Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge - View Single Post

Fiskadoro · 04-11-2018, 02:55 PM

No trap on the fly, but I have added them though occasionally especially when fishing in shallow water.

I often use a trap on the dropper loop if I'm getting a lot of halibut chewed bites. Generally if your getting halibut rakes on a flylined bait your letting the bait sit unattended too long. I.E. the bait is swimming down to the bottom and trying to hide. Spanish are notorious for this. If your getting a lot of raked baits and are not getting halibut bit with the dropper or standard halibut rigs there are two basic options. One is to run the fly short so there is no way for the bait to get to the bottom, the other is to put a one ounce egg weight on the line and put a swivel a few feet away from the bait. drop the bait to the bottom with the weight then crank it up several feet above the bottom then run it with a trap. That bait will swim around more then with a halibut rig, it will still get bit like a fly, but it's more controlled, always in the butt zone and trapped to boot. I've caught both halibut and white seabass using this trick.

However if you are fishing in shallow water under 20 feet neither of those apply so then I would just trap the bait.

So if that is not all controversial enough how about this: I rig my traps really weird.

I rig them with loops of spectra. If I'm fishing for halibut only I use 20lb green power pro spectra, of I'm fishing in areas I might get larger fish I use 30lb power pro spectra. I rig them both the same way.

I make a loop then tie the tag ends to the treble hook with a modified double improved clinch knot which is 100% with spectra. (this is the same not I use for big game offshore, attaching a double to swivel after a Bimini twist)

I tie up a bunch of these all at once with loops of varying lengths from two to six inches and different sized trebles. When fishing I tie my main hooks on normally.

If I want to add a trap I just attach it to the shank like this.

Note which side of the knot it is on

I've been fishing my traps like this for over a decade, never posted about it before and I just made those images, but basically no-one else has come up with this. (I've been waiting) I'm the only one I know doing it, I'm not going to write that best seller on rigging as planned, and it really works well..... so......since the proverbial catfish just got out of the killbag there are a ton of advantages to doing it this way.

First is the convenience. If you want at trap you just loop it on, you want to remove it loop it off. Loop on, loop off, it's just like a clapper.

Think about that a minute. Adding the trap is about as hard as hooking a new bait and takes about the same amount of time. Get a raked bait, stick on a trap with the next bait, don't get bit, remove it with the next bait, no re-rigging or knot tying needed. More direct If I had been in your shoes my next bait would of gone out with a trap.

That convenience also means that you can also constantly adjust the length of the trap to whatever baits you have which is a big deal if you are not buying, but making your bait. This is especially true with macks, with my method every bait is perfectly rigged with the right size and length trap.

Mono is clear but it has a much larger diameter then spectra and it also much stiffer. Twenty pound spectra is the diameter of fine thread, and it's completely limp with no plastic type memory, so naturally a trap rigged with spectra is hard for the fish to see. It's also camo, as green spectra looks like anchor worm gill threads which is something that fish are used to seeing all the time, and unlike mono it does not interfere with the baits ability to swim.

Yes the bait has a second hook in it but that's all that it's going to feel, and it will swim better with spectra.

Then there is the chew factor. If you fish traps as long as I have your going to get chewed. By that I mean when running mono traps in a good halibut bite you will soon notice the mono gets worked or nicked or worn and then you have to retie. This is a non issue with spectra, halibut teeth can not wear or cut it, even sharks can't cut it and even if they did you could just loop the bad one off and immediately loop a good one on. Since they are easy to take on and off I find I find that I just end up using the same ones trip after trip until they start to fray, and only have to tie up new ones a few times every season.

So there you have it. That is may take, you heard it here first...... Good luck if you choose to try it

04-11-2018, 02:55 PM	#4
Fiskadoro ....... Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,509	No trap on the fly, but I have added them though occasionally especially when fishing in shallow water. I often use a trap on the dropper loop if I'm getting a lot of halibut chewed bites. Generally if your getting halibut rakes on a flylined bait your letting the bait sit unattended too long. I.E. the bait is swimming down to the bottom and trying to hide. Spanish are notorious for this. If your getting a lot of raked baits and are not getting halibut bit with the dropper or standard halibut rigs there are two basic options. One is to run the fly short so there is no way for the bait to get to the bottom, the other is to put a one ounce egg weight on the line and put a swivel a few feet away from the bait. drop the bait to the bottom with the weight then crank it up several feet above the bottom then run it with a trap. That bait will swim around more then with a halibut rig, it will still get bit like a fly, but it's more controlled, always in the butt zone and trapped to boot. I've caught both halibut and white seabass using this trick. However if you are fishing in shallow water under 20 feet neither of those apply so then I would just trap the bait. So if that is not all controversial enough how about this: I rig my traps really weird. I rig them with loops of spectra. If I'm fishing for halibut only I use 20lb green power pro spectra, of I'm fishing in areas I might get larger fish I use 30lb power pro spectra. I rig them both the same way. I make a loop then tie the tag ends to the treble hook with a modified double improved clinch knot which is 100% with spectra. (this is the same not I use for big game offshore, attaching a double to swivel after a Bimini twist) I tie up a bunch of these all at once with loops of varying lengths from two to six inches and different sized trebles. When fishing I tie my main hooks on normally. If I want to add a trap I just attach it to the shank like this. Note which side of the knot it is on I've been fishing my traps like this for over a decade, never posted about it before and I just made those images, but basically no-one else has come up with this. (I've been waiting) I'm the only one I know doing it, I'm not going to write that best seller on rigging as planned, and it really works well..... so......since the proverbial catfish just got out of the killbag there are a ton of advantages to doing it this way. First is the convenience. If you want at trap you just loop it on, you want to remove it loop it off. Loop on, loop off, it's just like a clapper. Think about that a minute. Adding the trap is about as hard as hooking a new bait and takes about the same amount of time. Get a raked bait, stick on a trap with the next bait, don't get bit, remove it with the next bait, no re-rigging or knot tying needed. More direct If I had been in your shoes my next bait would of gone out with a trap. That convenience also means that you can also constantly adjust the length of the trap to whatever baits you have which is a big deal if you are not buying, but making your bait. This is especially true with macks, with my method every bait is perfectly rigged with the right size and length trap. Mono is clear but it has a much larger diameter then spectra and it also much stiffer. Twenty pound spectra is the diameter of fine thread, and it's completely limp with no plastic type memory, so naturally a trap rigged with spectra is hard for the fish to see. It's also camo, as green spectra looks like anchor worm gill threads which is something that fish are used to seeing all the time, and unlike mono it does not interfere with the baits ability to swim. Yes the bait has a second hook in it but that's all that it's going to feel, and it will swim better with spectra. Then there is the chew factor. If you fish traps as long as I have your going to get chewed. By that I mean when running mono traps in a good halibut bite you will soon notice the mono gets worked or nicked or worn and then you have to retie. This is a non issue with spectra, halibut teeth can not wear or cut it, even sharks can't cut it and even if they did you could just loop the bad one off and immediately loop a good one on. Since they are easy to take on and off I find I find that I just end up using the same ones trip after trip until they start to fray, and only have to tie up new ones a few times every season. So there you have it. That is may take, you heard it here first...... Good luck if you choose to try it Last edited by Fiskadoro; 04-11-2018 at 03:27 PM.