What do you do with your old rigs?

[Nauti Natured]

One of the most frustrating things after a hard day of fishing is looking at all the rigs that, a few hours ago, were a gorgeous line of well organized soldiers, ready to go to battle, now in a salt ridden tangled, beat up, kinked up mess at the bottom of my rigging bucket and thrown about the boat and fish boxes.

Tonight I went through last weekends mess and tried to make sense of it all and save my stuff for another round. I decided to cut off all the leaders, hooks, etc. and start fresh for the next go-around because even the hooks that didn't get in the drink were starting to rust and the leaders were a tangled mess.... the only thing I saved were the egg sinkers.

What do you do with your mess? What do you recycle? Do you save your rigging, witches, Islanders, chuggers, weights etc.? I want to save as much as possible but all the hair on everything is a kinked up mess! I have heard of people conditioning the hair on the lure to straighten it out. Is this a good idea? I couldn't think of anything that smells less like fish!

Hopefully this will lead into a productive discussion wit lots of tips. I really hate to waste stuff but damn ... how do you reuse some of this mess?

[seapower]

I can't speak for any one else, everyone has their own habit's. I don't pre-rig and salt my bait's anymore, I used to buckets and was having the same effect you are. Now understand I'm not a professional. I keep my rig's coiled, with the leader loops held tight with a rubber band. I keep all tubes that some baits come in, cut them in half (so they can be used for 2 baits) slip them over the leader and then over the hair to keep them kinda neat. I use short section's of bilge pump hose for the big bait's like Islander's.The bait's I use regualarly stay in plastic tubs in the leaning post. All the rest are in trays in my bait bag's under the console. I don't pre-rig my bait's and salt them down either. It just doesn't take that much time for me to rig another ballyhoo, plus my gear isn't soaking in a salt brine all day.
When I get in I put all baits that were used in a bucket for a fresh water rinse, drain the bucket add a little "dawn" and let them soak for awhile. Rinse them again and hang them up to air dry. Check the leader's, hook's, etc... ten stick them back in the tubes and into the plastic tubs. Sounds kinda simple, but it works for me. Frank

[HOLWACHAGOT]

I'd send the rusty hooks to Deep C for sharking and send the kinked up hair to the gulf for oil absorption...use the left over leader material for weedeater line and the sinkers to shoot squirrels in the garden with my slingshot. I don't waste anything.

(cut that shit off and save the lead)

Holwachagot

[gameover]

Good point... Most all of my rigs are wind-ons, so the witch and all stay on the rod. I just wash it down when we are done and knock the rust off with a file. I never had any luck with pre rigged baits on a small boat. when I re rig i save my hooks and file the rust off and spray with wd.

If the baits are prepped it really only takes less than a minute to re rig another bait. But for a hot and heavy dolphin or white bite prerigged would be the way to go

[Bert Rodgers]

Good point... Most all of my rigs are wind-ons, so the witch and all stay on the rod. I just wash it down when we are done and knock the rust off with a file. I never had any luck with pre rigged baits on a small boat. when I re rig i save my hooks and file the rust off and spray with wd.

If the baits are prepped it really only takes less than a minute to re rig another bait. But for a hot and heavy dolphin or white bite prerigged would be the way to go

So when all 6 lines get hit by skippies or peanut dolphin you have to rerig the whole spread.

Bert

[clt_capt]

We do a thorough check of the leader - even a small nick or chafe and the rig gets cut apart and rerigged.

If the rigs are still in good shape they get coiled, rubberbanded, washed in ivory dishsoap and fresh water and hung to dry.

[Bert Rodgers]

I soak them in a bucket of fresh water and a little Orpine while I wash the boat, then lay them out on the dock box to dry.

Bert

[Capt. kapoc]

The old witches get changed becausse of loss of hair but to keep them good we wash them down on the way on with soap and water coil up the leaders and band them. If during the day the leader is warn then the mate has somthing to do on the way in or during a lull to further educate people in the charter that wnat to learn. we brush the hair and also comb the hair of islanders,witches etc to keep them flowin pretty.

If they are beyond then save what you can like hooks and lead and ball up mono and trash it or recycle it......

Kinda wishing i had brought all my supplies over here to Iraq so I could make a few hundred rigs on my down time LOL

[Nauti Natured]

Thanks for the input guys. Very helpful. Sounds like there is no easy answer. Like everything ... its a balance

[WAHOONBOX]

SOME OF YOU BOYS WOULD LOVE TO PLUNDER IN THE RUN-OFF'S TRASH CAN AT THE END OF EACH DAY.....THERE YOU WILL FIND APPX....20-50 ...18 FT LEADER COILS WITH #64 RUBBERBANDS AROUND THEM ALL NEAT AND TIDY.....EVERY TRIP