Having trouble tying rigs and hooking bait

[Reel Beaker]

Hi guys,

Need some help and advice here. Facing the following difficulties:

1. Drawing line while tying rigs.

Have been tying some rigs with 30 lb mono. Everytime i draw the line to clinch and secure the knot, the line kinds of curls up at the knot, near where the swivel lies. I want the line to be continuous throughout the rigs with a nice circular bend in the middle, not curling at the ends.. Any idea what i can do to tie a more beautiful rig?

2. Aerodynamics of your rig.

Been casting some bottom rigs with a 3-way swivel. The hook line is longer than the sinker line meaning the the bait is at the bottom of the rig, followed by the sinker. It seems that any rig where the sinker is not at the bottom of the rig is not aerodynamic sound and is difficult to cast....Been having a really hard time to cast this rig. Any advice?

3. Dead bait keeps falling out.

My dead sardines keep falling out as i cast my rigs? The rig is the one i mentioned above with the 3-way swivel. I have been hooking my dead sardines as i would to a live one, that is above the lateral line. Is there a better way to hook dead sardines? I dont cast my live sardines, just use a float and them swim where they want.

4. Best way to secure a fishing lure to your mainline.

Been thinking of trying freshwater fishing and tying a fishing lure to my mainline. What is the best way to do so? The perfection loop?

[Swami805]

My 2 cents
1. Wet the knot with silava so it slides easier
2. Got nothing on that one. I have the sinker at to bottom to keep the bait suspended
3. Try hooking them thru the head and using those little rubber bands dentist use for braces or some kind of floss to tie the bait on. Dead sardines get mushy. If you're using frozen get the salt cured ones. Also casting motion is important. Practice casting so you using one smooth continuous motion and eliminate and sudden jerks. Might lose some distance but it's better than no bait
4. Try learning the palomar knot. Very fast and easy to tie with a good breaking strength. There's a lot of great knots but I'm not great at knots and stick to easy ones. I pretty much know 5 knots and stick with those and manage to get by
Sounds like you've been fishing. Where are the pictures? Post em up!
I'm sure there much be more sound advice from others but really no pictures? Come man! Pictures!

[sharkman]

Dead sardine can be tricky, they get mushy. Try putting the frozen ones in a cooler then give them a liberal coating of rock salt. This helps make them a little harder. Regarding the curling of the line. I have found some mono and flouro lines curl when tied and it is not necessarily the cheaper lines.

[Captain64-200]

A good trick with dead sardines is to rig them fresh and THEN froze them . You can cast with confidence and the sardines defroze slowly in the water .

[Decker]

2. Aerodynamics of your rig.

Been casting some bottom rigs with a 3-way swivel. The hook line is longer than the sinker line meaning the the bait is at the bottom of the rig, followed by the sinker. It seems that any rig where the sinker is not at the bottom of the rig is not aerodynamic sound and is difficult to cast....Been having a really hard time to cast this rig. Any advice?

3. Dead bait keeps falling out.

My dead sardines keep falling out as i cast my rigs? The rig is the one i mentioned above with the 3-way swivel. I have been hooking my dead sardines as i would to a live one, that is above the lateral line. Is there a better way to hook dead sardines? I dont cast my live sardines, just use a float and them swim where they want.

Hi, I'll respond to #2 and 3.  Are you trying to make long casts? When you cast, does the bait and weight "helicopter" apart, spinning as it flies?   I had this same problem with a slip sinker (fishfinder) rig.  The solution was to shorten the snell length of the hook to about 6 inches.   I also put a plastic bead above the sinker, to slow it from slipping too far up the line, but this doesn't apply to your rig.  I would focus on shortening the distance between the 3 way swivel and the hook, and also the distance between the swivel and the sinker.  Less distance - less helicoptering.  The fish don't care if the hook is close to the sinker.  If you need the bait to float off the bottom, a slip rig would let you do that.  Once the sinker is set on bottom, you can let out some line and the bait will drift away from the sinker.   Shortening the rig allows more of your casting force to move the rig forward, as oposed to being transferred into the spinning action.

