What do you do with your old rigs?

[merry marlin]

Chris, before fishing in NC I had never used a seawitch or Islander type of EXTRA over a balyhoo... A small squid skirt was all we used as for us, a bait had to flap on the surface to be attractive so we never used chin weights either...
Here it seems the boys (and I..) just buy those expensive heads because they are TOOO PRETTY ! It's part of the pleasures of fishing and YES I can't stand the amount lures sitting around our garage!
Do you think those flying fish swim around with a helmet????
A naked balyhoo for mahi's will do just fine...

On our last offshore outing Friday we left with 1 pack of balyhoo and loaded a limit of 50 Mahi.... Most were caught with recyled jig heads that cobias had made barbless....... They will probably catch quite a few more!

Still plenty of "Old Man & the Sea" fishermen on this planet who have a couple handlines and a few hooks... They are doin' just fine without all the stuff we think we need!

My answer may be kind of off subject but I just hate to throw stuff away and unfortunately we sure do too!
MM

[offshore]

You know guys it might depend on where you fish. We fish exclusively from OI to Hatteras. And to be honest with you you never ever know what you are going to hook up with out here. We are always aware that the big one is there somewhere waiting to destroy our spread. We take no chances.Yes we have jumped of some nice fish and yes we have pulled some hooks. But Since we started fishing up this way 7 years ago I can honestly say that we have never lost a fish using our gear due to broken leaders or gear. Before we leave the dock our stuff is right. Does it cost more? Not that much more. Does it take more time? No it takes no longer to to make new leaders and rigs than to go though all the old leaders and Dink rigs. Considering what we pay to just get out there its worth the few extra bucks if you ask me....Mark

[seapower]

Hardly a trip goes by that I don't threaten to just pull ALL naked's. How day's out are the naked the hot number for the day? For me many. Just to my eye a good swimming naked simply look's like the best, most natural bait in the spread. Too many time's it's the naked that pull's a rabbit out of the hat. I think the old saying that lure's are meant to batch more fisherman than fish is true. I'd love to know how much money that old "Budweiser Can" bass plug brought in for it's designer. Bet alot more buck's than fish, don't cha think? Frank

[Nauti Natured]

Chris, before fishing in NC I had never used a seawitch or Islander type of EXTRA over a balyhoo... A small squid skirt was all we used as for us, a bait had to flap on the surface to be attractive so we never used chin weights either...
Here it seems the boys (and I..) just buy those expensive heads because they are TOOO PRETTY ! It's part of the pleasures of fishing and YES I can't stand the amount lures sitting around our garage!
Do you think those flying fish swim around with a helmet????
A naked balyhoo for mahi's will do just fine...

On our last offshore outing Friday we left with 1 pack of balyhoo and loaded a limit of 50 Mahi.... Most were caught with recyled jig heads that cobias had made barbless....... They will probably catch quite a few more!

Still plenty of "Old Man & the Sea" fishermen on this planet who have a couple handlines and a few hooks... They are doin' just fine without all the stuff we think we need!

My answer may be kind of off subject but I just hate to throw stuff away and unfortunately we sure do too!
MM

Jacques ,

Point well received. I have heard many experienced and wise fishermen say "Lures catch fishermen ... not fish" In fact, believe it or not .... the Box Man himself told me to "Keep it simple" on our trip. He recommended naked ballyhoos.

I had a lot of stuff that I wanted to see swim out there and it always seems to be the simplest stuff that brings home the bacon. Jackie is always swearing by the pink squid skirt , and if I am correct, that has brought the biggest fish on every trip. (With the exception of the YFT on your boat)

Anyway ... this has become a thread that I am proud to have started. Thanks to all of you for your input.

[Foul Hook'd]

Since being introduced to piano wire by Baywolf, end of the day clean up is simple. Trash the wire, recycle everything else, freshwater bath, sharpen the hooks, Black Sharpie the point and container the chin weights. Next trip everything is clean and ready to go. If I pull mono leaders they get trashed at the end of the day also, I've got plenty of 80lb. Sufix

Foul Hook'd

[Bert Rodgers]

Hardly a trip goes by that I don't threaten to just pull ALL naked's. How day's out are the naked the hot number for the day? For me many. Just to my eye a good swimming naked simply look's like the best, most natural bait in the spread. Too many time's it's the naked that pull's a rabbit out of the hat. I think the old saying that lure's are meant to batch more fisherman than fish is true. I'd love to know how much money that old "Budweiser Can" bass plug brought in for it's designer. Bet alot more buck's than fish, don't cha think? Frank

And do witches out perform oldstyle hoochie skirts or small octipus skirts?

On calm days I always like to run an unwieghted skipping ballyhoo with a pink octipus skirt on one of the long riggers. More times than not it gets bit. Whitey loves that bait.

Bert

[crispy167]

I'll be in your area sometime in september so if you'd like to contribute to Bone Man's arsenal kindly place my name on the bin and hold til then!

[Ponce]

Anything that has even the smallest nick gets trashed. I was all the rigs after every trip and re-rig anything that needs it.

As far as lures, I pull about 50-50 naked and witches, and a B/W Islander on the WWB on wire.