Quick Strike Rigs - Homemade

[Lane]

Hey guys. Anyone make their own quick strick rigs? What do you do and what materials do you use?

Where is the best place in the twin cities to get materials (wire & crimps) to make rigs?

[TruthWalleyes]

Just make your own with some 10# flouro and some treble hooks. Toss a bead on there, you've got yourself a low visibility quick strike.

You could learn a lot about making your own quick strike rigs in the catfish forum where we frequently use bait big enough that we need 2 or 3 hooks.

[deerminator]

X2. I can't say its made a difference, honestly, but I've ditched the wire leaders and went to mono (25lb). I use "natural" rigs where its basically two trebles and no decorations attached to a big sucker. But I've also put three beads and a small blade above each treble. Again, not sure there is any difference in terms of bite. I'm going to try some fluoro this spring in my open water rigs. But for now, this is working. BTW, you can get all that stuff - line, trebles, beads, blades at the Farm. But I'm betting most other sporting places have them too.

[Alagnak]

If you're talking about QS rigs for pike I highly recomment sticking to wire. Yes, I've had some good luck with heavier floro for pike rigs and musky/pike leaders but I've also had a couple cut. Mono will work most of the time, but that 40+ incher that will cut through that like butter will make you wish you stuck with wire. It's only the fish of a lifetime that is going to put your gear to the test. So if you care about catching tha fish, you won't wait for that fish to find out the hard way. Trust me, they will cut your mono and so will the edge of the ice at times. Use 27 or 30# multi strand wire (7,9,etc) and not single solid wire. If you use the copper colored (not plastic coated) it is very thin and hardly noticable in the water anyway. You can order from Barlows, Stamina, or a dozen different online or go to Thorn Bros to pick it up and the appropriate size sleeves for that dia. wire.

You can pick up the goods for about what it cost to buy 1-2 pre made QS rigs and use a needle nose for your crimper and have you wire, sleeves, hooks in a tiny container and just have with you in your ice gear. You don't need a special crimping tool for light duty stuff like this either. I've done breaking strength tests on both crimped and pinched with pliers and with the smaller diameter wires have tested better with pliers as it smashes down on the whole sleeve and not just where you crimp. Just bring the stuff with and then you can make them how big/small/long/short and whatever hooks YOU want. And after a nice fish or two get it kinked up just whip up a new one or two by reusing the hooks/beads/swivel and it basically costs you pennies to make.

[FISHINGURU]

If you're talking about QS rigs for pike I highly recomment sticking to wire. Yes, I've had some good luck with heavier floro for pike rigs and musky/pike leaders but I've also had a couple cut. Mono will work most of the time, but that 40+ incher that will cut through that like butter will make you wish you stuck with wire. It's only the fish of a lifetime that is going to put your gear to the test. So if you care about catching tha fish, you won't wait for that fish to find out the hard way.

That's how I look at it, nice post Alagnak. Thanks for the advice I'm going to go your route and make my own. That way I can make them any size/color I want that particular day. They get spendy when you buy a bunch of pre-made ones, some of them your lucky to land a fish or two and they are bent and worthless. The mono would be nice because of that but like you say I'm looking for a fish of a lifetime and I don't want that 20+lb pike shredding my mono like butter.

[Lane]

Couple more questions.

I am used to using the "natural" rigs as opposed to the inline rigs. When using the inline ones do you guys crimp the second hook, or let it float up and down the wire? I guess I don't understand why you would let the second hook slide around and just attach it with shrink wrap...

[Alagnak]

Couple more questions.

I am used to using the "natural" rigs as opposed to the inline rigs. When using the inline ones do you guys crimp the second hook, or let it float up and down the wire? I guess I don't understand why you would let the second hook slide around and just attach it with shrink wrap...

It's made like that to adjust for different length of bait. In my experience the inline ones work good for slow trolling/dragging a musky sucker around in the late fall but I never use them under a tip up. I only use the upside down 'Y' type where I have one swivel and basically two single leaders coming off that swivel. Sorry I'd post a pic if I was home. This way no matter dead bait, live bait (that's not so live) it will always present your bait horizontally to a fish so they can t-bone it. And don't be afraid to cut the tail and/or fins off if they are too big and lively.

[Steve Foss]

I made QS rigs out of Sevenstrand wire and hooks. Only hardware needed was a swivel. The Sevenstrand (well, a lot of companies make stranded fishing wire) can be wrapped tightly around itself like a clinch knot and, if wrapped enough and tightly enough, will bind to itself and not slip.

All that plastic coated wire and crimps were just too much hardware to suit me.

I've gotten completely away from QS now anyway. All my pike tip-ups/winter pike bait rods have a circle hook at the end of the stranded wire leader. Once you get the hang of it, easy peasy. With no risk of guthooking, there's also no need to go sprinting across the ice, which often causes pike to drop baits.

[FISHINGURU]

All my pike tip-ups/winter pike bait rods have a circle hook at the end of the stranded wire leader. Once you get the hang of it, easy peasy.

I've been toying around with circle hooks lately on tip ups and normal rod and reel. Hardest part is remember you don't really need to set the hook.

What method do you use to hook up on pike with your tip ups?

[Steve Foss]

I've been toying around with circle hooks lately on tip ups and normal rod and reel. Hardest part is remember you don't really need to set the hook.

What method do you use to hook up on pike with your tip ups?

No more tip-ups. All bait rigs for me (baitcasting rods/reels with flag assist such as Arctic Warrior or HT Ice Rigger) for pike and lakers. I wait until a fish is moving away before engaging the spool and tightening up slowly. That ensures the hook will embed in the corner of the jaw.

I started with circle hooks for cats on the Red River back in 1995. They rock!

[hydro]

For most of the supplies, you can get them at Walmart in the craft section. They have nice beads, wires, and they have an awesome crimper for $12.00. It's better than anything I have ever seen in a dedicated fishing store. If you find the right size crimp sleeves you can use them for both mono and stranded wire, and the Walmart crimp tool forms the correct crimp shape to hols the mono without crushing it. For hooks, I use #4 or #6 trebles.

If you want to stick to traditional fishing supplies, Fleet and the big outdoor stores have the stuff. Keep an eye on what it costs to set up to do this, you could easily spend $30 to $50 on a few quick strike rigs.