Effective Rigs for Drifting and Trolling Part 1

Effective Rigs for Drifting and Trolling Fishing Part 1 was created for angler who tying common knots and fishing rigs with hook on common baits or lures to catch any types of fish Around Singapore! Effective Rigs for Drifting and Trolling Part 1, MERSING Style, which is the take off point for P. Aur, Pemanggil, Tinggi and a host of other islands there, uses the single J-hook method. A single strand wire of about 6 to 8 inch is attached directly to the hook and the wire is tied to the 5-fathom (deper) long 501b mono leader with an Albright knot. The hook commonly used is a straight long shank of size 4/0 or 5/0. A needle-eye hook would be best but alas, it has gone out of fashion in Malaysia and almost impossible to find. So use one with the smallest eye you can lay your hands on.

Effective Rigs for Drifting and Trolling Fishing Part 1 was created for angler who tying common knots and fishing rigs with hook on common baits or lures to catch any types of fish Around Singapore! To rig, slide the hook point through the mouth of the live bait and out at the soft membrane to one side of the lower jaw. Pull the hook through - hence the need for a small eye - and impale the hook through the lower back portion of the bait. The gape of the hook must be wider than the width of the bait with the point well exposed. (Fig. 1) This rig can be used for both drifting and trolling.

Effective Rigs for Drifting and Trolling Fishing Part 1 was created for angler who tying common knots and fishing rigs with hook on common baits or lures to catch any types of fish Around Singapore! MERCHONG Style prefers the use of the 2-hook rig with very large - 6/0 - long shank hooks. These are connected together with single strand wire. Another piece of wire about 45cm long is connected to the front hook with a barrel twist and the other end formed into an eye by another barrel twist. The 60 to 80lb mono leader is then tied to the eye with a clinch knot. The bait is then hooked through the shoulders with the front hook and the top rear section with the trailing hook. (Fig. 2)

This rig is used mainly for trolling. I personally do not like this rigging method as I find that too much metal is exposed; so on one trip, I switched over to using the 'Mersing' method.

By all that is logical, I should be catching more fish with the more 'refined' style. At the end of the day, Atan the boatman out fished me 3 to 1. Maybe the trolling speed do not allow the fish to see the metal. Maybe logic do not apply in Merchong. The maybes may be plentiful but that is just what makes fishing such an inexact science, which makes it an art form.

What I've learned is that local method and knowledge is still the best. Listen to them. Do not be too smart, like I was. Of course this may not always hold true. While fishing in Kuala Penyu, Sabah, the local villagers have never trolled a lipped diver though there were a few for sale in K. Penyu town.

The first reaction from them is that the 'tipu' bait cannot possibly catch fish. The artificial lures did catch fish and now the villagers are carving their own 'Rapalas' and catching fish trolling them with hand lines. My personal line of action now is to put the local and imported knowledge to make fishing more interesting and successful.

Note: Please bear in mind that the same method may be used for trolling live bait as well and the bridling method is still the best if marlin or sailfish is the intended fish. For other fishes, we'll have a look at how the locals do it.