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Ballyhoo
Rigging
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A
quick and easy way to rig ballyhoo
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by Sandra Maciak
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Materials Needed:
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| 80lb. Mono Leader |
6/0 hooks
( can vary based on size of bait) |
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Monel
(rigging wire) 15lb.
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Wood
Dowel (eye removal)
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A widely used method for trolling
dead bait is with rigged ballyhoo. We were lucky enough to have
caught up with professional mate Kevin Llorente with some great
tips on a "sure-fire" way to rig ballyhoo.
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PREP THE BAIT:
Due to the bait being dead and sometimes frozen,
presentation is very important!
1) Defrost bait at air temperature or soak in a bucket of
saltwater. (do not soak in fresh water)
2) Remove eyes (small dowel rod works well)
3) Gently squeeze the belly very carefully . Start just behind
the gills and work your way towards the anal cavity to remove
air sacks and feces so that the bait is less stiff.
4) Work the bait back and forth to break the back for additional
flexibility when being trolled. |
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FIRST-
Have yo ur leader and hook
ready with monel wrapped around hook shank as per picture.
Open the gill plate to run the hook into the ballyhoo. Insert the
hook as far forward into the throatlatch of the ballyhoo as
possible. The monel should be hanging down.
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SECOND-
Run the monel up the opposite side under the gill plate t o bring the hook
up snug to the throat latch and around the top back down under the
other gill plate so the monel is now hanging down
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THIRD-
 Feed the monel
through the eye cavity twice to close the gills. This will prevent
water from being pushed into the bait when trolled.
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FOURTH-
N ow bring the monel
under the hook and up through the Ballyhoo piercing the center
lower jaw and bill. Important: Pierce the center and close the
mouth.
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FIFTH-
Ma ke the final wraps
around the bill and leader. Make sure the leader is centered under
the bill to prevent bait from spinning while trolling. Break the
tip of the bill off making sure the bait is being pulled from the
nose tip and not from the hook.
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| Final note: With a little practice and
patience you will become comfortable with this quick and easy way
to rig a Ballyhoo. Print this technique so you'll have it with you
on your next trip. Good luck fishing. If you have any comments
regarding this technique send us an e-mail to info@inthebite.com
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Without
a doubt, the most popular big game fishing bait of all time has to be
the rigged ballyhoo. Millions are used each year to catch a wide
variety of ocean game fish from marlin to king mackerel. There are
many different ways to rig them, but there is certainly no one way or
right way. The object is simple: get the bait to perform effectively
for the fish you are targeting. Different species or different
conditions can call for any one of a number of rigging styles. The
bottom line is the satisfaction you get when you rig a bait correctly
and catch the fish you're after, just like the many tournament winning
captains and crews who do it day in and day out.
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Most anglers with some experience with ballyhoo know
the basic rigging techniques, but there is another favorite that is
not as well known, but that can be particularly productive when
conditions call for a slower speed or baits with a little more
swimming action. It's called the split-bill ballyhoo. It's a sure fire
way to get a ballyhoo to swim like it is alive and if you haven't used
the method before, you will be amazed at how well it performs. When
rigged properly, the split bill will act just like the lip on a
swimming plug causing the bait to shimmy and stay well below the
surface, even without a chin-weight.
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A split-bill ballyhoo is a excellent billfish bait and
white marlin sharpies have been using it for quite some time, but it
can be used for just about any striking game fish. It's a good
sailfish bait or you can add a stinger hook and have a great Wahoo or
kingfish bait. The rigging technique I'm about to explain and
illustrate can be used with any size ballyhoo, from mediums to horses.
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Bait Preparation
Preparing baits correctly will
dramatically improve the quality of the finished product and how long
they will last in the water. First start with top quality baits. They
are the key to rigging beautiful, fishing catching baits and the
preparation process actually starts at the time they are first caught.
If the bait supplier takes the proper steps to insure the baits will
be in prime condition when they are shipped, you're already half way
home. Spending the extra few bucks to purchase high quality baits will
save you from a dreadful day dragging rotten ballyhoo that come apart
after a short time in the water.
Obtaining fresh
ballyhoo is impossible in many areas where they are still a popular
and effective bait. So, if you're purchasing frozen bait like most
anglers, make sure the bags they are packaged in are clean and have no
ice or blood inside them. The fish's eyes should look clear and their
bellies should be pearly white. Be sure they don't have broken beaks
or missing fins or scales.
When starting with
frozen ballyhoo, there are a few things to do before the rigging
process even begins.
 First, thaw the bait in a brine solution of water,
kosher salt and baking soda . The baking soda helps the baitfish
retain its vibrant silver and white colors and kills any bacteria that
can lead to deterioration. The kosher salt toughens the skin, which
keeps the bait together longer on the line. Now remove the eyes by
pushing a dowel or a small deboner through the eye sockets.
The next step is the
most important. Flip the ballyhoo over in your hand and begin pinching
the top of the ballyhoo with your thumb and forefinger starting from
just behind the head and working back to the tail. As you pinch, feel
the meat loosen from the backbone. When done correctly, the ballyhoo
will become even more flexible once it's rigged and it will swim
beautifully.
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Last step is to remove the stomach contents and air
bladder by making a half inch incision at the anal vent and milking
the belly contents out the opening. This is done by holding the fish
upside down in one hand and placing your other thumb just behind the
head and running  it down the belly using a
moderate amount of pressure. Be sure to empty the belly contents
completely. Then rinse the baits in your brine and they are ready to
rig.
Now, we're going to
learn three different methods of rigging split-bills to cover a
variety of species and circumstances. Start by picking the size
ballyhoo you want to use (small, medium, select or horse) and select
the appropriate hooks and leader to compliment the bait.
