Rig Mod

[20lbSloughShark]

All year I have been having the best luck with a custom quick-strike rig loaded with an 8-10" sucker. I have caught a ton of Northern's, bass (the suckers are almost as big as them), and even a bull head. I have used suckers before but I never used them due to the fact that with one hook in the mouth, you either kill the northern, or risk a missed hook set. Recently I was fishing on a secret lake of mine and ran into a problem. When the fish took the bait, they ran into weeds, the big bobber caught the weeds and ripped the sucker right out of their mouths. I have been thinking, what if I used a balloon for a float, if it was attached by a rubber band? It would keep the suckers off the bottom, but release when a fish took it, no drag, and no weeds. What do you think? A bobber that released like a planner board but stayed on the line would be a cool invention I think.

[20lbSloughShark]

has anyone heard anything related to this?

[wahoo]

We used balloons for fishing Tuna believe it or not. Yep, it deflates when pulled down, but, a tuna is usually racing away at an incredible speed and a lot of power. I think it might take a pretty large pike to pull one under and get it to deflate.

yes, we use rubber bands.

[20lbSloughShark]

I was thinking, adjust the rubber band to release the balloon. When a fish takes the bait, it wouldn't pull the balloon down at all. Is this even possible with suckers as big as this? They are pretty strong, they might be able to pull the line free themselves. Maybe I just need to set the hook sooner? I usually let the pike run for 30 seconds, or it stops. Maybe I should just take advantage of the second hook.

P.S. This is the lake I got my personal best (avatar pic) of 8 pounds 36". I never had issues because the last time I was on that lake it was winter with tip ups. With out bobbers, there were no issues. I will definitely hit this lake more. It is very weedy, has great spots, plenty of bays, I am convinced it has the most and largest northern pike in wright county.

[wahoo]

I use rubber bands for downrigger releases--but it is amazing how much they stretch. Still, an actual release, set very lightly, MIGHT work. Or, try a paper clip with the line set between the 2 part of the clip. But, a large sucker may just pull it out. Maybe an electrical alligator clip with jaws taped so they don't hurt the line and set the line very close to the end of the actual clip so it pops out easily.

[RK]

Hiya -

Couple thoughts...

- If you're using a quick strike rig, smack them right away. I put light, steady pressure on the line, which almost always gets them to turn away from you. As soon as they do, set the hook. I put hooks just behind the gill on one side, and just behind the dorsal fin on the other. Pike and muskies nearly always head hunt or t-bone suckers, so if they hit it, they're virtually a certainty that they have a hook in their mouth when you set the hook.

- In my experience, a lot of the time the culprit when rigs catch on weeds is the sinker. I use an upside down bullet weight (pointed end toward the bait) so if it does catch on the first run, it slides up the line. Do this with QS rigs in the winter under tip-ups too...

- A balloon rig does work. I've used them with a paper clip holding the balloon in place as well as a rubber band, but as someone else mentioned, quite a bit of buoyancy and resistance even with a smallish balloon, so may not solve the dropping problem before it deflates. Also - more putzing around to set up, and everything's harder with cold hands. Just setting the hook immediately with a quick strike rig will solve most of the problems.

- For quick strike rigs, look into the lift-off type rig (sold as a "Herbie" rig some places), which a lot of muskie guys use. Very high hooking %, and easy to make ahead of time for varying size suckers.

Cheers,

RK

[20lbSloughShark]

So it seems the best solution, is to use the "quick" in the quick strike rig. I must be stuck on the old single hook mentality of "let 'em suck it to their [PoorWordUsage]!" I have always been taught, let the fish take it for a while or stop moving. The one fish I got that day (I was there for an hour) I set the hook almost imediately. Also I have been considering trebble hooks. I have never been a fan of trebble hooks, but are they or circle hooks an advantage. I use thick 3/0 octopus hooks. Up until now this rig has had a 100% hook rate. Maybe I just got unlucky too?

As a side note... I found someone who wants to trade his deep 16' aluminum boat (what I want) for a small 12'-14' boat for a few people that he can tow with a car (what I have). I am getting it saturday, but he is not sure if a shortshaft will work. I love my 1972 18hp evinrude fastwin. I don't want to get rid of it; how much would a longshaft kit cost? Where is the best place to get one?

[wahoo]

Don't know about the engine.

Yes, strike quick. I cut a large hole in the winter because I like to watch the fish take the bait. Rough estimate is I can set the hook on the first take 90% of the time with good results and little damage to the fish other than the hook in the lip/front part of the mouth, which can be taken out in a matter of seconds.

[20lbSloughShark]

I've tried a few different modifications, and decieded the best way is to shorten the distance between the hooks. I also started hooking almost as soon as the bobber goes down. I have not had a chance at a northern but I got two bass today. I am considering trying a trebble hook on the rear, it seems there is hardly any hook sticking out of the sucker.

[20lbSloughShark]

I finished off the year by replacing the rear hook with a trebble. I never got another chance at fishing with that rig, but it looked good.

I went with a completely different rig for my tip ups. I beleive people call it a lift off rig. The idea is that the sucker is always horizontal. I noticed last year suckers get tired and just hang. It is basically two leaders coming from one swivel, with a large orange spinner blade, one the front one, and I used trebble hooks on both.