That "helicoptering" force (assuming that is happening) may also be what is throwing your bait off the hook, so the shortening should help this also.   Apparently the Brits like to use a "pulley rig" for surf fishing, and they have a way of fastening the baited hook to the sinker for casting aerodynamics, that releases on impact with the water.  Breakaway tackle makes the hook and release device.  I also keep some of that elastic thread with me to tie baits down when necessary.

Hope that helps.

[smnaguwa]

Regarding the sardine: I agree with using elastic thread which works well. If you start with frozen sardine, the elastic thread is easier to put on and then it tightens as the sardine thaws. Be careful not to tie spinners directly to your main line when you freshwater fish. It will twist your line.

[Tiddlerbasher]

All knots need to be lubed (saliva) as you tighten them - if you don't you will get a weak knot with 'pig tails'.
Soft baits I always use plenty of elastic thread to whip it to the hook(s).
As has already been said - if you are getting pronounced 'helicoptering' shorten the link. Making it a lot longer could work as well, but you will get more tangles.

[Gfish]

2 hook rig for the sardine, back hook as you have it, front hook latterly through the skull behind the eye or dorsal/ventraly(top to bottom) same area.

[Reel Beaker]

Regarding the sardine: I agree with using elastic thread which works well. If you start with frozen sardine, the elastic thread is easier to put on and then it tightens as the sardine thaws. Be careful not to tie spinners directly to your main line when you freshwater fish. It will twist your line.

what kind of elastic thread are you talking about?

[Decker]

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/atlas-magic-thread-15atlutlmkthrdwhtlur/15atlutlmkthrdwhtlur?camp=CSE:DSG_pg46161_ecom_PLA_452&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7LyLh9T92QIVSFqGCh0UJAkWEAQYASABEgJbTfD_BwE

[Reel Beaker]

2 hook rig for the sardine, back hook as you have it, front hook latterly through the skull behind the eye or dorsal/ventraly(top to bottom) same area.

I have been trying that lately. A tandem hook rig with 2 snelled hooks on 30 lb monofilament. Unfortunately, the line on the second hook gets nicked by the first hook. Been hooking them above the lateral line before and after the dorsal fin. Will experiment more and see if the line nicking persist.. Does anyone know of a good solution i can freeze my sardines in so that they are firmer when i want to use them?

[handi2]

Get some bait brining salt. In a dry tray lay them out flat and salt one side. Turn them over and salt the other side. Let them sit at least 4 hours. They will toughen up good.

[Reel Beaker]

Get some bait brining salt. In a dry tray lay them out flat and salt one side. Turn them over and salt the other side. Let them sit at least 4 hours. They will toughen up good.

We just need to salt the sardines before freezing? No need to soak them in any solution? Will fish find them too "salty"? Does this also work for shrimp?

[Decker]

We just need to salt the sardines before freezing? No need to soak them in any solution? Will fish find them too "salty"? Does this also work for shrimp?

Sometimes I just dowse bait with salt and throw it in the freezer.  It is fine that way, but the salt draws out the liquids from the flesh, and it doesn't freeze, so it can get messy if it leaks in the freezer.  The "right" way is to salt the bait and let it drain and dry for a couple days, before freezing.  I guess if it is really done right, you don't need to freeze at all.   I've never gone through with that, but you can find detailed instructions on the net.  There is no need to clean the salt off for fishing; it likely helps carry the scent when it gets in the water.  Hope that helps.

P.S. I use Kosher salt.

[Gfish]

If you wanna get real elaborate about it, somethin that's been workin for me is to; make a threading needle outta stiff wire(e.g., clothes hanger), tie-on your hook and run the line from the "vent" up through the mouth. Secure the hook with a rubber band over the body and secure the line runnin out the mouth with another rubber band over the snout.
I actually do this with plastic ties insteada rubber bands and a small weight on the line, stuffed into the mouth and held in place by the snout tie. Also, I have a 1/2 x 1"circular flexible plastic "holder" that the hook goes through as well as the back plastic tie, situated on the belly. This is my trollin rig. I put each one in a zip-lock baggie,  leader/swivel and all, and freeze 'em. Now the next thing is to figure out a way to keep 'em from twistin my main line so bad...