Meat Rig Questions

[Don Supon]

Never tried to fish with meat before, but want to use whole smelt this year to see what happens. Looking for help selecting appropriate brand(s) and size rigs for 4-8 in. smelt, how to rig properly, trolling speed, effectiveness.

Know these are a lot of questions, but reading posts and manufacturers sites has confused me a lot. Do whole baits require different set-ups from cut bait? Do I want the bait to roll constantly or flip like an uncentered cam wheel? Are there meat heads that produce the proper action without fine tuning the bait with hook placement? Are treble hooks better than single hooks? Does anyone pull whole smelt as bait, if so, how effective is it?

Thanks for your help with these questions.

Don

[Chromeslayer]

http://www.michiganangler.com/

super mag size for whole bait... i run the cut bait as well in these heads as well with no problems and very little tuning.. bigger the whole bait tuning will prolly be required... a dbl snell treble is what i use for all meat rigs.. they get a face full of dbl Owners its game over for them!

[Gene Shenk]

I use the familar bite system with good results but there are many great ways to catch fish with bait that work equally as well.

[rolmops]

I often use live shad in the 4 to 6 inch range in the Finger Lakes.I buy them at the "Beverage Baron" in Penn Yan. The way I rig them is very simple.I set a small single hook through the lower and upper jaw. This one tows the bait.The second hook (a treble)goes right behind the tail fin.It does not penetrate the bait fish,instead it is held in place by a rubber band that holds the line.The band is placed just ahead of the tail fin.

Now the hooks are placed so the fish will get hooked in the same way it gets hooked by a lure and there is no hook swallowing like you would have with hooks that are buried in meat or cut bait.

[FSNmachine]

The tip of the week from Torpedo drivers had a great video with Captain Ken Biemiller a few weeks ago. Go to this link and its the third or fourth video down.

http://www.torpedodivers.com/videos.asp

[Don Supon]

Thanks for the information guys. Will try to apply your help.

[bigweenies]

Here's a video of our Meat Rigs in action (first video down on the homepage). http://www.bigweeniebrand.com

Feel free to call anytime (even Sundays) if you have more questions on running meat. Our rigs are tournament tied with Owner hooks, silicone skirts for more action and instructions on each package how to rig your bait.

We are a site sponsor with a clickable link at the top of the LOU page as well.

Thanks,

BW

[Don Supon]

Thanks for the link. Order placed. Have been impressed with the promotions I've seen before, so will give them a through try this spring.

[kingslamon22]

single hooks dont shake out easy. most lake ontario guys like trebles but im the outcast and refuse to use trebles and catch my share of salmon.