Split Shot Rig. The Original Setup

[bigbill]

When this rig first came out I was taught to take a #2 snelled eagle hook and use the largest sewing needle I ever seen. We folded the snelled hook leader in half. Shoved it thru the eye of the needle to the knot/hook. Now we entered the plastic worm at the lump. Thread it in the center holding the hook and let the needle pull the leader out with the eye. When the leader is out we pull the stem of the hook into the worms lump. Only half of the turn of the hook sticks out. Then we place the split shot weight on the loop on the leader of the hook above the knot. It stays secure.

Old school. I see the bait threaders but never used one yet.

How do you guys do it?

[Raul]

I have never used a snelled hook, palomar knot to a hook and the split shot placed several inches above the hook eye.

 

 

[Senko lover]

I learned to fish plastics with a small finesse worm on a split shot rig, but it was set up like a poor man's carolina rig, just a hook, worm, and split shot. 

[WRB]

Look up Dick Trask split shot rig.

Using a split shot on a live bait hook isn't the split shot rig.

The western split shot rig used by Dick Trask and others in the early 70's to win bass tournaments and trophy bass anglers like Bill Murphy are specific rigs.

The Dick Trask split shot rig was made up using a round earless #4 lead split shot and size 1 Aberdeen style light wire worm hook on 4lb or 6 lb mono line. The shot is first clamped snugly onto the line, the the line is slowly pulled through the shot cutting a groove into the lead. The damaged line, about 6" is cut off, the hook tied on and the shot slid up about 14" above the hook and re clamped. Trask used Mr Twister or Flutter Craft 4" to 5" curl tail worms, boiled to make them very soft. Trask would work this rig in mid water column for suspended bass and bottom dragged uphill.

The Bill Murphy split shot rig used the same size #4 split shot rigged the same method, except he used heavier line and a size 2 heavy bait holder hook with the hook bent sideways about 1/16" and rigged worms between 6" to 16" long straight tails. Murphy bottom dragged his rig using a method called stitching using his fingers to move the rig, similar to working a fly line.

The worms were not threaded onto the hooks, they were nose weedless skin hooked.

Tom

[bigbill]

We would row the boat to a submerged iland(rocks) and row off it till the weeds disappeared then anchor and cast towards the Iland. It's slow fishing but can be very productive.

The split shot rigged worm works great in moving water were the backwash is. Or where the water slows down from the main stream.

We have large lakes that were dammed rivers that still have running current in the middle. The drop offs on the sides can be very productive.

We used 6" black creme straight worms. Back in 1973.

[bigbill]

Tom thanks for all the history. U know it. BB

[Ohio Dave]

Wow that is so cool to hear those taies of days gone by.  I used a plow jocky rig with a split shot which was somewhat like that but the worm came pre rigged with three hooks.  Took my very first largemouth (a 16 inch fish) when I was about 12 years old on that rig.  For a moment I had drifted back to my youth fishing those Indiana lakes on hot afternoons.  

[WRB]

My introduction to plastic worms occurred in 1957 at lake Shasta in California. I asked 13 years and asked 2 old timers how they caught thier bass. The old timer gave me a package od Creame rubber worms, natural crawler color and explained how to rig them. Take off the pre rigged harness and propeller, use a size 4 bait holder hook in the nose likes night crawler, clamp on a split shot to hold a dipsey bass sinker up the line about 2 feet and drag it along the bottom anywhere you see rocks along the shore.

Today this would be a C-rig, in 1957 it was magic.

Not a split shot rig but my first plastic worm rig.

The bait holder hooks were pre rigged on a card with mono leader, we had Dacron line and knuckle buster reels. This rig caught a lot of big bass.

[ChrisD46]

Look up Dick Trask split shot rig.

Using a split shot on a live bait hook isn't the split shot rig.

The western split shot rig used by Dick Trask and others in the early 70's to win bass tournaments and trophy bass anglers like Bill Murphy are specific rigs.

The Dick Trask split shot rig was made up using a round earless #4 lead split shot and size 1 Aberdeen style light wire worm hook on 4lb or 6 lb mono line. The shot is first clamped snugly onto the line, the the line is slowly pulled through the shot cutting a groove into the lead. The damaged line, about 6" is cut off, the hook tied on and the shot slid up about 14" above the hook and re clamped. Trask used Mr Twister or Flutter Craft 4" to 5" curl tail worms, boiled to make them very soft. Trask would work this rig in mid water column for suspended bass and bottom dragged uphill.

The Bill Murphy split shot rig used the same size #4 split shot rigged the same method, except he used heavier line and a size 2 heavy bait holder hook with the hook bent sideways about 1/16" and rigged worms between 6" to 16" long straight tails. Murphy bottom dragged his rig using a method called stitching using his fingers to move the rig, similar to working a fly line.

The worms were not threaded onto the hooks, they were nose weedless skin hooked.

Tom

What Tom ^^says^^ only with a slight revision : #2 ~ #4 Gama Octopus hook , 1/16th oz. tungston bullet weight held in place with a small rubber bobber stop ... This set up also makes it quick to adjust the leader length simply by sliding the bobber stop up or down a few inches .

[WRB]

The Mojo rig is a modern split shot using the tubular mojo weight with a rubber strand to hold in place.

Today I use Owner #5133 down shot hook for weedless split shot rig and prefer the brass weight to slide (slip shot rig) using a pegged glass bead or Karolina plastic keeper as the brass Pro-Jo weight stopper.

Lots of variations to the split rig.

Tom

[MIbassyaker]

... and prefer the brass weight to slide (slip shot rig) ...

That is what I do too. It seems to cut down on how often I deep-hook fish. I'm guessing it's because strike detection is easier if the line can slide freely through the weight.

[the reel ess]

I've only been catching bass around here by dragging the bottom. Occasionally, you'll get a dink on the Trick Worm. So I thought I'd try a split shot rigged Trick Worm. The split shot was gone after the 3rd cast.

But I had my trusty T-rig craw on another rod.