How to read these. Every rig below lists the exact hook size, leader length and weight we'd tie in that water for that target. The go-to is the rig we'd hand you first. The alternates cover different conditions — clearer water, different bait, heavier structure. Always check current FWC rules — circle hooks are required for most reef fish in federal water and for bottom fishing with natural bait.
Grass flats, oyster bars, creek mouths, dock lights. Water is usually 1–6 ft with moving tide. Keep leaders long enough to handle oysters and tarpon bumps but light enough not to spook clear-water trout.
Popping Cork + Jighead
Go-To
First light, grass flats and oyster bars, moving tide. Works for trout, reds and flounder.
3–30 miles out. Trolling, slow-trolling live bait, or jigging structure. Toothy critters dominate, so wire or heavy fluoro is often non-negotiable.
Stinger Rig — King Mackerel
Go-To
Slow-trolling live bait over wrecks, reefs and bait pods during spring and fall migration.
Main line
20–30 lb mono on conventional, or 30–50 lb braid on spinning
Shock leader
2' of 50 lb fluorocarbon
Wire
18–24" of #4–#5 single-strand (30–40 lb) coffee wire, or #3 seven-strand
Nose hook
4/0 live-bait hook (Owner SSW)
Stinger hook
#4–#6 treble, trailing 3–4" behind on wire
Bait
Live blue runner, menhaden (pogy), sardine. Trolled ribbonfish or dead cigar minnow if live bait is scarce.
Knots
Main→shock: Double Uni ·
Shock→wire: haywire twist (wire-work, not a knot)
Wire tip: the haywire twist is the standard. Six close wraps, then three sharp barrel wraps, then a sharp 90° bend and rock-back until the tag snaps clean. No cutter marks — those are where wire fails.
Spanish Trolling Rig
Alternate
Surface blowups and feeding birds 3–10 miles out. Spanish mackerel have teeth but will refuse wire in clear water.
Main line
15–20 lb braid
Leader
3–4' of 30 lb fluorocarbon
Weight
1–2 oz planer or trolling lead if fish are deeper
Lure
#00 or #0 silver Clarkspoon, Gotcha plug, or small Drone spoon
Bait
Lure only. Spanish key on flash and speed — troll 5–7 knots.
60–200+ ft over ledges, wrecks, live bottom. Heavier everything. Circle hooks are legally required for most reef fish with natural bait in federal water — don't skip them.
Knocker Rig
Go-To
Anchored or drifting over structure — snapper and grouper. The weight rides on the hook eye so the bait sits flush on the bottom.
Main line
50–65 lb braid on a 6000–8000 class conventional or spinner
Leader
4–6' of 60–80 lb fluorocarbon
Weight
4–8 oz egg sinker riding directly on the hook eye
Hook
7/0 to 9/0 Owner Mutu Light circle (required by law for reef fish with natural bait)
Bait
Whole cigar minnow, threadfin, or cut bonito. Squid strips for triggerfish. Live pinfish for bigger grouper.
Knots
Main→leader: FG knot (best) or Double Uni ·
Leader→hook: Palomar or snell
Chicken Rig (Double Drop)
Alternate
Mixed-species bottom days when you want to put meat in the boat — snapper, triggers, grunts, porgies, sea bass.
Main line
50 lb braid
Rig backbone
18" of 50 lb mono with two dropper loops, 6" apart
Hooks
6/0 circles on each dropper loop
Weight
6–10 oz bank sinker on the bottom loop
Bait
Squid strip on bottom hook, cut bait or live pinfish on top — give them options.
The St. Johns, Julington Creek, local ponds and retention lakes. The SJR is tidal and slightly brackish south of Jacksonville — you'll see striped bass push up in cooler months.
Texas Rig
Go-To
Lily pads, hydrilla mats, dock pilings, river banks. The weed-proof bass standard.
Rod / reel
Medium-heavy 7' bass rod, baitcaster or 3000-class spinning
Main line
15–20 lb braid, or 12–17 lb fluoro in clear water
Weight
1/8 to 3/8 oz bullet weight — peg it with a bobber stop to keep it at the hook
Bead
Optional glass bead between weight and knot (adds click)
Hook
3/0 or 4/0 EWG worm hook (Owner, Gamakatsu)
Bait
6–7" ribbon-tail or Zoom Trick Worm — junebug, watermelon red, or plum.
