Your purchase trends?

[tlapinski]

before most of my surf fishing trips, i start out by stopping by my local shop. while their i do the usual story swapping, purchasing, and such.
now here is my question: do you / would you purchase pre- tied rigs? by this, i am speaking of things like leaders, teasers, and bait rigs. i have been noticing a lot latey, of shops that have these items tied by the employees of the shop. would your purchase be influenced if the components were top quality? ie, fluorocarbon, ball bearing swivels, circle hooks, etc... i am just asking, because i spend some of my non-fishing time tieing these rigs for my own use, and was wondering if i was waisting my time.
also, what about teasers? do you make your own, or purchase them?

[bloocrab]

I always feel much more confident....when I tie my own. I've had "store/shop" bought set-ups open up on me....not that it can't happen to my own...but when its my own...I know it's my fault...


Mr. Lapinski,


Keep tie-ing your own rigs~ you'll feel better (safer) knowing you pulled the knot tight.

[wahlie]

Toby,
In my experience with shops as far as teasers and rigs go I'll usually pickup a teaser here or there depending on what I've got of my own.. Alot of the time it's easier to pick something up at a local shop if it's a pattern of local baitfish or if it's just a color the fish have been keying in on.. As far as hardware on rigs.. I think that the quality of product can make a difference from landing that 50lb cow or snapping off due to a half assed tin plated hook. I use fluoro and tie my teasers with decent hooks. I've purchased some teasers that have rusted up and have fallen apart after 1 or 2 uses... Either that or they simply don't hold up under the pressure of larger fish... I've had that happen multiple times with mass produced teasers.... So, without rambling anymore to answer your question yes I would buy well tied teasers at a local shop if they were tied with quality components. I wouldn't mind spending the extra cash to have a teaser/rig that I know will hold up under pressure and will last.

[Saltheart]

I make my own . Before I started tying , I bought teasers. A always tried to get them with a mustad Hook. dave Hammock at Murats used to make me some custom. Then I started tying my own.

I have also purchased pretied eel hooks and leaders but tend to like a bigger hook so do them myself now also.

Now I tie all my own. I even started making my own jigs about five years ago when some I bought at a tackle shop broke at the hook/lead interface. For jigs the big thing is the hook. We pay over 20 cents per hook even though we buy a lot of them. We use cad plated Mustads and try to use the biggest hook that's practical for the application.

[flatts1]

would your purchase be influenced if the components were top quality? ie, fluorocarbon, ball bearing swivels, circle hooks, etc

I specifically go out of my way to have rigs made with top quality components.

At the risk of sounding like a snob, anyone can go to Walmart and buy prepackaged, pretied rigs that come 6 to a package. However, try finding one with THE circle hook you want with THE lb test you want with THE teaser your want. The problem is that these rigs are mass produced and sold nationwide. The manufacturers don't have the insight that local shops (or you) have when it comes to making rigs the right sizes and colors.

If you can tie them yourself with the components you want then go for it but I find that there is no substitute for a good tackle shop that will make a rig to your specs. In addition, you can order as many or as little as you want.

Furthermore tackle shops are virtually never out of stock when it comes to rigs because they usually always have the component parts for the rigs for sale individually and it doesn't take them much time to actually make a couple rigs on demand. In fact, often I order some rigs in mono and just a few of the same rig in wire just in case Mr. Razorlips is in town.

For example, I swear by the cod teaser rigs that Darell at Neponset Circle Fishing and Darts makes. His rigs are tied in such a way that the circle hooks dangle very freely resulting more effective "self hooking". He also uses knots only - no scrimps and no swivels thus offering a much cleaner presentation to the fish. These are the same rigs that he and his friends use when they go fishing and you should see the pics at his shop. Last year he caught a 44# cod and this year Tai, one of his workers, had a double hookup of over 100# with these same rigs!!!

[Scotch Bonnet]

T, I would buy pre rigged leaders, teasers, etc if it was done by an experienced tyer and with top quality components. My local tackle shop used to do this but has stopped. I am strapped for time and when I do rig up its late at night when the kids are in bed(which is where I should be). When I retire and the kids are out of the house I'll do all my own rigging and enjoy it, but now its just one more pain in my arse

[STRIPER77]

Scotch Bonnet tells it like it REALLY is.

[bud8fan]

Its never a waste of time tying your own!!

Take it from me! I started making my own fluke rigs because the stuff you buy in most shops is inferior quality! Not to mention overpriced!
Well this past spring I showed them to one of the tackle shops.
They liked them and asked me to make them some. After that it went off bigtime! I have paid for 95% of my fishing this season with these rigs!(over 1000)!!

So take it from me!! Make your own and be proud when you catch'em on them!! And if they catch a shops eye you might even make a few $$!!

[Jenn]

I tie my own for baitfishing.....reasoning....???? my choice of hooks ,line, and design....oops and cost!!!!! I hate tying on the spot (but in a pinch and after doing many of them you become efficient). I usually tie like mad if I am chomping at the bit in the pre season....when I get to go fishing....they are all done!

would I buy them.....I really cant say.....I am an addict impulse buyer so....maybe....if it was in front of me and it seemed to fit my needs!!!!!!! But yes......I think quality and price would play a major factor.....

