the free-rig. i think i understand.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

4 hours ago, Smokinal said:

Are the size weights you use similar to t-rig...wind and depth dependant?

1/8, 3/16, 1/4 ?

Yeah, I treat it no different than a T-Rig.      Just got back home from catching 16 on it over 4 hours.    Thus far I've only used it night fishing, and there is almost never any wind, so I've only been using the 1/4th oz option.     

 

The more I use this rig, the more I'm finding it's especially deadly popping free from heavy cover, laydowns and brushpile type stuff.   Like with any other bait, it gets snagged but 99% of the time if you don't set on the snag, and just motor to it and past it, your bait becomes free.    I think this is because the weight snags.  

[RRocket]

I too LOVE the Free Rig! And if you love the Free Rig, you'll also enjoy throwing the Ryugi Black Bean Rig.

 

Pretty much the same idea but the bait comes straight down onto the uniquely designed weight. And if you use something like Z-man baits, when you make the "connection" to the weight, the bait stands straight up and down. The bait will then float straight back up when you put your rod tip back down with slack.

 

It's great fun to fish! 

For reference, this is 3/16 oz weight

[Pat Brown]

@AlabamaSpothunter one thing you can do is a bobber stop on BOTH sides of the tungsten weight and then adjust how far down you go before you come out of the worm.  My knots have a couple mm of solid rubber protecting them all the time and if I want my glorious punch rig to become a glorious C rig I slide the pair of bobber stops and the weight up and then cast it out.  Caught fish on the fake c rig and the punch rig a lot this season.

 

I actually think it's getting more bites for different reasons than you think the free rig is but similar.  I think the fish here are dealing with a LOT of unpegged weights and when they see some little thing popping around in front of some plastic I think they are more weary than when you take the time to thread the plastic so it looks like a single streamlined profile with the pegged weight, which makes it a nice profile with no obvious 'seam'.

 

Still you got me wanting to try the free rig!  ??

 

[Darth-Baiter]

@AlabamaSpothunter  thanks.  thanks for the reminder.  

 

i clipped my T-rig off and rigged up a FreeRig for the weekend.  i think conditions are right at Clearlake.  semi hard bottom, grass patches galore.  let's do this!!

[Darth-Baiter]

@AlabamaSpothunter  thanks A.S.H.!!

 

i crushed them.  i used only one rod.  NOBODY was catching, sadly this includes my friend.  he got one dink.  i got 5 fish for about a 19lb bag.  i lost two, when they jumped and did shenanigans.   2 fivers.  i'll need to wait for images to download, for proof of life.  

 

i dont think Clearlake bass understood the Free-rig.  

[Darth-Baiter]

Proof of life!

[AlabamaSpothunter]

1 hour ago, Darth-Baiter said:

@AlabamaSpothunter  thanks A.S.H.!!

 

i crushed them.  i used only one rod.  NOBODY was catching, sadly this includes my friend.  he got one dink.  i got 5 fish for about a 19lb bag.  i lost two, when they jumped and did shenanigans.   2 fivers.  i'll need to wait for images to download, for proof of life.  

 

i dont think Clearlake bass understood the Free-rig.  

5 for 19lbs is what I call a stellar day, doing it when everybody is on the suck bus is the cherry on top ?

 

I'm averaging a 5+ for every 4-5hrs of fishing it, and over three weeks almost exclusively fishing with it, my best 5 would go about 28, so no monsters but big fish has been a 6.10.     

 

It's every bit as versatile as a T Rig to me, the other night I was having Spots burning through my 7" Roboworms, so I decided to throw a D-Bomb on it to either to catch them or get them to stop biting me......they stopped biting, but in return I ended up catching 8 LGMs over 2lbs, biggest being a 5.12.     Same versatility as the T Rig.  Simply change the bait size/profile, same rig.   

 

Hopping this thing through heavy, heavy cover right at or near the thermocline which for me has been 8-10fow has been the deal.   The more I can get this thing to lift and fall, the better.....I get a lot of my strikes right after this thing hops over something.    After figuring this out some more I'd say I now fish a Free Rig with more hops than I ever did/do with a T-Rig.   I was mentored less is more on the bottom contact baits, but I can fish this rig a bit faster than T Rig I'm thinking.   

 

Baits that have caught fish thus far Free Rigged:

Zoom Magum Lizards

Roboworm Straight tail worms 

Missile Baits D Bombs 

Zoom Ol Monsters 

 

[txchaser]

Free Rig with a Geecrack Bellows gill picked up some extra fish for me last weekend. Thanks for the thread!

It's an interesting bite when you're in heavier weeds and they inhale it on the fall. I started erring on the side of "swing away" 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

2 hours ago, txchaser said:

Free Rig with a Geecrack Bellows gill picked up some extra fish for me last weekend. Thanks for the thread!

It's an interesting bite when you're in heavier weeds and they inhale it on the fall. I started erring on the side of "swing away" 

They definitely hit the free rig on the way down on either the cast or hops/pops along the retrieve so much, just tonight I caught 4, and missed twice that many which I honestly can't help given its night fishing and watching your line is out of the question as a non black light guy.     I'm too cheap to set on everything nowadays with tungsten?

 

I keep getting close to buying one of expensive JDM gill type plastics at my high end shop, but they're stupid expensive considering how fast I go through plastics when I'm catching fish.   It's not the cost of the first bag, it's the price of catching a nice fish and then you feel you can't live without them lol. 

 

Sure those flat, fat profiles really shine on the Free Rig though.   At this point I think everything looks better to the fish on the Free Rig over the T Rig.   

