P-Rigs 101 (a couple tips for the newbs)

[NSR Monger]

Ok my last thread gave me an idea, I should help some of the rookies (even more so then me) out with a couple little p-rig tips.

1. I have seen people leave the p-rig in there for an hour and not check it! move it a foot or 2 every 5 minutes or so, cover more ground.....also check to make sure the bait is still on there often and toss it back out, WAY more effective then the leave it for an hour and do nothing method.

2. SET THE HOOK!!!!!!!!! This one is a must, set the hook AS SOON AS you feel a bite!!! now there is a difference between a nibble and a bite, you can feel when they inspect the food, mayb give it a little taste before they bite it. as soon as you see this, remove the rod from the holder and get ready, when you feel the BITE (when you know they actually bite it and its in the mouth) SET the hook hard, this not only results in SUBSTANTIALLY more lip hooks, it results in more fishing being actually caught, they will get hooked instead of stealing the fish more often then not. If you set the hook and feel nothing, dont move it for a minute or two and see if they come back for more. If not, bring it back in and check the bait.

3. Try different distances from shore, specifically if you are not getting a whole lot of bites or fish being caught.

4. Try a minnow on top, worm on the bottom. I personally use 2 minnows cuz I dont care to catch suckers, but if you want to maximize the fish you can catch, give this a try.

5. Minnows can indeed be thrown out very far, heres a tip for keeping them on. Insert the hook directly behind the gills, in the top half of the fish, where the black line usually is, go through the fish and back in through the other side, usually pretty close the dorsal fin. After this, rip a little piece off a rubber tail for jigging and use that to secure the fish.

Another little tip, dont try to put them on while still fully frozen, they just rip and tear, place them in the river to thaw out a little and be more flexible when being placed on the hook. Personally I use an old bait container with river water, place 6 or so frozen minnows in there until used then repeat, this will keep them at just the right temperature.

6. Secure any bait with a piece of rubber tail. Personally, I buy rubber tails that glow in the dark just for this use. Mayb its just my personal opinion but they seem to work better then other rubber tail colors.

Some of this is opinion, some is fact, it is a fact that setting the hook quickly will result in almost no deep hooking at all, if thats the only thing you take from this, then I will be happy lol

Finally, this is intended for the average user on this site. Some of you who post alot might not find this useful, but I know many of the trollers will.

[Lefty-Canuck]

I have a tip for a newbie.....don't use a pickeral rig.

They are for little kids and old ladies...no self respecting person should use them :)

LC :)

[NSR Monger]

thats classy, and I get flack for the stuff I say???

Fact is alot of people use them, and my MAIN point is to set the hook and catch more fish in the lip instead of deep hooking, something I'm sure everyone can agree on being a good thing.

And I also specifically said this will not be useful to some of the more experience members on here, you just had to pipe up?? I'm sure you're one of the members that gives me flack for some of the stuff I say, then you say that when I'm actually trying to be nice and help some people out.

[Lefty-Canuck]

Note to NSR Monger...

:) equals....sacasm, joke, light heartedness, acting goofy, making a funny comment.

LC :)

[NSR Monger]

didnt seem like a joke buddy, I know alot of you dont like p-rigs.

Any body can use them, just like any other fishing tool, ie. spinners, spoons, jigs, but i'm tryin to show the most effective way of using them

[Lefty-Canuck]

didnt seem like a joke buddy, I know alot of you dont like p-rigs.

Any body can use them, just like any other fishing tool, ie. spinners, spoons, jigs, but i'm tryin to show the most effective way of using them

Clearly you haven't read many of my posts then....that's cool..."Pal"..

... I am sure you will get over it....and if you don't refer to my post about kids and old ladies who use pickeral rigs :)

LC:)

[nekred]

Sarcasm is so hard to convey in written form...

Great advice.... Thanks... exactly what this forum is for!...

[NSR Monger]

over it already lol was just surprised I got flack right away for doing something nice.......really want to help people stop deep hooking so much, I rarely even need pliers, use them on bigger eyes though, they got some teeth lol though about mayb 1 in 20ish fish or so will still get hooked a little deeper, but still easy to take out, havent had to cut a line since I started setting the hook

[Lefty-Canuck]

Sarcasm is so hard to convey in written form...

Great advice.... Thanks... exactly what this forum is for!...

X2, I agree some valid points were made.

LC

[NSR Monger]

ONE MORE TIP

instead of putting the weight in the clasp at the bottom of the p-rig as usual, put a 6" leader there then attach the weight to that, this will help with snags and keep the bottom bait a little higher off the river bed.

[sniderscott]

hey nsr, up for some night fishign tonight?

