You know how you lay awake at night thinking of stuff. Some years ago I got the idea to rig ballyhoo on a dredge using bait springs. I don't think much of the little springs, except for this application. I know some other guys may have thought of it kind of like people from different parts of the world coincidentally invented similar things, but I have not seem it elsewhere. Some of you may think its a poor idea, but I have been using it for fun fishing for years and it is effective. Rigging a large dredge takes minutes and changing a bait can be done in a few seconds. I don't use it for tournament fishing, but its inexpensive and easy for fun fishing. Here is the how to: Simply crimp a pin on the end of each dredge leader and fit the end with a spring. Push the pin up through the lower jaw and out the top jaw as usual and screw the spring over the pin to secure the bait. Please forgive the artwork. l don't have any bait in the freezer for pics.
We use a wire rig with a haywire on both ends and a 2oz chin weight with a pin. Just slip the wire in the gill and wrap the rubber band around until its tight. Works great on a dredge.
I have been running a ballyhoo dredge just like that since 05. On of my buddies from Charleston and I developed it for the MA 500. It is extremly quick and effective. Give it a shot
3 Blue Marlin and a Sailfish one day out of MHC and 750+ Blue 17 Whites out of Pirates Cove
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Both methods work very well like to use atleast #9 wire on ballyhoos and on the mullets pins and rubber bands #12 wire. Been doing it this way since pirates cove 2000.
Another very easy method to rig abllyhoo teasers is with the Hoo Nose. They came out years ago but never took off for what they were intended for, but to quickly rig a ballyhoo for a teaser they just can't be beat.
It is a little plastic nose cover with a cam. The mono goes thru the cam and ounce it is slipped over the bill and nose you just push the cam up and it locks the bait tight. Clean and simple.
If you wouldn't use springs on your hook baits why use them on your teaser baits? It only takes a few more seconds to wrap a piece on monel wire around the pin instead of twisting on a spring and it will make the bait look much more natural. Thats just my opinion. Why not take a couple extra minutes and make your dredge baits look as natural as possible? If you are going to put skirts in front of the springs then thats fine but for naked dredge baits stick to monel wire.
Good Idea fritz. Here's a question for you. Do you find that whatever dredge you use for your tournaments are more effective then these that you use for you fun fishing?
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