Marlin -

In the November 2006 issue of Marlin, Dave Ferrell shows us three great circle hook ballyhoo rigs. Here we give you step-by-step instructions for the "Stitched Rig", the "X on the Head Rig" and the "Wire Loop Rig." For more background information and tips on how to fish these great rigs, pick up a copy of Marlin magazine.

The Stitched Rig

The Stitched Rig is the toughest of the three in more ways than one. Not only is it a bit of a bear to tie, but the resulting rig stands up great to repeated sailfish attacks -- bringing the san cocho factor way down. That being said, there are a lot of little steps in this rig, and it's easy to screw up.

This is also the only rig featured that attaches the hook directly to the bait, which is probably another reason why it stays together a bit better. By wrapping the floss underneath the hook a couple of times, it builds up a little buffer space between the bait and the hook, keeping it from turning around and fouling in the bait.

Instructions:

1. You'll need rigging floss, a 4-inch needle and a hook snelled to the leader.

2. Cut a 22-inch section of rigging floss and attach it to the shank of the hook with a double clove hitch, leaving a short end about 6 inches long and a long tag end of about 18 inches. Clip the ballyhoo's bill short, right at the base of the bill.

3. Thread both tag ends of the floss through the eye of a 4-inch-long needle and pass it through the center of the bait's head between the front of the eye sockets and the bait's upper lip. Pull all the way through, and then pull the short tag end out of the needle — leaving the long tag in the eye. Pull the hook down tight to the bait's head.

4. Pass the short end through the eye socket, and then go through the opposite side with the long end still in the needle.

5. Pull the two ends tight and tie off below the eye socket.

6. Now, using the needle with the long tag end, pass the floss around the front of the hook and over the bait's mouth to hold it shut. Now pass the needle through the gill plate about where the lateral line would be.

7. Go all the way through and out the other side. Now go through the bait's back two more times toward the pectoral fin, and then back toward the head, making two crisscrosses.

8. Pass the floss back in front of the hook while it's still on the needle.

9. Now pass the needle through the gill plate hole one more time and pull tight.

10. Pass both of the remaining tag ends through the eye sockets, above the strands crossing the eye cavity. Pull tight and tie off under the bait's chin.

11. The finished rig is built like a tank. Hamlin says that over the last eight years, a short, four-count drop-back has accounted for a 68 to 70 percent hookup ratio on this bait.

The X on the Head Rig

This is probably the most widely used of the three rigs we will showcase for four reasons: It's easy to tie, it allows you to store the bait without the hook and leader attached, it's relatively durable, and you can add a chin weight to make it swim more than skip. (It works just as well as a skip bait if you leave off the weight.) This rig was developed in Costa Rica and is by far the most popular rig in that country.

Instructions:

1. Start by cutting a 2-foot section of waxed rigging floss. Double it over and slide on a 1/8-ounce or larger egg sinker that matches the size of your bait. (You can check by jamming the weight up into the bait's throat before you start.)

2. Pass the resulting loop over the bait's head and flare out the bait's gills. Pass the floss loop behind both gill plates.

3. Slide the weight up the floss until it starts to tighten the lasso around the bait's head. Pull it down tight, and then tuck the sinker up into the bait's throat, making sure to keep the lead in the center.

4. Bring the two tag ends up and over the mouth of the ballyhoo and tie off, leaving the tag ends attached.

5. Pass each tag end through the eye sockets, one from each side, crossing in the middle.

6. Take each end and wrap it twice around the ballyhoo's head, just behind the gill plates.

7. Turn the bait upside down and tie the two tag ends together, cinching them down tight to secure the rig.

8. When you're ready to fish the bait, pull it out of the cooler and slide your hook under the small X you have made on the bridge of the bait's nose, making sure you come in from the side and not from front to back.

9. The finished bait with the hook out front swims rather well.

The Wire Loop Rig

I first came across this rig at one of our Marlin U sessions down in Costa Rica. It's by far the easiest of the three to tie, since there's no floss involved and the whole rig is built from a single 18-inch piece of copper wire. This rig also enjoys the advantage of being very bait-box friendly, since you don't attach the hook and leader until you're ready to use it. This allows you to make several dozen of the baits ahead of time without having to worry about keeping all the leaders from tangling in the cooler.

In pictures 4, 5 and 6 below, we show an optional way to make the rig that closes the throat area a little better by running the wire through the bait's eyes. (The original version that I first saw didn't do this, but it worked just fine.)

The only downside I could see to using this rig is that it might be a little fragile on the bite - especially if you're not using the best bait.

Instructions:

1. Start with an 18-inch section of copper rigging wire and a circle hook that matches the size of your bait. (We used an Eagle Claw L2004ELF 9/0 for all the medium ballyhoo you see in these photos.)

2. Make a small loop in the wire around the shank of the hook, sizing the loop so you have just enough space in the loop to clear the barb. Twist the wire with a mini haywire to finish the loop.

3. Clip off the ballyhoo's bill, leaving about a quarter of an inch. Position the loop underneath the remaining stub so that the loop just peaks out from under the bill. Pass the other end of the wire up through the ballyhoo's throat and out through the crease in its upper lip.

4. If you want to close the ballyhoo's throat a bit better, run the wire back around the bill, and after coming up from the underside, pass the wire through the eye socket.

5. Again, pass the wire back underneath the bait's body and lift the gill plate with your thumb. Pass the wire behind the gill and pull it up tight under the throat area with a little tug.

6. Run the wire over the top of the ballyhoo's head and pass it behind the gill plate on that side. Snug up the wire by pulling it toward the front.

7. Once you've got the wire tight, bend it over and pass the tag end back down through the ballyhoo's lip, using the same hole you came up through in step 3. Pull the wire down tight to secure the mouth.

8. Coming from underneath, start wrapping the wire down the bill just like closing up a traditional pin rig.

9. Finish with a couple of tight wraps at the end of the beak to keep everything tight.

10. When you're ready to fish the bait, simply slide the hook — already attached to your leader with a crimped loop or snell — through the tiny wire loop.