Mono Split-Bill
The first rig is built on monofilament leader
material of whatever pound test is needed for the target game fish. It can
range from as light as 80-pound on up, within reason. Just remember,
extremely heavy leader can dampen a bait's action. This rig is
probably the most commonly used and is a breeze to assemble. It is a
favorite for billfish, especially as a drop-back bait, because it will look
very natural as it floats back to a fish in the trolling spread, unlike a
weighted bait which frequently sinks too fast. This is also a versatile bait
that can be positioned anywhere in the spread, but on windy days it helps to
run it only on flat lines off transom clips. The clips keep the lines down,
low to the water and out of the wind.
When making
this rig for billfish, I like to use a 6/0 or 7/0 Mustad 9175 hook with a
medium or small ballyhoo. This particular hook is a short-shank, extra
strong model and is reasonably priced. Be sure to sharpen the hooks before
rigging the bait because they are never sharp enough out of the box. For
most situations where sailfish and white marlin are the target species, I
use 80-pound test leader which can be tied or crimped to the hook. I prefer
using crimps and slide the end of the rigging wire in the crimp with the
leader being sure it goes all the way through the sleeve and sticks out the
other end before I press it with a crimping tool. This creates a neat,
slip-free connection and anchors the rigging wire. By the way, I prefer
using 15-pound test monel wire for rigging because it is soft enough to wrap
around the split-bill of the ballyhoo without breaking it. The monel can
also be straightened out easily by pulling it over the backside of pliers
without breaking it, so it can be used again and again when replacing baits
on the rig. Note that the placement of the rigging wire on the rig is
crucial, because the wire must go through the eye sockets of the ballyhoo
tightly without pulling the hook out of center.
The next rig is the monofilament split-bill with chin weight. This is
a great outrigger bait because it won't get blown around in the spread as
much as the unweighted rig. It is rigged basically the same as above, except
the placement of the rigging wire is in a different position due to the
addition of the egg sinker chin weight. The rigging wire is switched back to
the hook shank. To accomplish this, run the rigging wire through the eye of
the hook, wrap it around the hook shank then back up through the eye. The
simplest way to attach an egg sinker is to simply run the leader through the
hook eye and the sinker, and crimp them together like in the picture.
Assemble a selection of rigs with different size chin weights and experiment
with them to see which size works best under the trolling conditions and
with different-sized ballyhoo.
The last rig is the pin rig split-bill assembled on single-strand wire
leader. This
is a great all around rig when not targeting billfish because it catches
just about anything and it provides the protection of wire for toothy fish
like wahoo and kingfish. For this one, I like to use a needle-eye Mustad
3412 hook because it fits cleanly in a ballyhoo's gill plates without
creating any bulge. It is a longer shank hook and works well with 30-pound
class or lighter tackle. If heavier tackle is being used, the Mustad 3412C
is the double strength version and is recommended.
Start the rig by passing the wire through the hook eye and making a haywire twist,
but leave the tag end pointing up to act as a pin for attaching the bait.
Attach the rigging wire to the eye of the haywire twist as pictured. The
extra weight and the thinner diameter of the leader wire, when compared to
monofilament, makes this bait track straighter and stay down with less
tendency to surface. This bait runs particularly well in the flat line
positions.
:Obtaining fresh ballyhoo is impossible in many areas
where they are still a popular and effective bait. So, if you're purchasing
frozen bait like most anglers, make sure the bags they are packaged in are
clean and have no ice or blood inside them. The fish's eyes should look
clear and their bellies should be pearly white. Be sure they don't have
broken beaks or missing fins or scales.
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