[Fishnafterwork]

Great tips ..... My tip.... Try tying a p-rig out of just mono.... And use circle hooks ........ Personally I hate the hooks on prepachaged p-rigs... Too likely to gut hook... And if u do it out of mono there is less gear around the bait to spook fish and you'll find u get more action from better fish... :) my $0.02

[NSR Monger]

Great tips ..... My tip.... Try tying a p-rig out of just mono.... And use circle hooks ........ Personally I hate the hooks on prepachaged p-rigs... Too likely to gut hook... And if u do it out of mono there is less gear around the bait to spook fish and you'll find u get more action from better fish... :) my $0.02

ahhh yes, forgot to mention that as well!!! I buy circle hooks or snelled hooks that are ready to be used on p-rigs (a hook with line attached). Sorry not very good with my terminology, they are obviously called something. I use the main part of the rig, then throw the hooks away, they are ****ty and use the other hooks i purchased, thats very important to reduce deep hooking as well.

[waterninja]

got a chuckle from lefties comment about pic rigs. i fish the nsr a lot and i can tell you that out of the last 100 people i've seen fishing probably 98 of them use a pic rig, some exclusively. i like to change up once in a while by throwing jigs or lures or even a single hook with split weight 8-10" away. for a relaxing fishing outing however nothing beats a pic rig imo.
one tip i would add is throw those cheap gold hooks that come with some pic rigs in the garbage and replace with better quality snelled hooks. i like the eagle claw #1 or 2.

[coyotezh]

got a chuckle from lefties comment about pic rigs. i fish the nsr a lot and i can tell you that out of the last 100 people i've seen fishing probably 98 of them use a pic rig, some exclusively. i like to change up once in a while by throwing jigs or lures or even a single hook with split weight 8-10" away. for a relaxing fishing outing however nothing beats a pic rig imo.
one tip i would add is throw those cheap gold hooks that come with some pic rigs in the garbage and replace with better quality snelled hooks. i like the eagle claw #1 or 2.

Totally agree with you! I know fishing is a sport, but also an excuse to go out for the fresh air and beautiful scene and meet people. I have been driving 100km around Edmonton a lot since I started fishing. I believe this is the most beautiful excuse to get up early in the morning, burn some gas....and drive on RR road :sHa_shakeshout: Back to the topic, P rig is the most relaxing way of fishing. I love it...

[AppleJax]

P-rigs are an effective setup. I used them for years until i started fishing with some more experienced fishermen from the forum this year. I have learned to now tie my own rigs with 40lb mono, and tie it directly to braided line. I will never buy another pre made p-rig again. Not knocking P-rigs for the beginner, just know they can snap under the pressure from a sturgeon (yes I have not caught one yet, but im sure going to be ready for it when I do)

[sureshot]

I have a tip for a newbie.....don't use a pickeral rig.

They are for little kids and old ladies...no self respecting person should use them :)

LC :)

Thats what we tried to tell you when you lost your big sturgeon lol. :scared0018::sSc_hiding:

Andy

[Lefty-Canuck]

Thats what we tried to tell you when you lost your big sturgeon lol. :scared0018::sSc_hiding:

Andy

I keep telling myself is was a big snag that defied logic and swam upstream....its what gets me through the day....:)

LC:)

[sureshot]

I keep telling myself is was a big snag that defied logic and swam upstream....its what gets me through the day....:)

LC:)

Sorry man someone had to break it to ya.

Andy

[Lefty-Canuck]

Double post

LC

[B_Type13X2]

I used to use Pickerel rigs pre-packaged minus the hooks of course but have since moved to tying my own out of 40lb mono with a single arm and a 2-30z weight at the end. I would encourage people to also not buy pre-snelled hooks as I have had more then one fish break the line and swim off with my hook in its mouth with the rest of the rig intact. It was after this happened twice in an afternoon with what I assume was 10lb test on the pre-snelled hooks that I started snelling my own hooks with 40lb mono.

That was the day I also started making my own rigs.

I would also advise anyone struggling with casting while using a Pickerel rig to try a bottom bouncer (might be the wrong term) first. Its basically a single armed pickerel rig with the weight already attached to a long metal arm which will keep it off the bottom.

[sureshot]

Double post

LC

See the stress of it's getting to you lol.

Andy

[BeeGuy]

Maybe you could edit the title to say Advanced P-Rigging?

This is way beyond a 101.

Btw, which circle hooks do you guys use?

Ever try a roe bag on you prig?

[pelada trochu]

I thought you did a great job of listing important details

But they probably do more harm than good.

Any hook un attended is likely to result in a deep hook and death of the fish

Best is a drop shot with a single j hook. Imo. Give more feedback to the operator too

[NSR Monger]

I thought you did a great job of listing important details

But they probably do more harm than good.

Any hook un attended is likely to result in a deep hook and death of the fish

Best is a drop shot with a single j hook. Imo. Give more feedback to the operator too

I specifically said do not leave the hook un attended? I do not understand why you post this

[pelada trochu]

I specifically said do not leave the hook un attended? I do not understand why you post this

No man. Wasnt posting to be cruel. i said you did a great job posting important details. Then i said any hook left unattended results in a deep hookset.

