The first rigs I ever fished offshore with were pinrigs, and that was the way I made all of my rigs until about two years ago… Pin with monel wire. Anymore I have been using rigs without pins, as some more experienced fishing buddies, Captains etc have said the pin will cause fish to let go of the bait, with sailfish being one in particular. I do not seem to have more luck with the monel without the pin, and I’m ready to remake my rigs for this year. Any thoughts from some of you guys experience?
Thanks in advance guys!
I switched over to NON-pin rigs three or four years ago after a similar experience fishing S.Florida for sails. I have caught more sails in the last three years using monel and no pin than I ever had prior to that. The one thing I do know is that securely tieing that ballyhoo head down with monel and no pin allows a fish to take several shots at a bait without the bait being ripped off (in the case of bait springs/rubber bands) and without the fish being pricked by that pin wire. The other thing that greatly increased our sail hook-ups as well as other fish was focusing on a 3-7 second drop-back IMMEDIATELY after a bait was popped. Those sails will come in and bash a ballyhoo around expecting it to fall out wounded where it can easily be picked up for dinner. A lot of times if the bait keeps on trucking they will lose interest in it. I don’t have empirical evidence logged to show you that the fish won’t come back and eat again if they get pricked but it makes good sense to me and has worked out well for us. I know most of this is a reiteration of what you had already stated, just trying to recap my personal experience. Hope it helps!
Cliff Notes:
1.) Knowing how to rig a ballyhoo straight to a hook without a pin rig is a valuable skill.
2.) Knowing how to do #1 properly will give you a ballyhoo that pulls strictly from the head in the water and not from the hook. Better action and your bait is less likely to be knocked off in the first strike attempt.
3.) Nothing is absolute so I can’t say for sure if the pin deters fish. However, if the pin is not there, it is one less thing you have to worry about possibly detering a fish…
Do not tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don’t tell them where they know the fish.
- More Maxims of Mark, Johnson, 1927
31’ Contender
Twin 250 HPDIs
I don’t think it will “pull” any different, assuming that you are using a pin rig with monel or copper, going through the eyes a few times, around the pin, and down the snout. That is the same way I rig them with no pin. Everyone does things differently, so if you have a different method, let’s hear it.
Split bills never get pins.
I bring the monel behind both gillplates around, through the eyes, around and.then.up through the bottom jaw and through the soft spot of the top jaw and.then wrap down the bill. If you’re fishing lures (ilanders) the head.of the ballyhoo sits up in the lure cavity better and.if you’re pulling seawitches, the pin isn’t fouling in the skirt and isn’t causing drag in the water.
Do not tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don’t tell them where they know the fish.
- More Maxims of Mark, Johnson, 1927
31’ Contender
Twin 250 HPDIs