# Rigging live bait



## Kevdog540 (Aug 7, 2008)

How do you guys rig your live hard tails and such when fishing for tuna at the rigs? What type of hook, leader, any weight? This past weekend we were using a single circle hook, just behind the head with no weight and the back half of the bait kept getting eatin off. What am I doning wrong? Thanks


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## atlantacapt (Oct 2, 2007)

Sounds like you are getting Wahoo bites and not tunas...

Are you using florocarbon?


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## SUNDAY-FUNDAY (Apr 17, 2008)

did you see flipper and his cousins around??? normally porpoises are the only things that can snag your bait without getting hooked. if it was hoo's your drag would have normally screamed and you'd reel back up frayed leader. we've had a lot of shark trouble lately eating up our livies..... normally if we arive at a rig and start getting cut off we switch to jigging- then move on to greener pastures. if drifting live bait we use 8ft of 80lb flouro 8/0 circle hook. if the water is extremely clear, and fish are leader shy 60lb and 6/0 no weight... if your marking fish on the finder, say 100ft down. send er south on the downrigger wayyyyy back from your weight. also try slow trolling bridled livies: on outriggers if you have them. when fishing kites i crimp 400lb mono onto a 10/0. because mr yellow cant see whats out of the water, giving you an edge on 120+ fish. hope this helps


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## MULLET HUNTER (Oct 3, 2007)

I'm on pins and needles waiting on this one...............hmm i wonder how long it will take????


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## Downtime2 (Sep 27, 2007)

Probably cudas. Wahoo usually play for keeps. 

Good advise here too...

"if drifting live bait we use 8ft of 80lb flouro 8/0 circle hook. if the water is extremely clear, and fish are leader shy 60lb and 6/0 no weight... if your marking fish on the finder, say 100ft down. send er south on the downrigger wayyyyy back from your weight. also try slow trolling bridled livies: on outriggers if you have them."


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## Kevdog540 (Aug 7, 2008)

Thanks for the help. We were using 150lb mono leader(maybe that is too much), with a8/0 circle, crimped. It may have beenporpoise eating the bait cause no drag was taken. This was are first trip so we're still learning.I'll try floro next time. I don't have downriggers, is there any other technique for getting the bait down? When using live bait do you use 1 hook behind the head or 2, 1 behind the head and 1 in the tail(like grouper or snapper)? Thanks


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## SUNDAY-FUNDAY (Apr 17, 2008)

bridle em...... they'll stay alive 10x as long


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## brnbser (Oct 1, 2007)

we saw alot of cuda way off the rigs lately, alot farther off than normal. we do alot of live baiting in blue water on the rigs but targeting big kings, after the two storms, the kings and cuda we're both skinny and hungry. normally we stay pretty far off the rigand we'll see 5 kings to 1 cuda, we we're catching 5 cuda to 1 king after the storms

if your curious to find out, put on a wire rig with a stinger in the back 1/3 of the bait.

as for the bridle, that's the best for what your talking about but we don't bridle andwe run the hook through the nostrils and they don't die but it's not ideal for targeting most blue water fish, doing it that way is typically only ideal for toothy agressive fish and works well on hoo, king, cuda or shark


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## Capt. Read Nichols (Jul 27, 2008)

SHAAAAARRRRRKKKKKKKK!!!!! is a nother posibility JAWS!!!


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## Big_Rob (Jan 3, 2008)

Use a 6/0 or 7/0 on 80 lb flouro (you may have to drop down to 60, or even 40 at times). Hook the hard tail in the shoulders (behind the head and in front of the dorsal fin). I have been using the Frenzy ocean camo circle hooks lately and they have been deadly.

Using a lever drag reel with the clicker on, feed them back while moving the boat forward. Once they are out a ways (50 ft or better) set the drag where they can run with it but not backlash the reel. Most people get excited and go to soon. LEt them run a good 3 mississippi count (it will seem like longer) then move it to strike and crank the handle. Now reel in your tuna.

I haven't had the problem you described with tuna.

Sharks, cudasmost likely (or in your case maybe kings, sounds like a king bite really).

Good luck.

-Rob


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