[Geezle]

Okay, I'll play :lol:



One thing I'll add in regards to replacing the hooks on a p-rig (I feel so 'common' even talking about it :lol:) is to avoid Falcon Tackle branded snelled hooks like the plague. The line they're tied with is fine, but the hooks themselves are brittle and have a tendency to not even bend but actually break.

Finding quality snelled hooks is tough...I see Mustad snelled hooks fairly often, and those would probably be your best bet unless you can find something better quality.

My preferred option is to snell my own hooks using this knot - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukzfzws2jYY

At the other end of my line I'll put a surgeon's loop to attatch it to my line, or in this case, we're talking about p-rigs. http://www.animatedknots.com/surgeonsloop/index.php?Categ=fishing&LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

Gamakatsu octopus hooks are my usual hook of choice...you can also sometimes buy them barbless which is a bonus :)

[WayneChristie]

h

Best is a drop shot with a single j hook. Imo. Give more feedback to the operator too

never knew what the setup was called, dont need a fancy name to be effective, Ive used this system for more years than a lot of forum members have been alive. I tie my snells with the line on my reel, use a palomar (again just a fancy title) just an overhand loop, one for the hook, one to attach to the same loop on the main line, if fishing is slow I will use two snelled hooks, if they are biting good I use a single hook. Tie the weight to the bottom and you are set, if you lose anything takes a minute to tie another one up. Ive never had a problem since I started targeting sturgeon with the loops slipping with braided line. If you are using mono tie your bottom (or single) hook loop on the main line with a double knot, majority of the time it will break at the knot and you keep the hook (and fish) and just lose a weight. Got no use for fancy hardware with pretty coloured beads, those are for attracting fishermen not fish anyways. with my rig you feel the bite the instant the fish takes the bait, dont lose sensitivity with wire arms and all the other junk, dont have to rip their lips off to get the wires to bend either.

[WayneChristie]

gotta apologize Monger, not knocking your choice of gear, P rigs are just something I have never had any use for, the above opinion is just my thoughts on the matter, if you want to use them and they work for you more power to ya.

[e40water12]

Nice write up on P-Rigs thanks for sharing

[cranky]

I dont use bait much but when i do i like tying rigs up like Wayne does. I just tie the weight on with a overhand knot so thats all i usually lose if i get a snag.

Dont like having a hooked fish left out there on a rig. Seen a few times this year. I have snagged on others snagged left behind prigs and pulled them in,some with dead fish on and some with barely alive fish on them.

Only thing about prigs that i like are the metal extender thingies. They seem to cause less tangles than without, but are far less sensitive to a hit like Wayne says.

[pelada trochu]

I like that wayne put it best most hooks are for catching fisherman rather than fish. We have all iheard it. But how many of us have hooks we never use

If u are new and want to start fishing for walleye. I would think stationary fishingnwith a drop shot is easiest. It has so many advantages. Being that the weight sets on bottom guaranteeing you know the depth of your bait. Any hit transfers into your line. Its easy to cast. The weight is mostly snag free as compared wi a jig. You can feel bottom without fear of a snag. Etc.

It can still be jigged if you want. It requires a little bit of bait in a simple j


So costs are low compared to a fancy crank bait that floats or sinks etc

There is a simple way to tie a loop in your line so that you can attach your hook at any height you want. You can even tie a swivel further up your line so that any twists by the bait dont end up tangling your line.

[cranky]

I like that wayne put it best most hooks are for catching fisherman rather than fish. We have all iheard it. But how many of us have hooks we never use

If u are new and want to start fishing for walleye. I would think stationary fishingnwith a drop shot is easiest. It has so many advantages. Being that the weight sets on bottom guaranteeing you know the depth of your bait. Any hit transfers into your line. Its easy to cast. The weight is mostly snag free as compared wi a jig. You can feel bottom without fear of a snag. Etc.

It can still be jigged if you want. It requires a little bit of bait in a simple j


So costs are low compared to a fancy crank bait that floats or sinks etc

There is a simple way to tie a loop in your line so that you can attach your hook at any height you want. You can even tie a swivel further up your line so that any twists by the bait dont end up tangling your line.

Yes a drop shot works real good for in a boat. Ive tried it from shore and it even works there if the hook is far enough from the weight and one doesnt chuck it out to far. But you really cant be sure if the hook is clearing bottom or not. A homemade jig, prig style even with one hook is better for shore applications i think.

[WayneChristie]

Ive been using my rig the last week, getting a lot of walleye , I just let it sit on bottom for a while, then slowly retrieve it with pauses. had 4 on it this afternoon, managed to release them all without bringing them all the way to shore. (not on purpose) :angry3: