Mooching Rig Preferences

[Vinny]

1) Do you agree with the commercial (such as Eagle Claw) mooching rigs, placing the larger hook as the "trailer?"

2) Why is the larger hook on the "trailer?"

3) Do you just tie same size hook for both?

4) Do you prefer fixed or sliding front hook?

[Fishalot]

I like the smaller hook at the end ,I have had good results with this. If a fish hits it from the side the big hook up top gets them good.
For smaller Salmon I like to use the same sise hooks on the rig.
I do like the slider, only if I tie them and the slip tie is real tight.

Fishalot

[ 05-30-2002, 04:28 PM: Message edited by: Fishalot ]

[Pilar]

Vinny, I rig my own and always make the trailer hook the smaller. Usually this rig is for trolling whole herring and is baited head forward. I hook the bait in the side with the front hook and 1/2 hitch the lips. The trailer hook just flaps around by the bait's tail. BTW this back hook gets most of the action. For additional excitement add an 1/8" chartruese bead between the two hooks. I have seen silvers strip a rig and then come back and nail the bead, then they get the trailer hook. So you get more chances at the fish.

If you truly want to 'Mooch', IE: drift and jig a herring then the bait is rigged tail forward or head down. Then maybe the big hook trailer makes sense since that is the one that goes in by the fishes head.

Slip tie is OK for silvers but many people complain about bust off on larger fish. Use a solid tie for Chinooks.

They now manufacture rigs using Gamakatsu hooks. Hook selection is the main reason I make my own leaders. I prefer Gammies in 4/0- 5/0 combos. You can buy these now premade.

[Vinny]

How would you hook a live herring?

and . . . If you hooked it through the lips, would it be able to breathe properly and stay alive longer?

[rockfish]

use a smaller hook in the front to make it spin and a larger hook in the back, 90% of the time they will be hooked in the rear. I tie my own with ug leaders for mooching or trolling herring and chameleon for leader attacked to a flasher trolling a squid,grandslambucktail, its stiffer and gives thlure more whip. heres a tip if your gonna be motor mooching fishing live bait or mooching, get a bananna weight and snip one end of the wire loops at each end and make them strait then with some hard plastic tbing wrap them around it so the weight will slide. you will have 50% more hookups with a slider weght than a fixed weight, sliding leaders are garbage if the fish is hooked on the top hook it will slide down and put to much stress on the bottom knot where a nice fish could break that knot and your hook will just slide off the line. if your gonna use live herring I rig 4/0 black gammies and put the first hook between the gill plate ans skin and right abovethe tail just barely going thru the top of skin for the second hook. it does minimal damage to the herring and hes swims around longer this way. of course size your hooks to your herring. tight lines Ben

very good idea about the bead for silvers, gonna have to try that.

[ 05-30-2002, 06:26 PM: Message edited by: rockfish ]

[Pilar]

Vinny, hook a live bait through the back behind the top fin. This will make them dive as they swim. You can 'flyline' a bait this way, no lead, just a hook and let it swim.

[Jeffhead]

So Pilar,
How and why do you rig the herring backwards??? I have never seen that done here in the sound.
Even with fresh live bait I perfer to cutplug the herring with the top hook through the upper body so the hook point is parrell with the backbone and you can either let the trailing hook dangle free, hook it just under the skin so it is aligned with the tail or run it through the body and have it come out the other side and be aligned with the tail. The real answer is to try all of the ways described and see what works for you.
Good luck and tight lines, Jeff :grin: :grin:

[Pilar]

Jeffhead, I learned this from a guy I fished offshore with. We were dead drifting and targeting lings. I thought it was weird until I started slamming the fish with it. It worked and so I use it at times.

I think the erratic action is the reason, the bait does not spin but flutters as it drops. We have caught Chinook and lings this way at the rockpile. It works best with a minimal drift.

Push the trailing hook (5/0) up through the top of the head from either gill cover, the point parallel to the backbone and pointing to the tail. Push the top hook (4/0) through the backbone near the tail, pointing the same way. As you drop this bait down check out the erratic action, the fish will too.