Mackeral/Toothy rigs

[yoyo]

gents, seeking some input on rigs to use in variety of applications for Mackeral/other toothy speedsters.

Firstly I'll start with trolling lures.

Should I bother using wire on a trolling lure? Or just heavy mono/fluro?

Baits

I will give Tuggers wire-thru whole pillie with single tail hook rig a go, aside from this is preff for hook placement tail, shoulder, lip?

depending on current will likely have 1 unweighted and unfloated, and/or one floated at about 4-5m.....

Tugger can you remind me how far out of the head end the wire should extend ? thanx.

thanks for your input/ideas.

[tugger]

i use 18 or 27lb single strand wire which ever is in stock at the tackle shop and make them about an arms length for the pilchard rig as spanish tend to swallow them down a bit more than a spottie will then tuck the hook into the back just above the poo shute and i would use wire for lures when mackerel are about like they still are at the moment on the palmie, mermaid and the berleigh gravel patch

[yoyo]

circle hook on that rig tugger?

[tugger]

i use a mustard big gun 4/0 as i found mackerel don't hook well with circle hooks

[silver_rex]

hey Shannon

Lures and skirts use mono around the 100lb mark all crimped, no bite offs as of yet

Live Bait - Use about 15cm of single strand wire onto a 8/0 Mustad Hoodlum hook and a stinger hooker (length of stinger depends on size of bait) using mustad trebles. Hoodlum hook through bottom jaw and up through head and stinger hook near the ass.

Both seems to work for us quite well, occasionally still have bite offs where they some how miss the stinger hook

But when fishing with smithy he uses 130lb + fluro crimped with a 8/0 circle hook and bridled live bait, works a treat for him and for us on the hoo.

[dhess]

Lures usually use short length of 49 strand wire on bibbed trolling lures.

A few trips ago decided to try running just heavy mono leader. To cut a long story short lost 8 lures in he space of about 1 hour. Got off my lazy ar$e and rigged a couple of lures with wired and landed a couple of big wahoo.

BTW spaniards will treat your line exactly the same way as wahoo.

[tugger]

mackerel and wahoo have the sharpest teeth in the big pond and only have to brush any leader and its gone if not using wire

[Ashhley]

yoyo if ur using baits use single strand wire, if using jet head lures use multi-strand wire, if using hard body lures use a short length of single strand...