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Mono Split-Bill
The
first rig is built on monofilament leader material of whatever pound
test is needed for the target game fish. It can range from as light as
80-pound on up, within reason. Just remember, extremely heavy leader
can dampen a bait's action  . This rig is probably the most
commonly used and is a breeze to assemble. It is a favorite for
billfish, especially as a drop-back bait, because it will look very
natural as it floats back to a fish in the trolling spread, unlike a
weighted bait which frequently sinks too fast. This is also a
versatile bait that can be positioned anywhere in the spread, but on
windy days it helps to run it only on flat lines off transom clips.
The clips keep the lines down, low to the water and out of the wind.
When
making this rig for billfish, I like to use a 6/0 or 7/0 Mustad 9175
hook with a medium or small ballyhoo. This particular hook is a
short-shank, extra strong model and is reasonably priced. Be sure to
sharpen the hooks before rigging the bait because they are never sharp
enough out of the box. For most situations where sailfish and white
marlin are the target species, I use 80-pound test leader which can be
tied or crimped to the hook. I prefer using crimps and slide the end
of the rigging wire in the crimp with the leader being sure it goes
all the way through the sleeve and sticks out the other end before I
press it with a crimping tool. This creates a neat, slip-free
connection and anchors the rigging wire. By the way, I prefer using
15-pound test monel wire for rigging because it is soft enough to wrap
around the split-bill of the ballyhoo without breaking it. The monel
can also be straightened out easily by pulling it over the backside of
pliers without breaking it, so it can be used again and again when
replacing baits on the rig. Note that the placement of the rigging
wire on the rig is crucial, because the wire must go through the eye
sockets of the ballyhoo tightly without pulling the hook out of
center.
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The next
rig is the monofilament split-bill with chin weight  . This is a great outrigger bait because it won't get blown
around in the spread as much as the un-weighted rig. It is rigged basically the
same as above, except the placement of the rigging wire is in a different
position due to the addition of the egg sinker chin weight. The rigging wire is
switched back to the hook shank. To accomplish this, run the rigging wire
through the eye of the hook, wrap it around the hook shank then back up through
the eye. The simplest way to attach an egg sinker is to simply run the leader
through the hook eye and the sinker, and crimp them together like in the
picture. Assemble a selection of rigs with different size chin weights and
experiment with them to see which size works best under the trolling conditions
and with different-sized ballyhoo.
The last rig is the pin rig split-bill assembled
on single-strand wire leader  . This is a great all around rig when not targeting billfish
because it catches just about anything and it provides the protection of wire
for toothy fish like Wahoo and kingfish. For this one, I like to use a
needle-eye Mustad 3412 hook because it fits cleanly in a ballyhoo's gill plates
without creating any bulge. It is a longer shank hook and works well with
30-pound class or lighter tackle. If heavier tackle is being used, the Mustad
3412C is the double strength version and is recommended.
Start the rig by passing the wire
through the hook eye and making a haywire twist, but leave the tag end pointing
up to act as a pin for attaching the bait. Attach the rigging wire to the eye of
the haywire twist as pictured. The extra weight and the thinner diameter of the
leader wire, when compared to monofilament, makes this bait track straighter and
stay down with less tendency to surface. This bait runs particularly well in the
flat line positions.
Attaching the Ballyhoo
After making a
sufficient number of rigs, it's time to start arming them with baits.
This step is actually very easy and with just a little practice, you
can make every ballyhoo swim perfectly every time. All three versions
on the split-bill rigs are armed in basically the same manner. For the
purpose of simplicity, I will outline how to rig the chin-weighted
version, then discuss the minute differences in rigging the other two
versions. |
| First,
clip off the ballyhoo's bill with wire cutters, leaving about an inch
from the mouth . |
Then
split the remaining bill down the middle with a knife or your finger
nail, but don't split the bill all the way to the mouth.
Next, thread the hook
point in between the gill plates and out the center of the belly. Take
the rigging wire and go in between the gill plates and into the eye
socket and out the side of the socket. Pull up firmly on the rigging
wire to set the eye of the hook in the gill plates. |
Position the chin weight between the gill plates and wrap the
rigging wire two or three times through the eye sockets and around the
gill plates, behind the chin weight. This holds the gills closed and
forms a keel which will help the bait track  straight. Pull the rigging wire
to the front of the chin weight then around the chin weight and through
the eye sockets again.
Push the rigging wire
straight up through the bottom of the ballyhoo's chin and through the
hinge joint in the upper lip. Pull straight up on the wire to snug the
chin weight , then wrap around the leader and mouth two or three times
to hold the mouth closed.
Next, pull the
monofilament leader up into the split in the bill and wrap the rigging
wire under your leader and around and down the bill just tight enough to
close the split. Make sure the chin weight and hook are centered and the
hook isn't pulling on the belly. |
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The monofilament rig is done in exactly the same manner, except
a chin weight isn't used. The wire rig is the same except for the pin.
Insert the pin up through the chin and upper lip, then wrap the
rigging wire behind it twice, then down and around the bill,
underneath the leader. |
These rigs can be further customized
for specific fishing situations, but overall, these are three
excellent swimming ballyhoo rigs. One final word of caution.
Split-bill rigging does not lend itself to using a lure over the nose
of the bait like a Hawaiian Eye or a little Mold Craft chugger. A lure
over the top of this rig will cause the ballyhoo to swim sideways
because of the angle of the leader through the bill and will also
defeat the purpose of the rig altogether.
Keep in mind, the
split-bill trolls effectively at considerably slower speeds than
straight-rigged ballyhoo and lends itself to situations where dropping
the speed and adding more action attracts more hits. Add it to your
repertoire and see if it doesn't increase your trolling success. If
you've got any questions, give us a call at Baitmasters,
(800)639-2248, and we'll do our best to help. |
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