Jax Beach Pier, the Jetties, Mayport rocks, ICW bridges. Current is usually the story — enough weight to hold bottom, a leader long enough to handle a scrape across rocks or pilings.
Fish-Finder / Sliding Sinker Rig
Go-To
Standard pier and bridge rig in current. Fish feels the bait before it feels the weight.
Main line
20–30 lb mono, or 30 lb braid
Sinker slide
Plastic sleeve or bead + sinker slide above the swivel
Weight
2–4 oz pyramid (sand) or bank sinker (rocks)
Swivel
80 lb barrel swivel
Leader
24–36" of 30–40 lb fluorocarbon
Hook
3/0 to 5/0 circle — scale up for bull reds, down for whiting
Bait
Live shrimp, finger mullet, fresh-cut mullet; fiddler crabs for sheepshead.
Knots
Main→swivel: Palomar ·
Leader→swivel: Uni ·
Leader→hook: Palomar or snell
Sheepshead Pilings Rig
Alternate
Tight to jetty rocks and bridge pilings, fall through spring. Sheepshead bite is famously light — keep line tight and set on anything that feels different.
Main line
15–20 lb braid
Leader
18" of 20 lb fluorocarbon
Weight
1/4 to 1/2 oz split shot, 10–12" above the hook (keeps bait tight to structure)
Hook
#1 or 1/0 Owner Mosquito, or a dedicated short-shank sheepshead hook
Bait
Live fiddler crab, oyster meat, or a small piece of shrimp.
Learn these five and you can tie every rig on this page. Wet every knot before cinching — dry line + friction = weak knot. Trim the tag close, not flush; leave about 1/8" so cinching doesn't pull it back through.
1 · Improved Clinch
Line → hook, swivel, or lure. Your everyday terminal knot.
Pass line through the eye, leave 6" of tag.
Wrap the tag around the main line 5–7 times.
Pass the tag through the small loop next to the eye.
Pass the tag back through the big loop you just formed.
Wet it. Pull main and tag evenly. Trim.
2 · Palomar
Strongest everyday knot — especially with braid. Line → hook, jig, or swivel.
Double 6" of line. Pass the loop through the eye.
Tie a loose overhand knot with the doubled line — don't tighten yet.
Pass the loop all the way over the hook or lure.
Wet it. Pull main and tag evenly until tight. Trim.
3 · Uni Knot
Line → hook or swivel. Foundation of the Double Uni below.
Pass line through the eye. Double back alongside the main line.
Form a loop with the tag, laying it along the main.
Wrap the tag through the loop and around both lines 5–6 times.
Wet. Pull the tag to cinch the wraps. Then pull the main to slide the knot down to the eye. Trim.
4 · Non-Slip Loop (Kreh Loop)
Leader → jig or lure when you want the lure to swing free and move naturally.
Tie a loose overhand knot in the main line, 6" from the tag.
Pass the tag through the eye, then back through the overhand loop.
Wrap the tag around the main line 4–5 times.
Pass the tag back through the overhand loop.
Wet. Pull main and tag evenly. A small loop stays at the eye.
Overlap 8" of braid and leader, pointing opposite directions.
Tie a Uni knot in the braid around the leader — 6–7 wraps (braid is slick).
Tie a Uni knot in the leader around the braid — 3–4 wraps.
Wet both knots. Pull main and leader apart — the two Unis slide together into one small knot.
Trim tags close.
Dropper loop. A few rigs above call for this. It's a rig-tying technique, not a knot to memorize: fold the line into a loop, twist the loop 6–8 times, then reach through the center of the twists and pull the middle out as a new loop. Cinch it down. That's the loop your hook snells to.
These are working rigs — the exact ones we tie on our water. Conditions change. If the fish tell you something different, listen to them. Questions or a rig you think we should add? thisisour904@gmail.com · Leave feedback