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Posts: 69
Location: oak lawn IL | besides the rig itself how else do you rig up a sucker (go easy on the new guy here) i see every one using bobbers of some sort (don't we want the suckers closer to the bottom?) and do you put weights on the end of the rig to keep her down (mine kept swimming up under the surface)??
any pics or drawings would help also
thanks
jim |
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Posts: 569
Location: Williamstown, WV | I've wondered the same thing. Thanks for asking. Help us newbies.
shawn |
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Posts: 20218
Location: oswego, il | Do a search on the site for suckers, there is a good video just posted recently. As far as weighting, bobbers and all that, it all depends on where you want the suckers. I usually put one over the side of the boat just out of site to about 10ft down. That sucker is for following fish. Sometimes i might on;y have 4 ft of line of the rod. I put a 2 oz weight just above a 3ft leader. I run a second one on a slip bobber. Use a slip bobber. Much easier to run a deeper sucker but I usally keep it about 5ft below the bobber and less than that over flats. I keep it 20-25ft behind the boat and I weight the sucker with a 2 oz weight and put it in the middle of my 3ft leader. That keeps the knot against the slip bobber and the bobber from hanging up on your swivel on the leader. Hope this helps. |
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Posts: 2037
Location: lansing, il | as far as rigs go here is a sneak peak of the prototype of the new Hulcano Harness, that will soon be released by Stealth Tackle..weve had some really great sucess so far this year with it, anyway as far as running and weighting it you can use rubber core sinkers or attach a bell sinker to the swivel either one will work, i think that running with or without a bobber depends on circumstances. if you find bait run it just above the bait.
Attachments
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 hulcanoharness 005.jpg (110KB - 158 downloads)
hulcanoharness 006.jpg (91KB - 166 downloads)
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| http://muskie.outdoorsfirst.com/board/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=29... |
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Posts: 569
Location: Williamstown, WV | Thanks a lot guys for the help. Now I just need to find suckers at bait shops in west virginia.
shawn |
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | Want Easy? 3-4' 80-100 lb. fluro leader and a 4/0 circle. Add a big Thill float, a bobber stop and a couple of rubber core sinkers.....boom. |
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| GMG..while that may be easy it is probably not the most effective way to rig a sucker...maina's lift off rig is pretty easy to use...buy that and there should be instructions on how to use it...I make my own similiar to the Hulcano harness....I run 2 small hooks on the sucker both on top one forward one in the top rear of the sucker..I use a small walleye hook at the mouth as the rubberband thing takes too much time and is cumbersome at best...so far I'm batting about 75% on the year with this rig...
sucker rigging is not rocket science and it sure is effective on the ski's.... |
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Posts: 69
Location: oak lawn IL | thanks for the help guys |
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | bn - 11/14/2006 6:27 PM
GMG..while that may be easy it is probably not the most effective way to rig a sucker...maina's lift off rig is pretty easy to use...buy that and there should be instructions on how to use it...I make my own similiar to the Hulcano harness....I run 2 small hooks on the sucker both on top one forward one in the top rear of the sucker..I use a small walleye hook at the mouth as the rubberband thing takes too much time and is cumbersome at best...so far I'm batting about 75% on the year with this rig...
sucker rigging is not rocket science and it sure is effective on the ski's....
I beg to differ. Maina's rig is the rubber through the nose and a pain when its cold or when you have big suckers.
I've found that any time you hang hooks and wire all over a sucker, your odds of seeing more fish is shortened. You wanna see 30-50% more fish? run a circle and a fluro leader. I've seen more fish, at least 5-1, over trebel lift offs in my boat this year. |
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Posts: 561
Location: Monee, Illinois | Would like to see a pic Gander or some more info...
pga |
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Posts: 569
Location: Williamstown, WV | GMG,
Like the idea of circle hooks. Used them while flathead catfishing and had really great hook up percentages and always safely hooked. Thanks for the idea GMG.
shawn |
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Posts: 2037
Location: lansing, il | i always loved the maina lift off rigs, but hated messin with the rubberbands so that ius why we came up with the hulcano harness they will be availible in both single hooks as well as double hooks, so far our test results have been great this fall, we connect the 130# fluoro to 90# seven strand with a #5 solid heavy duty ring every connection is knotted as well as crimped on both the wire and fluoro for added insurance! a bell weight at the top of the bb swivel works great for keeping the bait down or a rubber core sinker works too without scaring the fluoro. |
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| GMG....you say 30-50% more fish? what stats are you coming up with for this? how many fish do you have on your circle hooks in the last 2 seasons and what sizes are they? I am willing to bet I have more and bigger fish with my so called "hooks and wire all over the sucker" rig...and I said the rubberband thing IS a pain, if you read my post correctly that is why I use a small walleye hook in the suckers mouth over the rubberband thing... |
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| King Kong or Godzilla? Doesn't matter.
Here's a secret: it's the sucker that catches the muskie.
Use what works for you and what you're comfortable with, put it in the water and go fishing.
Try to enjoy it, last time I checked it's actually fun.
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| just making a point that the quick strike rig can catch lots of fish and big ones. |
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Location: The Yahara Chain | The hooks and wire on the sucker seem to work just fine for me, also. Altough I prefer the rubber band method, I have had others in my boat use the small hook method and I have scene first hand the fish not get caught because the rig didn't come off of the sucker. The hook stayed in the sucker and thus the rig never pulled free. I love the rubber bands because that NEVER happens to me and I don't find them a pain to rig. It takes me all of five seconds to get my rubber band rigged up.
Just trying to point out that there is more than one way to skin a cat. I am sure that GMG and bn both have success with their rigs, just wanting to let people know that the rubber band method is an easy and effective method. I use a homemade rig that is a copy of Mania's Lift Off rig. I attach my sevenstrand rig to a custom made Stealth leader, thanks John.
Edited by Bytor 11/15/2006 8:27 AM
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| if you poll 10 sucker fishermen, you'll get 10 different "best rig" versions!
over the past two falls i've been using the rig made by Jerry Georgeson highlighted in the article about sucker fishing featured here on MuskieFirst (it's on the front page if you're interested).
that rig uses a safety pin at the nose of the sucker rather than a hook or rubber band. the safety pin is attached to a walleye-fishing quick-change spinner clevis. i put the pin lightly through the skin on the top of the sucker's nose and have never had it stay in the sucker on a hook set. (i have had hooks and rubber bands stay in the sucker in the past.)
after using this rig during the P.I. outing, Sorno's brain went to work and he sent me an improved version, pictured below. the "Utah Rig" (ironic since no baitfishing is allowed out there...)
he added rubber slipbobber stops to make the clevis moveable - the rig can now be custom sized to match the length of your sucker.
he also looped the wire back and attached a small snap so you can clip on bell-style sinkers. this eliminates losing rubbercore sinkers on the hookset due to the sudden straightening of the wire.
very easy and inexpensive to make on your own.
Attachments
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Rig 001.jpg (27KB - 122 downloads)
Rig 005.jpg (38KB - 100 downloads)
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | WV Musky - 11/14/2006 7:55 PM
GMG,
Like the idea of circle hooks. Used them while flathead catfishing and had really great hook up percentages and always safely hooked. Thanks for the idea GMG.
shawn
I've used 5/0 Catfish circles, worked good too. The nice thing about them is that they're straight, not offset. Gamakatsu circles are offset, so there's a need to bend them. If you want to fish circles right, use a straight shank hook. |
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Location: The Yahara Chain | lambeau - 11/15/2006 8:36 AM
if you poll 10 sucker fishermen, you'll get 10 different "best rig" versions!
Exactly Mike, there isn't one "best method". With my method I get around the different size sucker issue by having several seven strand rigs in the boat that are different lengths. |
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Posts: 2378
| lambeau - 11/15/2006 8:36 AM
if you poll 10 sucker fishermen, you'll get 10 different "best rig" versions!
over the past two falls i've been using the rig made by Jerry Georgeson highlighted in the article about sucker fishing featured here on MuskieFirst (it's on the front page if you're interested).
that rig uses a safety pin at the nose of the sucker rather than a hook or rubber band. the safety pin is attached to a walleye-fishing quick-change spinner clevis. i put the pin lightly through the skin on the top of the sucker's nose and have never had it stay in the sucker on a hook set. (i have had hooks and rubber bands stay in the sucker in the past.)
after using this rig during the P.I. outing, Sorno's brain went to work and he sent me an improved version, pictured below. the "Utah Rig" (ironic since no baitfishing is allowed out there...)
he added rubber slipbobber stops to make the clevis moveable - the rig can now be custom sized to match the length of your sucker.
he also looped the wire back and attached a small snap so you can clip on bell-style sinkers. this eliminates losing rubbercore sinkers on the hookset due to the sudden straightening of the wire.
very easy and inexpensive to make on your own.
Mike/Sorno,
cool rig, but why is the lead with the snap so long?
Why not just clip some bell sinkers to the swivel where you tie the rig on?
And, with that rig it really doesnt matter if the safety pin pulls out of the nose because all the force of the hookset will be transferred to the hooks anyway.
Edited by BALDY 11/15/2006 8:51 AM
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| cool rig, but why is the lead with the snap so long?
Why not just clip some bell sinkers to the swivel where you tie the rig on?
i like to have the sinker hang down below the sucker. this rig allows the sinker to be on the bottom and the sucker to swim around it more freely than if the weights were directly inline with the sucker. at times with big suckers i'll attach a 2oz bank sinker on a 12" leader...putting the sucker about 18" off bottom.
And, with that rig it really doesnt matter if the safety pin pulls out of the nose because all the force of the hookset will be transferred to the hooks anyway.
i'm hoping that the nose-pin pops out allowing the hooks to be set straight up out and away from the sucker. |
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Posts: 1764
Location: Ogden, Ut | BALDY - 11/15/2006 7:50 AM
Mike/Sorno,
cool rig, but why is the lead with the snap so long?
Why not just clip some bell sinkers to the swivel where you tie the rig on?
And, with that rig it really doesnt matter if the safety pin pulls out of the nose because all the force of the hookset will be transferred to the hooks anyway.
Why so long? Oh, I don't know - first one I ever made, and that's how much 7-strand I had left. The subsequent ones have been slightly shorter. I like the idea on having a small lead as opposed to clipping directly to the swivel. 1) gives the sucker just a bit more freedom, and 2) easy to clip a bell sinker to a snap as opposed to a swivel part - I don't like a swivel doing more than it's designed for typically.
It's just a prototype, I kinda had sucker rigs on the brain when I got back and couldn't quit 'cold turkey'!
S. |
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Posts: 2378
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i like to have the sinker hang down below the sucker. this rig allows the sinker to be on the bottom and the sucker to swim around it more freely than if the weights were directly inline with the sucker. at times with big suckers i'll attach a 2oz bank sinker on a 12" leader...putting the sucker about 18" off bottom.
Interesting. I guess I have never run suckers when the sinker is on the bottom
Edited by BALDY 11/15/2006 12:15 PM
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