Below are some basic rigs used for shore fishing in the area. The idea here is to present the most common rig types and constructs. The list of variations and combinations of these rigs are endless but the following should give the inventive angler plenty of ideas to create effective rigs for their own needs. Most of the concepts used in modern day rig making are shown here in one rig or another and with practice many can be combined to create much more specialised rigs than those presented here.
Rig Construction and Dimensions
Rig Body
Because of the powerful casting styles sometimes used in shore angling a shockleader is essential. Typically this is a 20 - 30ft length of heavy line attached to the running line on the reel. This short length of heavy line absorbs the extreme forces put on the line when powerful casting styles are used. As you are about to cast you should have ~6 - 10 turns of shockleader on the reel and this leader then extends all the way to the lead.
The rule of thumb for calculating how heavy this needs to be is: "every ounce of lead you are casting = another 10lbs of shockleader breaking strain". So for example if casting a 5oz lead a (5oz * 10lbs) 50lbs shockleader is the required minimum.
Naturally this safety feature must be incorporated into the rig body also. In fact because of crimps and other components used which may weaken the rig body, this should be slightly heavier again. For my general shore fishing where I might be casting up to 6oz maximum I use a 60lb shockleader as standard and the my rig bodies are constructed from 70lb monofilament.
The length of rigs used for sea fishing depend on many factors, 2 of the main ones being the number of snoods on the rig and the length of the snoods. Very long rigs 9 - 12ft can be effective to spread baits out over a larger area while very short rigs are very effective especially for clipped rigs because they increase casting distance. Typically most rigs are between 4ft to 6ft long with a rig body of ~70lb mono. If the rig is a flapper i.e. the snoods are not clipped ensure that the snoods do not overlap as they will be prone to tangle when casting.
Snoods
For general beach fishing breaking strain of snoods should be between 15 - 30lb with 20-25lbs a good compromise. Sea fish aren't as used to being caught as their freshwater counterparts so in general hook lengths do not need to be so refined. Also, because of the more abrasive and tougher nature of the marine environment slightly stronger snoods stand up to the punishment much better. Typical lengths of snoods range from 1ft to 3ft again - for general beach fishing. Specific species can dictate the type of hooklength used. For example mullet fishing requires much finer presentation with lines of 4 - 6lbs while conger fishing would see snoods of 100 - 150lb mono. Wire snoods are sometimes used for species such as conger and tope.
Long or Short Snoods?
There are no hard and fast rules here and it varies from venue to venue and species to species. No two anglers will ever agree on this one! However here are some general pointers...
Long snoods (> 3ft) need more tidal movement to stretch them out and make them work effectively whilst short snoods (< 1ft) give the bait more movement than a long snood in little or no tidal movement. In a slack tide a long snood will lie in a heap on the bottom. A shorter snood in a similar situation will see baits jigging slightly as the wind or waves hit the mainline.
In extreme tide runs however a long snood might give the bait too much movement and possibly lift it too far of the sea bed so short might be better! Long snoods do work better for shy fish that might put off when they feel the resistance of the lead. A longer snood allows them more time to pick up the bait and swallow it before everything goes "tight". When ray fishing for example many anglers fish a longer snood to keep the bait away from the grip lead in case the wires might spook a ray as it settles on the bait. There really are no hard and fast rules for this one. As a general rule keeping snoods around 18 inches for general fishing is a good bet and saves wrecking your head!
Shore Rigs
Click on any of the images below to bring up more detailed views of the rigs
1 Hook Paternoster
This is the most basic of all rig designs and forms the backbone of many rigs used for sea angling. A hook snood comes off a fixed point in the trace. In this case the attachment point is a small swivel trapped between two beads. The beads are typically "trapped" or held in position with crimps or stop knots. This is a good rig to use with one large bait aimed at species such as bass and rays. Multiple hook versions of this rig are a popular choice when fishing for smaller species of fish and particularly when match/competition fishing (see three hook paternoster below).
When more distance is required the hook may be clipped onto a bait clip. Rather than having the snood "flapping" around during the cast which creates a lot of air resistance the snood is clipped down to reduce drag and increase distance. This can take the form of a simple bait clip attached to the rig body, an impact shield (for increased bait protection) attached in a similar fashion or a fixed type clip such as a breakaway impact lead or genie rig link such as the one shown in the diagram. The closer the bait is clipped down to the lead the better as the slipstream created by the lead during casting will shield the bait thereby reducing drag even further. One point to note from the diagrams is the inclusion of some bait stops on the snood of the clipped rig. Clipped down baits may get blown up the snood during a powerful cast. The addition of some sequins or beads and a stop knot prevents the bait sliding up and ensures perfect presentation when the rig hits the water.
Running Ledger
Possibly the most basic of all fishing rigs. The running line is simply passed through the eye of a lead weight and attached to the desired snood. This rig however offers some advantages over the paternoster above. It presents baits hard on the sea bed; it provides much more sensitive bite detection while at the same time offering less resistance to a fish taking the bait. This simple rig is an excellent rig for shy biting congers at close range for example. Its main disadvantage as just mentioned is that it does not lend itself well to distance casting. However a favourite variation of this rig is the running paternoster. In this instance a length of line is placed between the running line and the lead allowing a paternoster type setup without loosing that extra sensitivity. The running paternoster can be clipped down like conventional rigs for extra distance. When constructing the paternoster version of this rig however, avoid making it overly long as it will be more prone to tangle. If the snood wraps around the lead line any extra sensitivity gained (bite detection) will have been lost.
