Five Ways to Rig Live Baits for Better Hookups

Hook placement is the key to making baits swim the way you want them

- George Poveromo

Anglers fish in so many different conditions: prime ocean with features for specific pelagics; bottom structure where currents influence where fish will stage; inshore docks and bridges. Is it any surprise that we must tweak our techniques based on the conditions we encounter?

All this variability means you have to treat rigging live baits for inshore, coastal and offshore gamefish like a science. If you can isolate the behavior your target wants to strike, you can use hook placement to make your bait behave in that fashion.

We've used dead baits here to illustrate five ways to rig them live so that they'll swim the way you want when you're on the water. Give these hook placements a try and see if your catches soar.

DORSAL

For baits intended for slow-trolling, drifting and kite fishing, primarily goggle-eyes, runners and mullet, place a hook in front of their dorsal fin. This, along with the pressure from taut lines and a moving boat, promotes a slightly downward swimming attitude. Especially important for kite-deployed baits, the down-turned head and swimming motion of a dorsal hooked bait will keep water flowing across its gills, even as its back and tail splash in the waves at the surface.

The closer a hook is placed to a bait's dorsal fin, the deeper that bait will dig. For a more horizontal attitude, position the hook farther forward.

Bridle your baits when you can; this technique delivers better hookup ratios.

NOSTRILS

You should also use bridles when pinning the nostrils of midsize baits like horse pilchards, large herring and menhaden. Nostril-pinned baits swim near the surface with a drifting boat and into the current at anchor.

Nostril-hooking also works well for probing around bait schools, bridges, passes and inlets. It's also good for pitch-baiting and bottom-fishing when you're fishing with a weight.