The lonely Sabiki rod

[gottaflylee]

My Sabiki rod sits in the corner of the shop most of the year collecting dust till time to catch some bait that I can't get in the cast net. Typical baits catches with it are...Greenies of Thread Fin Herring, (but not Menhaden or Bunker) Blue Back Herring, Sardines, Cigar Minnows, in the mid water. Drop to the bottom and you will catch most anything with these rigs. They range in price from 99 cents to 4 or 5 dollars per pack. I found that, most of the time, the less expensive packs works as good as the more pricier ones, but each to their own on that.



Most rigs are made from fish skin, (Hage being one of the more popular) with 6 to 8 very small hooks, from # 6 to # 14's are in a 4 to 5' line attached to a sinker of 3/4 to 3 ozs depending on the depth and current that you will fish in. You can also find them in larger sizes with plastic Shrimp and Squid as well as other plastic or feather imitations to attract fish to it.These rigs have been around for as long as I can remember originating from Japan from what I can tell. The worst part about the Sabiki rigs are the very small sharp hooks will catch on and in everything that look at.

The Sabiki rig out of the pack...



The rod...



Sometime around 10 of 15 years or so ago, I saw my first Sabiki rod in Florida and had to have one. Mine has a wooden nut or stop on the end and you can find them out of rubber, which I don't care for and recently saw one that had a stop out of napolean (I think that is what it is called, or made from, used to make knife handles) a very hard and durable synthetic material that the line will not cut into. The nut or stop should have a tapered end so that the sinker can nest into it.

The nut or stop...


The rod its self is nothing more than a tapered hollow tube with a hole near the reel so that the line can ride on the inside of the rod....note the hole that the line goes through, on a good rod this hole will be large enough so that the swivel can pass through if the main line of the Sabiki rig stretches. One trick if your Sabiki rig main line stretches, is to simply cut off some of it on the sinker or swivel end so it remains tight in the rod...



Another thing that I like is a little de-hooker for removing the bait. They make a very small one that you can buy but I never can find them when I need them. This is the one I like, made it out of a 6" x 3/4" wooden paint handle with a # 6 long shank hook epoxied into the end of it. Another trick is to make one from your old popping corks. Simply cut the loop off of it and with a pair of needle nose pliers, put a very small bend in it, drop of epoxy where the medal slides in the cork to hold it in place and you have a high vis de-hooker that floats well...

This de-hooker fits my hands the best and I can find it easer when I need it...

[WAHOONBOX]

I FEEL VERY PRIVILEGED TO SIT AND READ YOUR WISDOM CAPITANO...HOW LUCKY I HAVE BEEN TO HAVE WORKED A PIT FOR YOU!

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A CHARTER CAPTAIN...A GOOD ONE....ONE WHO IS AS GOOD AS THEY COME EAST COAST AMERICANA....SHARING...TAKING THE TIME TO TEACH THE READING SILENT ONES

IT ALMOST GRIPES MY FAT ASS THAT 20 READERS CLICKED ON THIS RIGGING THREAD AND NEVER UTTERED ONE LETTER........BUT...SOME PEOPLE ARE DRIVEN THAT WAY....THEY JUST WANT TO TAKE TAKE & TAKE...NEVER GIVING BACK

THANKS ONCE AGAIN FOR WRITTING CHAPTER 96 IN THE GOTTAFLY CHRONICLES

[clt_capt]

The sabiki is a great tool. Bailed me out of a few jams where I wasn't on the ball enough with a net. Thankd for the reminder.

[eyefish2good]

Sabikis are a life savor for me. Here where I live we have a 7' restriction on cast nets. Hard to pin dow the sardines or gogs with that little bit of spread. I do just as well with the cheaper varity and don't sweat it when thrown in the trash after use.

[bigfish4me]

Very informative read you shared with us, the sabiki is a weapon every man should have in his arsenal.

[BeachBarb]

the sabiki is a weapon every man should have in his arsenal.

Or woman. If your significant other gets bored easily when trolling or dropping and waiting, put them to work with a sabiki rig. Randy started putting one of these one my rod a couple years ago, and I love it. I don't care how big the fish I catch is, I just want to catch something. Tip it with a little Fish-Bites and you're really in business.

[HOLWACHAGOT]

AH, the zambooki rod. What a treat to be able to read threads like this. First class stuff Captain Lee. Thanks so much for sharing it.
Holwachagot

[Honey Hole]

Capt. Lee - Love the sabikis... always cuss'em after I've fished and try to store'em. A sabiki rod seems to be the cure.

In the past, I've used 1/4 PVC with a slit cut in the top... on the bottom of the pipe, I attach a rubber band to the sinker snap, and dangle it out the bottom, wrapping it around the tube... still a PIA.

Your De-Hooker is perfect! I have a friend around VB who talks of the PBFC (Poor Boys Fishing Club... there's not membership fees, they're poor boys). Part of the PBFC is coming up with home made / cheap solutions to the costly tools/tackle associated w/fishing.... you're de-hooker fits the bill for sure.

[Nauti Natured]

Thanks, Lee. Gotta get one of those rods.

[Crazy Eyes]

Great read Capt. Lee. As usual, you da' man.