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Location: Contrarian Island | I thought there were a few guys who were taking small rubber bands and putting them in the middle of the sucker, around the sucker and then putting their trebles for quick strikes under the rubber bands..I picked up a huge bag of #16 rubber bands and Staples today and I have 2 suckers in my livewell I put them on..seem to be perfect size and hold surprisingly well...anyone doing this rather than scraping scales, hooking under skin???? success???
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Location: Minneapolis, MN | Ralph Florio taught me that trick a couple years ago. I have been making my own rigs ever since. The trick with puting a rubber band around the "wasit" of a sucker is to make sure it is not too tight. I found if it is too tight they will get sqeezed to death. I just make a knot in the rubber band to adjust the tension based on the unique waistline of each sucker. The upside to using a rubber band over jabbing the fish is that they stay alive much longer IMHO. I think they last longer than jabbing them through the snout with a needle too. The rig I use has a loop in the leading line around a bead to adjust the length from the trebble on the end. I put a very small snap on the leading loop and put a very small leadhead jig on the snap. We put the little lead head either in the upper part of the mouth tissue or on the outside in the cheek meet. It rips out VERY easy. The trebble on the end of the line slips under the rubber band. I usually put the trebble on top of the fish in front of the dorsal fin.
Edited by Luke_Chinewalker 11/5/2004 12:33 PM
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| Does it matter what color rubber band? I tried that but I only had the standard tan color rubber bands and they sort of stuck out against the color of the sucker. Wonder if black or grey rubberbands would be better. I do like that way instead of sticking a hook into the sucker. |
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| Try cutting off the odd barb on the rear treble that you place under the rubber band. This way when you set the hook the you won't have to worry about the odd barb penetrating the suckers skin and limiting your hookset. I use homemade rigs with large rear hooks. The front a single hook thru the lips and the rear is the modified treble(double) layed under the rubber band with the barbs away from the skin. It seems to be working quite well. |
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Location: Minneapolis, MN | That's a good idea. I have been T'ing the trebble so it lays flat on the back of the sucker. |
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Posts: 20263
Location: oswego, il | I may try this saturday. I would rather put the trebles underneath, suckers tend to ride upside-down with a hook on top. Any weight on them at all seems to affect the way the sit in the water. |
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Location: Illinois-Indiana | Todd,
You just can't put a #5 treble on the back of a 9"-10" sucker, they won't swin very well.
I found this to be the BEST way to rig a sucker, I don't pinch the barbs or "T" the hooks, the hook sits on top of the suckers back just right with only one barb standing straight up.
I've had NO problems with hooksets or anything else. With the hook on top of the sucker you won't get weeds hung up on your rig either. So far I'm 10 for 12 this year on this rig and the two I missed were on bigger suckers that I don't like to use anyway but had no choice because thats all they had available.
Next time I'm in the boat rigging a sucker I will try and get a picture of the rig on a fish. |
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| I have been using the Herbie rig for 11 seasons now. The idea behind it, is that the rubberband through the nose, and the small safety pin on the suckers side, causes very little effort, when it comes to setting the hook. I also put the hook 2/3's of the way down the suckers side, and 2/5 of the way back. In most instances, muskies are hitting the front 2/3's of the sucker. I use 2X 2/0 on 10-12" suckers, 2X 3/0 on 12-14" suckers, and 2x 4/0 on 15"+ suckers. A muskies hits the sucker from underneath, as it rolls up and eats it. If you are rigging the sucker with the hook on top, you are probably missing some fish, and the poor little devil's are getting exhausted...LOL!!
Just my 2 cents worth!!!!
Donnie  |
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