you should get the jist!
With the Worm in one hand and the Hook in the other, offer the point of the hook to the top side of the nose of the Worm at approx 45 deg angle.
Push the hook through at this angle and out of the underside maintaining the angle. The purpose of this is to accommodate the offset bend in the Hook.
Next feed the worm round the bend of the hook and up towards the neck.
Then once the hook is fed all the way through, align the hook to the worm to make a note (imaginary line) of where it must pass through the body. This step is important as an error will mean the bait will not be presented properly.
Next bend the worm to allow you to enter the hook perpendicular or square to the underside of the worm to follow your 'imaginary line' through the Lure.
Once through, the worm should sit straight on the hook with no kinks or bends. Entry and exit points should be central to the lure body and aligned.
The next and crucial part is to 'skin' the Lure. 'Skinning' basically buries the hook point to prevent it from snagging on rocks or weed. Only the point should be hidden. To do this, basically squeeze the Lure between your thumb and forefinger to swell the plastic then gently feed the point into the raised plastic. This step may need to be performed several times when using the lure also.
The lure is in now ready to be used rigged weedless and weightless.....
The next part is an optional extra which you do can in order to try and catch the tail 'nibblers!'
Tie a smaller hook to the bottom of the top hook using a suitable knot, I've used a small 1/0 hook and two clinch knots. This is a bit like a Pennel arrangement.
Repeat the steps above to feed the hook through the body. Skin the bottom hook the same way as the top hook by burying the hook point before use.
If you wish to add weight to the lure, use a tungsten / lead nose weight like the on shown below. This can be fed onto the line before the hook is tied on.
There you go, a juicy Black Worm or stick-bait with a sting in the tail! which is ready to be fished amongst the rocks and weed.
Hope this helps
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