Need help: Best weedless swimbait rig for fishing rocky kelp area from shore?

[Vintage Offshore Tackle]

I've had no issues with hooking Calicos on the Warbaits (or other similar heads) with the weed guards. They eat it and hook themselves. I've had multiple 50 fish days using them.  The Owner Beast type hooks are for big swimbaits usually fished in the kelp on, or just under, the surface.

Thank you for the info Mark.  I will give the Warbaits heads a try next time we fish calicos in the kelp.  I have fished with friends who were skipping big swimbaits over the top of the kelp but never tried it myself.  I know that it works, but I generally stick with what I know unless I see someone getting bit better doing something else.

[the rockfish ninja]

Swimbaits work, they do catch fish for this application, but after many years of targeting rockfish with artificials from shore I've found these to be not only more effective at staying out of snags, but produces more fish for me also.





I get more hits using a Carolina rig but it's harder to cast and snags up a little more than Texas rig, that's a trade off, but in an optimal location where distance casting isn't required, I go Carolina. Texas rigged casts & retrieves like a swimbait, just snags less.

The only other rig that produces more action is a drop shot with good sized grub, but that gets snagged a lot unless you're fishing from a high (& dangerous ) cliff and is almost like bait fishing.

Good luck & stay safe out on the rocks.

[Vintage Offshore Tackle]

Swimbaits work, they do catch fish for this application, but after many years of targeting rockfish with artificials from shore I've found these to be not only more effective at staying out of snags, but produces more fish for me also.





I get more hits using a Carolina rig but it's harder to cast and snags up a little more than Texas rig, that's a trade off, but in an optimal location where distance casting isn't required, I go Carolina. Texas rigged casts & retrieves like a swimbait, just snags less.

The only other rig that produces more action is a drop shot with good sized grub, but that gets snagged a lot unless you're fishing from a high (& dangerous ) cliff and is almost like bait fishing.

Good luck & stay safe out on the rocks.

Thank you!  What are those called, and do you know where you can buy them online?

[the rockfish ninja]

Swimbaits work, they do catch fish for this application, but after many years of targeting rockfish with artificials from shore I've found these to be not only more effective at staying out of snags, but produces more fish for me also.




I get more hits using a Carolina rig but it's harder to cast and snags up a little more than Texas rig, that's a trade off, but in an optimal location where distance casting isn't required, I go Carolina. Texas rigged casts & retrieves like a swimbait, just snags less.

The only other rig that produces more action is a drop shot with good sized grub, but that gets snagged a lot unless you're fishing from a high (& dangerous ) cliff and is almost like bait fishing.

Good luck & stay safe out on the rocks.

Thank you!  What are those called, and do you know where you can buy them online?

It's called a fluke, most softbait mgfs make them.

[MarkT]

It's a Zoom super fluke.  I usually use MC Viejo's or swimbaits but neither they or Big Hammer make that fluke style.