Teasers

[Got Stripers]

I've not really experimented with teasers, primarily because the addition of one, I assumed might be detrimental to my plastic presentations. If you guys/gals could expand on this for me it would be appreciated. What plugs would you consider working them with, when do you reach for a teaser, what leader test/lengths, preferred method of rigging them to the main running line, would this present me with casting problems in light of my 7 footer, colors selections etc, etc.

I'd like to get a clue on this and can't think of a better time to do it, lol. Thanks and tight lines.

[JohnR]

There are very few times that you wouldn't want to use a teaser rig. I use them probably 80% of the time when using artificials and am going to try a few times while fishing eels (jury is still out)... You really should try to use them extensively, even with your soft baits. A small bucktail teaser ahead of one of those and you might get more action on the teaser than the soft plastics. Your combined catch should be higher than with just the jerk-bait. Certainly when things are slow...

You can use them with just about all artificials and there are so many different types like bucktail, hackles, red gill type plastics... the list goes on and on...

DEFINITELY something to consider. Fisherwoman and Baitcaster do 90% of there work with artificials and I can't think of a time that they haven't used teasers unless the blues were tearing up everything in sight.

Later,

The Ghost of Stripers Future :P

[Fisherwoman]

Hi GS, we use teasers all the time, wether using poppers, shads, jigs, swimmers, you name it, we never take them off when fishing with artificials. They are a definate benefit of fishing as you will double up alot, and usually the bigger fish will take the teaser. If the fish are finicky, they will usually take the teaser over the lure, because it may be more to the size of bait.
You want to use flies that are very sparcley (sp?) tied. as you want ot keep to a very slim profile in the water. Most of the colors I tie are white/red head, chartrues/white, brown/white, black/blue for night fishing, pink/white for squid and shrimp immitation. all chartrues, white/ green dyed hackle which makes a nice mackerel pattern, and sometimes I add a few strips of peacock to the back of the chartues/white and the all white. Just remember you can never go wrong with white as the color of the bottom of all baitfish is white.

As for the rig, we use 30lb test flourocarbon, the main leader is tied with a barrel swivel at one end and the snap on the other, we then attach the other shorter part of the leader with the fly already tied to one end, onto the top barrel swivel of the main leader, you want the fly to end up about 1/2 way down the main leader. We then attach our main line from the rod which has a small snap swivel to the barrel swivel. Attach the plug to the bottom snap on the rig, and you are ready to go.

This is a very productive way to fish, the only recomendations I have is that you barb down the hooks, which makes releasing the fish easier, and always take the fish off the teaser 1st as you are only dealing with one hook there and then take off the other fish from the lure.

[Got Stripers]

I read an artical on SOL on the subject and I'm trying to figure out leader lengths that will work but not be so long that casting will become a problem. For you surf nuts, this probably isn't a big deal, because of the longer rods you use. I throw all my plastic on 7 foot rods, so for this to even be something I want to consider, I can't be tying on 7 foot main leaders and 3 foot teaser leaders. Typically I tie my braid to a barrel and run a 30 inch leader of 30# Big Game to my plastic. On a side note, I ordered some of the 30# Cabelas Fluorcarbon by Seaguar, anyone used it?

I will have to experiment at what additional length I think I can cast, but without sacrificing too much distance. My guess is that I won't want to go over 40 inches and even that may be too long for my taste. Is that length feasible to work a teaser and if so how far down from the barrel would you want the teaser?

Fisherwomen, is there a reason you tie the teaser leader to the barrel and not on a dropper loop in the main leader? From what you stated I believe your tying in on the same end of the barrel swivel the braid would be tied in on. Does that affect the ability of the barrel to prevent line twist? The guy that wrote the article for SOL, used the dropper loop and prerigged teaser leaders with a double surgeons loop. The thinking was to be able to quickly change teasers, which has some merit.

Now I wish I hadn't gotten rid of all my fly tying equipment some 10 years ago, lol. The long rod was tough on my bad back and old tennis elbow, but I guess I should have held on to the tying gear. Hind-sight is 20/20, haha.

Thanks and looking forward to giving it a try.

ps: John I drag live eels a lot in low light in the morning, do you think the teaser will make that offering more appealing?

[Slipknot]

G.S. , I think 30" should be enough length with the teaser back about 12" that should be castable from the boat. I use seagar flouro but in 40 lb. good stuff but it's a little stiff like most flouro. I will be switching to the 30lb for the teaser this year. good luck GS and keep warm. ( I hope the barn is well insulated)

[Fisherwoman]

Gs as Slipknot has said 30 inches is about how long you want the main leader, the fly should be about half way down the main leader, leave a little extra room on the flourocarbon (Seagar) is all we use, for tying your knots.

As far as the rod size, most of our fishing is done with 7' medium to medium heavy action rods boat and shore, with 10 lb test berkley big game line, then just attach your rig to the main line from your rod, you don't need 2 leaders in other words, your teaser rig is your leader and the fly is the teaser.

Casting distance will not change because of the teaser rig, because your lure is still the main weight of this setup.

[Got Stripers]

Ok I made up one to see how it felt on the end of my rod and if it looked right. [img="http://www.rgsiroisco.com/teaser.jpg"] It doesn't feel much different and should cast the same. I used a dropper loop just below the tie-in at the barrel swivel. I figure using that I could have a bunch of pretied leaders with the dropper loop tied in, since I don't want to hastle with that on the water. Then using a double surgeons loop at the end of the teaser leader, I can swap out pre-riggeed teasers of varying colors by making a simple loop to loop connection. [img="http://www.rgsiroisco.com/teaser1.jpg"]

Tied in the teaser using a loop knot, figuring I would want as much movement at that connection as possible. So how does it look, this about right? The only thing I don't like, and the stripers might not either, is the two loops for the teaser and main leader connection. I might try tying direct to the upper (main line side) barrel, but I'd still would be concerned about that fly spinning around the jerkbait leader, but not sure if thats bad or actually good? I'm sure the dual loops wouldn't be a deterant on surf gear, since you might be looking at several feet of teaser leaders anyway, but on this short leader I just don't like the looks.

Thanks and tight lines.

[Saltheart]

Just looking at the picture ans assuming those are 12 inch square tiles in the background , I don't like your rig. The plug is too close to the teaser and the teaser dropper is too long. The lead with the teaser should be about 6 tp 9 inches and the plug should be 30 to 36 inches beind the teaser (or should I say that's how I like them). The dropper loop and the teaser loop intertwined is nice for quick change but I like to pretie complete rigs. I take about 4 feet of 50 lb ande. I put a swivel on and then using the double surgeons knot , I form a loop with the swivel in the loop. The tag end from this knot should be about 9 inches long. To that I tie the teaser so the teaser ends up about 6 inches fro the main line at the knot. If you use a nice stiff leader like the 50 LB ande , the teaser lead will stick out stiffly at a right angle to the leader going down to the plug. This stiff whisker dropper helps keep the teaers from catching the main leader line and fouling the rig. The teaser getting fouled on the leader is the main reason I like to keep the dropper short and stiff.

[JohnR]

I like to keep my terminal tackle end much simpler. Whereas I do not use the better lines and flourocarbon leaders for my lighter duty teaser rigs, I intend to this year. When fishing lighter gear 12-15# line I will use the same line for the teaser rig and vary the distance to the plug but generally I like the teaser one third of the way to the plug and at most, half-way. I just run seperate line, no dropper loop knots, but tie directly to the swivel.

For heavier fishing, I just use 50" Big Game Leader material on both the business side and the teaser. I never use wire, even in a bluefish blitz...\