BTW....I just noticed your from Western MA......hey neighbor!

[bloocrab]

Originally posted by Jenn
....I just noticed your from Western MA......hey neighbor!

I thought youz waz moving???...you ain't made the plunge yet?

[Jenn]

NOPE! just couldnt do it.......lots of issues to it....but in a nut shell.....the "opportunity" really wasnt one after all........after weighing the plusses and minusses ....goods and bads......it just wasnt the right time place or situation...... not enough "good" change to up-root our whole lives for...ya know????

Bloo...tonite I had too much coffee and I going to my fave place on thursday..maybe even wed.night.....(excited)...thats MY excuse...whats yours?? LOL do YOU ever sleep????

here fishy fishy.....get ready...here I come!!!!!

[bloocrab]

"my excuse".....


I'm breaking myself in for the Fall migration..... yeah, that sounds like a good one~


oh yeah.....I almost forgot.....T.Lapinski, if you've been tie-ing them all this time, WHY STOP NOW??......


bud8fan made a good point. Some rigs that you buy...'example' - fluke rigs, don't use the (strength/test) that I prefer...Fluke have some nice choppers....and the hooks on those rigs -rust easy!..which is good for the fluke....but not for the recycling angler. Sometimes the leaders aren't as long as you'd like them either....and sometimes they trim the knot area too close....that along with poor tightening torque will drive you nuts when you lose a big-gen' ....

just figured I'd get this thread back on track..

[Big Vern]

I always tie my own as well, but I always make sure that I never have to tie them at the water. Nevertheless, the rigs in the shop are way overpriced and created from the parts that I wouldn't use in my own tying (I've never seen anything tied up with Gamakatsu octopus circles)...so why would I buy these prefabricated rigs?

What works for me is when I find a nice lazy sunday afternoon in April when I have nothing on my schedule with the exception of watching the Sox game and possibly napping. Then, I'll just sit there and tie rigs up. It might take me a few tying sessions, but I strive to assemble all the bait rigs I could realistically need for the season. I will have to make some up over the course of oncoming months, but it's not all that much of an annoyance as starting from scratch.

I generally tie until I have 6 of the following rigs (All with 30 lb test Ande mono leaders, 75 lb. swivels, and Gamakatsu Octopus circle hooks ):

Just swivel for plastic/plugs.

4/0 Hook for sandeels in the rips.

6/0 Hook for chunking and eeling.

Hi-Lo Rig with 6/0 hooks and a clip at the bottom for the sinker.

Then I put them in the plastic single CD sleeves that you can get at Best Buy. I make sure to get the ones that fold over and stick to make a nice seal so that they don't get wet and rust in my bag. Then, I put one rig (The just swivels can all go in one just don't seal it) per sleeve, seal them up, and put them in my tackle bag. Provided I tie good knots, this afternoon of work allows the ease of always being able to tie a single knot when changing up or breaking off.

[likwid]

Rigs?!

Yeesh

You complicated people...

buncha hooks
buncha lead
buncha balloons and closepins
and a few plugs

Cod rigs on the other hand are some evil monsters that I suppose when its that time around again and I start makin em, I'll throw up some pictures...

To hell with store bought cod jigs... go git some 1" OD stainless pipe and some lead...

Easiest source of the pipe?
See that bow pulpit your neighbor has sitting under the porch?

Yeah, he's thinking the same thing.

[tlapinski]

thanks all! these are pretty much the responses that i figured i would get. i have been in the surf scene for a good 15 years, and always tie my own stuff for alot of the reasons outlined here. it was just a little something that crossed my mind. then, the business side of my brain came into play...... i figured i would test the water, so to say, as to how people feel about pre-tied stuff.

Jenn - yeah, i call lovely south hadley my home. a little far from my "second home" on the south shore, (solid 2 hour drive), but home just the same.

[Jenn]

i call lovely south hadley my home

do you get yer spring time stripers closer to your first home?????

[tlapinski]

i usually do very good at the holyoke damn, i can almost see it from my house! the past couple of seasons though, i have been concentrating on a stretch of river near the enfield dam. i am still amazed at how many BIG fish get up here. this past spring, the electro-shock boat working on the chicoppee river shocked a 54" bass. last year, they got one about the same size near the holyoke dam. i have picked up a few fish in that size range, too.

[Jenn]

cool! I promised to try this year....and I tried......but didnt have any luck (didnt get out as much as I wanted either..... )

yeah I was reallt shocked to hear such large fish were coming from there too! ooh and SO CLOSE to home!!!! oh well there is always next year!

[tlapinski]

if you are interested, i could take you out next season. i do all of my fishing from shore. i really have the south hadley area down to a science. i should be able to get you into some good fish.

[Jenn]

definately interested!!!!! I would be a fool to pass up that offer!!!!! it pathetic actually......I have lived in this area my whole life and had never been to the dam before this year!!!!!(and needless to say it didnt go all that well either... ) tried chicopee for shad (also new to me this year) that was kinda cool too......I was shocked at how well they fought!!!!!!

Thanks.......Jenn