getting ready to rig a few up. do you guys rig them like Al Bentsen with most of the shank of the head hook exposed (I guess to provide more of a keel) or with shank in the body of the eel and tied off?

I leave just the eye of the hook exposed out of the mouth. The hook gape hangs below the eel to provide it with a keel.

I leave just the eye of the hook exposed out of the mouth. The hook gape hangs below the eel to provide it with a keel.

DITTO!!!

thanks, gonna do some up this weekend for BI next weekend.

gotta get some soldering stuff tonight - any advice on what to get for that?

thanks, gonna do some up this weekend for BI next weekend.

gotta get some soldering stuff tonight - any advice on what to get for that?


Get a blow torch, copper wire, and some solder. Put one or two wraps of copper wire about 1/4" behind the eye of the hook. Heat up the hook and copper wire with blow torch, but not too hot, maybe 10 or 15 seconds tops. Then, just touch the solder to the copper wire, and you should get a good bead of solder that bonds the wire to the hook shank. Dip it in water to cool it off and you're done. Too much to explain the rest of it here, but the head hook should be 8/0 or 9/0 siwash.

thanks mike. i've got "secrets of surfcasting at night" and I'm going to follow the instructions in there, just never been able to get the soldering to work with one of the kits they sell at home depot, i'll try the torch

What I do is just build up some thread for a bump and nail polish or epoxy or it .

I don't bother with the solder on my riggies. Here is how I secure the heads on mine:

- make sure the eye of the head hook it closed tight
- run the line from the tail hook up the head hook shank and pass it through the eye
- make a series of 6 - 8 half hitches starting at the eye and working back down the hook
- as long as your eye is completely closed, the line will not slip
- jam the hook back down the throat and wrap the head on to the hook. The knot I use for this is hard to explain, and you may be best off going with Al's way here

As far as exposed head hook, I leave quite a bit coming out the throat of the eel. Just enough of the hook is in the eels head to cover the half hitches. Do yourself a favor and swim the eels in the day time to get a feel for what action produces what. I like to mark my bags that each one is kept in as to how they swim. Each one is a little different due to eel weight and rigging.

Ask Canalman...
Some point this winter there will be a half-ass article by some hack writer from Gansett :D


I love rigged eels; Probably 30-40% of my summer fish are on riggies
Small eels: single 8/0 siwash
medium: two 7/0
Large: 9/0 head 8/0 back

I bury the head hook, but add a swivel to the front hook... thats whats exposed...
I agree with swimming them in the day-light, at least some to get a feel for it.
Best advise I have on them is to vary your retrieve all night until you find em!
Sometimes fast like McKenna sluggos
sometimes super slow like live eels
Usually somewhere in between!

thanks guys. i think they came out pretty good. i went with kind of a combination of methods - we'll see how they hold up. just need some good weather next weekend.

Thanks, Clogston.

Yes those do look very good. Hope that all goes well on The Block.
Some have said the'll be headin' that way after the storm. good to see the pic of the finished product. I've got some beefy snakes to rig up for the coming New and sum certain Gansett locales.............

I wrap mine tight where the arrows are shown. the front one is behind the head hump (the head itself prevemnts the tight wrap from slipping forward) at the place where the hook exits the eel. the rear one is also at the place the hook exits the eel. these wraps like shown will enable you to cast hard and allow the eel to be used for multiple fish. The one behind the head at the hook exit point is especially important.

Also , is the rear hook coming out its butt hole? It looks too far forward to me??

thanks. maybe i'll throw some small cable ties at the locations you mentioned. you would tie them off in front of the hook, right (inside the bend)? the tail hook tie off is sewn through the eel and the head is secured with a ball of dacron tied in place through the eye of the hook, if that matters.

yes, the hooks are in the butt hole, maybe I just have some anatomically interesting eels

Yes , in both locations the wrap is in front of the hook bend. If you use cable ties , make them tight.

touch up the white wraps with a black sharpie, I think Back Beach gave me that hint last year.

I will secure the head hook with 2 sets of knots in front of and 2 sets behind the eye of the eel and use waxed rigging floss. The waxed floss will not slip once cinched down. Is your tail hook secured through the eye of the hook? Again, I use waxed floss and sew a couple wraps on either side of the eel until it is solid. Can't wait for Bryan's write up to come out, looks like you beat me.... :cputin:

:D:D:D:D

Mine take less time to rig too!
(But might not last as long :huh: as waxed thread...
we'll have to wait and see....

yup, its sewn through the eye of the hook. I sewed everything with dacron, and then wrapped the over the dacron with waxed floss to protect the dactron knots and give it more bite.
here's a pic of the head hook. hopefully it'll hold well, it felt solid.