Rigging a Marlin Lure

[BahamaLure]

This thread is designed to follow on from here - Rigging a big lure for Mahimahi

BahamaLure is now offering all the lures in the SFC.com store with a rigging option, they will be single stainless Hays hook rigs and come with 9 ft leaders. Custom rigs are available. Some say you should not buy rigged lures, well have no fear here because these are made in the USA and built to withstand nuclear attack.

The following photos show a Coggins Tado lure I did for a client.




Set out the lure and mark the back of the head (in this case the seam on the bench) so you can determine the length of the cable rig


Set the hook where it will be with the bend just aft of the end of the skirts so they can not tangle and mark it.



Unlike the 500# cable I used with the mahi lures this is 3/32" cable, 1000# and uses 2.8mm sleeves.


Measure and twist the cable as per the Mahi thread.


Finish with heat shrink. I use clear so you can see any rust or damage later. The plastic sleeve can tell a lot about what happened during a bite or missed bite, scrape marks indicate a bill, and different gamefish leave different tooth patterns. I had a white try to eat a slightly smaller lure than this during the WMO and he made a mess of the lure head but the rig was untouched as there were no scratches in the plastic at all. The 500# leader did not phase him at all but he did give up eventually and ended up eating a 9" lure instead.

Here is the joint between the cable rig and mono leader (650#), note the nylon chafe tube.


Then give it a wrap with tape


The finished lure


Just add water! It may look like a big lure but next to the fish, not so much. Way to go Steve!

[clt_capt]

Very nice tutorial. Thanks

[gottaflylee]

Great way of rigging it as well as a nice rig, thanks for the tip.

[tankerfly]

Good stuff. Thanks for the time you put in to this.

[ReelSmith]

Great illustrations, thanks for the post and sharing the info!

[fishduck]

That's the way we rigged them in the 70s.

Now we put that hook up a lot closer to the head and your hook ups will be a lot better.

Now replace that hook with a circle hook. Then you'll be rigging the way we do it today and you will catch more fish.

Don't keep rigging the way your grand father did.

Fishduck

[Roddy Hays]

Although I like almost all of the points in Alan's post, I think that personally there are a couple of things that can be done differently if you so want.

For example, I like the point of the hook clear of the skirt. Not only does this mean no part of the skirt will ever get stuck on the hook-point, but also that point is clear to penetrate through clear space when a fish closes down on the bite around the back end of the lure.

Also, I think there are better options around than tape for stiffening a rig - a simple small piece of clear tubing will also do the job, and it is easily checked and re-used.

Alan may not have mentioned it before, and people may wonder why 1000# cable is necessary - but a big old girl is quite capable of biting clean through 600# cable if she gets it in the right place in conjunction with the right shear on the cable and the right tightness. I have not seen it often, but it can happen. 1000# cable gives you a lot of leeway during a long battle.

Having said that though, a fish released with a hook-set or one which is lost as a result of a tackle break will carry that hook and cable a round for a long time - there is no way that she will chew through it without the aid of some tension. I agree that circle hooks will come to play a major part on lure fishing in the future - I hope people will use them with nice chewable/abradable mono attached to them !

Thanks for the tutorial Alan, nice hooks too !!

[Patudo]

Guys,

Any of you know how Steve Coggins himself recommends rigging that Tado lure? I can't see a rig in that blue lure he's holding in the photos.

That's the way we rigged them in the 70s.

Now we put that hook up a lot closer to the head and your hook ups will be a lot better.

Now replace that hook with a circle hook. Then you'll be rigging the way we do it today and you will catch more fish.

Don't keep rigging the way your grand father did.

Fishduck

Thanks for chipping in, Fishduck. Could you post some photos of the rigs you describe and the marlins you've caught with them, please?

[BahamaLure]

I contacted Steve, he says he's a double hook kind of guy but didn't see much wrong with the rig shown either. Mostly he says it is a personal preference thing, like how Roddy likes the hook further back etc.

The illustrations are of one rig amongst a myriad of other options, nothing more. If your own rig works for you then that's the right rig for you!

If anyone has a rig they would like to share please do so.

[WahooKing]

I contacted Steve, he says he's a double hook kind of guy but didn't see much wrong with the rig shown either. Mostly he says it is a personal preference thing, like how Roddy likes the hook further back etc.

The illustrations are of one rig amongst a myriad of other options, nothing more. If your own rig works for you then that's the right rig for you!

If anyone has a rig they would like to share please do so.

Nice illustration Alan...How are things going?

I agree the rigging is personal preference...Some like single stiffies set back ala Bart and Roddy...Some like a single hook close to the head Skorpion style ala Fred...And others like double 180 degree ala Steve....Plenty of ways to skin a cat.

I personally like a single hook stiffy set back to where the skirt's end is just touching hooks point...I only use HAYS HOOKS...They are the best on the market...rock solid...I use 900lb cable w/o a twist...Instead I place a piece of nylon tubing between the eye of the hook rig to the eye of hook...I only shrink the top and bottom part or the hook rig.

Anthony