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CHOOSING AND RIGGING A NEW
LURE
When buying a new trolling lure the fisherman has many
options. Most tackle shops offer lures that are already
skirted, already skirted and rigged and most offer just the lure
heads. A tackle shop that has employees who are experienced in
skirting and rigging lures can help alleviate the expenditure in time involved with doing the job
yourself, but for many of us the hands on aspect of the process is
an important part of the fishing experience. In order to get a
new lure to run properly a fisherman must pay attention to three
different areas.
1. The first area is the head itself. It is preferable to
purchase a head that is not skirted or rigged in order to determine
if the lure is properly balanced. This is especially true if
you are purchasing the lure from a shop with which you are
unfamiliar or purchasing a specialty head. I have many heads
that cost in excess of $100 each, and with that kind of money
involved I prefer to make sure everything is as perfect as I can get
it. A very good method of determining the balance point is to
string the head on three feet of line. Tie one end of the line
to a fixed object and hold the other end so the line is level and
tight. With your free hand spin the head on the line and note
the position where the head comes to rest. After doing this several
times you will have a very good idea of how the head is balanced.
The balance point
is the section of the lure that ends up closest to the ground when
spun on the line. If the head is cut at an angle the balance
point should be centered vertically through the high/low points on
the face. If the lure is not properly balanced it may run to
one side or not have the
proper action, constantly spinning instead. If the lure is
flat faced or bullet shaped make a note of the heaviest side, as
this will be important when skirting and rigging the lure.
When skirting the lure try and make the eyes, if any, or the
demarcation line is using a multicolored
skirt, centered and at 90 degrees from the balance point. While this
will not affect how the lure runs it is more esthetically pleasing.
2. The second area where attention must be
paid is the  rigging of the lure. When rigging lures the angle
at which the hooks ride can have a profound effect on the lure's
action. Whether you run single or double hook rigs, fixed or
swinging hooks, it is important to insure that the hooks help to
balance the lure and still maintain the preferred hooking angle.
Pegging the leader will make sure the proper angle is
maintained. Place the hooks in the desired position then
insert a toothpick in the leader tube so that the leader is wedged
tight and the lure cannot spin. Water pressure will keep the
toothpick tight and ensure a constant, continuos balanced set.
3. The third area to pay attention to is the
setting or placement of the lure in the trolling pattern. Many
time I have seen friends follow the first two steps above then
proceed to just toss the lure out in the water and let it out to the
position designated for that rod. If care is
not taken the hooks can and often do cock off the leader eye or
worse, catch on the leader above the lure. The lure should be
set into the water so there is no sudden jerking on the leader.
If you ensure the reel is in freespool and the double line
knot, if any, is through the tip guide prior to setting the lure
there will be no problem. Once the lure is in the general
position to be run the distance should be slowly adjusted until the
proper or desired action is attained. Many lures will run well only
when pulled from a low angle, many only from a high angle and there
are a few that can be placed anywhere in the spread and still run
well. Bullet nosed lures are the most versatile, and as the
angle of the face cut becomes greater the placement
becomes more critical. There are also some lures that have the
leader tube offset on purpose. Futa, Sevenstrand and a few
other lure manufacturers have lures like this and step
one as described above will not work with them. These lures
can be placed almost anywhere if they have flat faces but those with
cupped or angled faces must be pegged and positioned just as the
rest are. By following these three points any angler should be
able to determine if a lure is properly balanced prior to purchasing
it, fix the hooks to the proper attack angle and ensure the lure
will run properly. If you are lucky enough to have an
excellent tackle shop nearby they can eliminate the need for doing
this yourself, and there are a few mail order and on-line shops that
carry only the finest balanced heads.
Have fun, good luck and Tight Lines!
Good Luck, Capt. George Landrum |
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