Saltwater Fishing Rigs: Tips To Help You Catch More Fish
- by Josh Hassell
- March 18, 2022
Table of Contents
Fishing is a great way to spend some time relaxing and getting away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. If you’re looking to catch more fish, it’s important to have the right fishing rigs. Fishing is an ancient tradition that dates back hundreds of years.
From cave paintings depicting people on rafts with spears to farming villages using bait as a way to feed their families, fishing has been around for as long as humans have lived near water. These tips will help you do what those before us have been doing for centuries is to catch fish!
What is Salt Water Fishing Rigs
To avoid any confusion, saltwater rigs are used for seizing fish that live in saltwater. These usually include both fresh and seawater fish like striped bass or flounder.
One place you will find saltwater fish includes the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, or along the coasts of Canada. So remember, saltwater fishing rigs are only applicable to saltwater fish!
The Best Salt Water Fishing Rigs
The Carolina Rig
This rig is simple but has been known to be very effective. It consists of a weight that keeps the line down at the bottom where all the action takes place.
You can use just about any kind of weight including an egg sinker or bullet weight. At the end of your line, attach a swivel. The Carolina rig is best used with soft plastics like worms or grubs.
The Texas Rig
This is very similar to the Carolina rig but usually involves using an offset worm hook rather than just tying directly onto the line. It’s great for finesse fishing because it does not move much when you’re trying to feel around for bites in order to set the hook.
Similar to the Carolina rig, use any type of weight you would like and then tie on your favorite plastic worm at the end of your line. If you’re looking for a challenge, try throwing bait! Although this technique can be effective once mastered, newbies may have trouble detecting subtle bites from fish that are hungry.
The Dropshot Rig
The drop-shot rig works best for smaller fish. It’s great for seizing finicky feeders which are always a hit at family fishing gatherings. As the name implies, this one requires you to drop your line down around 12″ or more to where the water is deeper and then wait patiently for bites.
Some fishermen recommend using fluorocarbon leader instead of monofilament because it’s thinner but much stronger. Fluorocarbon leader has virtually no stretch so that means better hooksets!
The Baitcaster Rig
This is one of the cutest saltwater rigs out there since it involves using an actual rod and reel. This rig works well if you’re looking to fish with bait like mudsuckers.
Have fun by practicing your casting and reeling! Depending on where you’re fishing, you can catch anything from stingrays and sharks to eels and catfish. Be sure to check out the best rod & reel combo for saltwater that money can buy!
The Bottom Rig
This works best if you’re primarily targeting bottom dwellers like triggerfish or wreckfish. Use a jig head as your weight as it is much lighter than regular sinkers. Simply lower your line down to the bottom and hold it there while still allowing room for movement.
Once again, be sure to use fluorocarbon leader instead of monofilament since this type of leader has less stretch.
What is Surf Fishing Rigs?
Surf fishing is what you do when you go to the beach and fish the ocean side. These are just like their name implies they work best for seizing fish off of beaches or anywhere that has a sandy bottom.
This is popular because it doesn’t require you to be on private property or pay for a boat! Saltwater fishing rigs are an integral part of the activity because they keep your line intact while holding your baits at different depths depending on the structures in the water. Be sure to tweak these five rigs for maximum effectiveness!
Fish Finder Rig
It is a popular surf fishing rig because it allows you to see what’s going on at the bottom of the ocean. Weights are tied onto a line and dragged along the bottom in search of fish.
This particular saltwater fishing rig does not require any bait at all; it’s entirely used for orienting yourself to where fishes may be located.
Wreck Rig
It involves using live bait like worms or minnows instead of no bait at all! You can use an entire minnow or cut one in half depending on how large you want your presentation to be.
The key with these saltwater rigs is that you’re dragging live bait along the seafloor so you can catch all of the different fishes that live there.
Saltwater Fishing Tips
- Fish early and late in the day for best results
- Try throwing different types of lures if you’re getting skunked
- These rigs work best when it’s high tide, so check your local fishing report first.
Is Largemouth Bass A Predatory Fish?
Largemouth bass is predatory fish, meaning they hunt down other creatures for food. This means that they are meat-eaters and prefer to eat smaller fishes over anything else. For this reason, you’ll want to avoid keeping any type of minnows inside your Livewell when transporting bass back home.
We would recommend using freshwater fishes only since these types of fishes aren’t what largemouth bass primarily feed on in the wild.
Rigging Method
The best rigging method is to hook the bass through both lips for a quick and humane death. Large mouth bass cannot easily close their mouths this way, so they will suffocate promptly after you reel them in.
Is Fly Fishing and Saltwater Fishing the Same?
Saltwater fishing rigs differ from freshwater because they target different fishes. Saltwater is abundant with a variety of different types of saltwater fish, so it makes sense that these rigs will be more numerous.
If you think fly fishing and saltwater fishing are the same, you’re wrong! Fly rods are better suited for catching trout, char, bass, and pike in freshwater lakes and streams. Salt water may have some saltwater fish inhabiting its waters but not to the extent that bass or muskellunge do!
Fishing Skills You Have to Learn
Here are some of the fishing skills that you have to learn when you want to fish saltwater:
- Holding of the rod: It’s important to know how to hold your rod properly when you’re fishing saltwater. Otherwise, this may come off and you will lose it into the water. So, pay attention to that part of the rigging method as well!
- Choosing Your Saltwater Fishing Rigs Wisely: Always try keeping things simple by choosing your salt fishing rig wisely. You will get plenty of fish by doing this, not to mention better quality fishes overall. Make sure that your hooks are sharp, if they’re blunt you won’t get a firm hold of the fish! Saltwater fishes have tough skin so make sure you know how to tie strong knots if you don’t want to lose!
Final Thoughts on Saltwater Fishing Rigs
Now that you finished reading this article, you have learned new things and skills that you can use for your next fishing trip. Remember these tips and you’ll seize a big fish!
Josh Hassell
There's nothing better than going out to the lake early in the morning, and catching some fish! Like many other anglers, I find fishing to be very therapeutic. I've been fishing since I was about 10 years old, and fell in love ever since. I hope to share my expertise and knowledge with the community, and help everyone become better anglers.