3 Hook Flapper
This is one of the most popular sea angling rigs and is simply a more complex version of the 1 hook paternoster above. In this example we have three snoods coming off fixed points on the rig body. Long range versions of this rig can be clipped down to increase distance but the example shown here omits any bait clips. Because the snoods are free to "flap" around during the cast it is known as a flapper. On flapper versions of this rig ensure that one hook snood does not overlap the next as this will cause tangles. A very effective rig for smaller species where multiple hook baits can be spread over a larger area, the three smaller baits on this type of rig create a nice wide scent trail also.
The one shown in the diagram on the left is known as a 2 up 1 down flapper. This is simply because 2 of the snoods are above the lead while one hangs below it. Another variation might be a 3 up flapper where all snoods hang above the lead but the one shown ensures one bait is tight to the sea bed at all times. This rig can be fairly intensive bait wise so for pleasure fishing many anglers opt for 2 hook flappers to either save on bait or possibly present two slightly larger baits rather than three small ones. Again "2 up" or "1 up 1 down" are options worth considering. Placement of snoods above or below the lead can have an impact on some venues and species. You will see this rig in other areas of sea fishing also; those mackerel feathers you see in every seaside shop during the summer are another variation on this design. However in this case 3 - 6 hooks may be used. This rig forms the backbone of many match men's armouries. 3 hooks is the absolute maximum allowable in any competitive sea angling and it has become an accepted norm that for bottom fishing with bait, 3 hooks is more than adequate in any situation.
2 Hook Loop Rig
This rig goes by many names "Portsmouth Rig", "Millennium Rig", "Goldsy Rig" etc. The "loop rig" is an accurate description of this rig due to the unique loop of line it creates in the bottom snood and is the name used here. This rig is credited to England International Ian Golds and is, in many people's opinions the ultimate paternoster setup for extreme range fishing. This rig started out life as nothing more than a simple 1 up 1 down flapper. It is the unique way in which the baits are clipped down on this rig which sets it apart from all others. A cascade swivel or bait clip is positioned inline on the bottom snood 4 - 6 inches from the hook. The top hook clips down onto this cascade swivel and the bottom hook is clipped onto another bait clip at the bottom of the trace. This means both baits are clipped down directly behind each other and both are inline directly behind the lead thereby maximising distance.
It does break one of the fundamental rules of rig making in that the two snoods can overlap (particularly if a long bottom snood is used). However because the rig is clipped when casting this isn't an issue and it rarely tangles on release in the water. 3 hook versions of this rig are a very effective way of creating clipped 3 hook paternosters for maximum distance. With such a rig the top hook in the diagram is attached to the rig body with another cascade swivel instead of a normal one. An extra snood is placed above this on the trace. This extra snood clips to the cascade swivel now on the second snood and this second snood then clips to the bottom one as already described. If I had to choose one multiple hook rig for my sea fishing then this would be it.
Staggered Wishbone
Yet another paternoster variation this rig does offer some advantages over the rigs already mentioned above. A wishbone rig as it names suggests has two short snoods side by side which look for all the world like a "wish bone" you would find in a turkey or something. This is where it gets its name. The main advantage this rig offers is it presents two small baits very close together. This provides a large scent trail akin to using a much larger bait but presents two small baits which smaller fish will be able to take if they find it. If a large fish comes across this rig they will often engulf both baits at once. Different baits can be used on either hook to increase the rigs appeal. Care must be taken to keep the hook snoods reasonably short on the wishbone part of the trace as they can be prone to tangling being so close together. A standard wishbone rig sees both hooks clipped onto one bait clip. This sees both baits sit side by side when casting. This creates a wide bait profile when casting which can cause the rig to wobble quite a bit. Also, because of this wide profile distance will be reduced because of drag. The version I am presenting here is a variation which incorporates an idea from the loop rig above. The staggered wishbone see an inline cascade swivel used again which allows the angler to clip the two baits behind each other; increasing streamlining and eliminating wobble the two main disadvantages with the standard version of this rig.
Pulley Rig
Last but certainly not least is the pulley rig. This is an extremely simple and quick rig to tie and a firm favourite of sea anglers. Two ideas are being presented here but we'll deal with the pulley rig itself first. This rig works on the principle that the top swivel which is connected to the mainline is free to run on the rig body. This means that when a fish takes the bait the rig body is pulled through this swivel until it reaches the lead. The weight of the fish pulls the line through, thereby raising the lead so that the fish is now below the lead on the retrieve. This makes it an extremely effective rig for rough ground; it removes the risk of the lead snagging while playing a good fish.
The combination of two hooks on the snood is described as "pennel" hooks. When fishing very large baits an angler can never be sure which end of the bait the fish has taken. It might be the end with the hook in it - it might not. The solution is to place a hook at either end of the bait to ensure a good hook hold no matter how the bait is taken. This top hook is simply threaded onto the line before the bottom one is tied on. By simply wrapping the snood around the shank of the hook a few times (3 - 4 turns) the top hook can be locked in place. It is a good idea to bend the eye of the top hook as shown to keep it in line with the snood. Heat the eye with a lighter first before bending it. Silicone tubing or similar can also be used to keep this top hook in position but I find that simply wrapping the snood around the shank is just as effective and a simpler method to use. This pennel hook setup can be used on any rig you choose when large baits are the order of the day.