 

Free Rig has made me fall back in love with bottom contact, slow fishing.   That and summer night bassin, it's so nice to be able to fish bottom contact stuff in zero wind conditions.   This stuff goes in the closet for the most part in about a month I reckon.   I love it, but winter moving bait fishing is where it's at, I'm stoked already. 

[Darth-Baiter]

Haha bi have 3.8” Deps gill flats on the way. 

[RRocket]

1 hour ago, Darth-Baiter said:

Haha bi have 3.8” Deps gill flats on the way. 

I don't think I've seen The Dolive Beaver mentioned in this thread yet. It is exceptional. Some Free Rig aficionados think it's the best Free Rig bait.

 

Check out the stellar action. Arms flutter, then when the weight hits the bottom it glides.

 

Interesting presentation.

 

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxVAP-ziJ9yYfdV_QP__5oc0WwXgKM-Wlo

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Darth-Baiter]

@RRocketshhhhush!

 

the beaver is my bait of choice. It’s always sold out.  So shhhhh.

[RRocket]

1 hour ago, Darth-Baiter said:

@RRocketshhhhush!

 

the beaver is my bait of choice. It’s always sold out.  So shhhhh.

Oooopps! 

[txchaser]

21 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

stupid expensive considering how fast I go through plastics

Owner CPS hooks with an upsized CPS helps a lot on the super soft jpm plastics

I'm thinking these floating senkos could be interesting on a free rig.

 

[Smokinal]

Is this rig not supposed to be used in grass?

I tried it with a teardrop weight and after about 10 casts and not one coming back without grass stuck to the rig, I had to change over to a pegged bullet t-rig to get a worm to fish clean. The grass was always caught between the weight and the bait so it wasn't the style of weight I was using; just the fact the bait gets pulled up to the weight after separation and catches grass between the two.

I guess I'll save it for the rocks.

Thoughts?

[Darth-Baiter]

It’s annoying in grass for sure.  I feel like a gardener. Sometimes a bullet weight is then better answer. For me. 

[Choporoz]

All this talk about the free rig, figured I'd give it a shot. 10 minutes in, this girl convinced me....used 3/8 oz teardrop lead above a 10" GP Rage Tail Thumper

[roadwarrior]

 

 

                                                      

[Glenn]

On 8/12/2023 at 5:11 AM, Smokinal said:

Is this rig not supposed to be used in grass?

I tried it with a teardrop weight

Use a dropshot weight instead:  https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Reins_TG_Dropshot_Sinker_Slim_Round_Eye/descpage-RTGSHS.html?from=basres

3 hours ago, Choporoz said:

All this talk about the free rig, figured I'd give it a shot. 10 minutes in, this girl convinced me.

Awesome!  So many people dismiss it without even trying it.  Glad you've discovered how well it works!

[Darth-Baiter]

@Choporoz that is a fantastic fish!!!  you never forget your first!!

[RRocket]

11 hours ago, Choporoz said:

All this talk about the free rig, figured I'd give it a shot. 10 minutes in, this girl convinced me....used 3/8 oz teardrop lead above a 10" GP Rage Tail Thumper

Mother of Pearl!  What a fish! 

 

Congrats! 

[RRocket]

11 hours ago, Glenn said:

Use a dropshot weight instead:  https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Reins_TG_Dropshot_Sinker_Slim_Round_Eye/descpage-RTGSHS.html?from=basres

 

Much of the season, we're just covered in grass. So as you point out, a drop shot weight works very well.

 

What works better for me? A drop shot weight specifically designed for coming through grass. They are super, super thin. The 3/16 lead version is thinner than even my 1/16 Tungsten weights! And it's a keel-like design. See images.

 

I use these:  https://pow-casting-store.ca/drop-shot-weights/the-dredge-drop-shot/#:~:text=Now%3A %245.99-,3%2F4 oz "The Dredge" drop,Shot Weights - Line Grip Swivels&text=Powder coated Camo colours for greater stealth%2C durability and safer handling.,-They're sleek

[txchaser]

On 8/12/2023 at 7:11 AM, Smokinal said:

Is this rig not supposed to be used in grass?

I tried it with a teardrop weight and after about 10 casts and not one coming back without grass stuck to the rig, I had to change over to a pegged bullet t-rig to get a worm to fish clean. The grass was always caught between the weight and the bait so it wasn't the style of weight I was using; just the fact the bait gets pulled up to the weight after separation and catches grass between the two.

I guess I'll save it for the rocks.

Thoughts?

I was using a cylindrical dropshot weight. Heavy grass, no problems. 

 

In fact it did so well I'm starting to understand why some people punch with something resembling a tokyo rig or a super short drop shot (using braid for the dropper too) and a heavy cylinder. I have a 1/2 one for bubba shot, but they make them up to 1oz. 

 

[RRocket]

22 minutes ago, txchaser said:

I was using a cylindrical dropshot weight. Heavy grass, no problems. 

 

In fact it did so well I'm starting to understand why some people punch with something resembling a tokyo rig or a super short drop shot (using braid for the dropper too) and a heavy cylinder. I have a 1/2 one for bubba shot, but they make them up to 1oz. 

 

This is where a Jika Rig excels. I much, much prefer it to the Tokyo.

 

Between the Free Rig and Jika Rig...It's probably 90 percent of my fishing these days.

 

Have you used a Jika yet? I love it...particularly with buoyant plastics.

 

 

[txchaser]

I have a jika but haven't tried it. 

 

Deps Gill Flat in the right color came in yesterday. We'll see how they do tomorrow.