How often do you think tuna bite the sinker on a sinker rig?

[Cactus Chris]

So most everyone here has probably seen how some of the boats have been rigging torpedo sinkers with hooks and fishing them as a jig and catching good BFT. This got me to wondering- I wonder how often sinkers get bit when people are fishing a sinker rig and we just assume we missed a bite or a fish came off

 

[Hismosa]

 

[Rubberhook2]

Most guys are not bombing a sardine down on a sinker rig to trigger a reaction strike. It would fuck the bait up...not to mention mostly done during daylight hours...

 

[Cactus Chris]

Most guys are not bombing a sardine down on a sinker rig to trigger a reaction strike. It would fuck the bait up...not to mention mostly done during daylight hours...

I found it bombs down lots better on the drop shot style sinker rig some of the boats are doing now. Doesn't spin and get tangled. But yeah I get your points there. I'm still kinda new at tuna fishing so I'm still in the process of overthinking everything

 

[MikeC.]

they only bite it with hook so they have a shot at breaking the line. Just like yt, they will usually bite the sardine closest to the kelp or on the kelp so its easier to tangle

 

[Cactus Chris]

they only bite it with hook so they have a shot at breaking the line. Just like yt, they will usually bite the sardine closest to the kelp or on the kelp so its easier to tangle

They are kinda assholes like that

 

[Rubberhook2]

Bluefin are stupid at night and eat plain sinkers and everything else...during the day they get wise again...and that's when most guys are fishing the drop shot rig or stealth flyline baits. Every now and then you can get one to eat a stealth jig during the day...

 

[Cactus Chris]

Bluefin are stupid at night and eat plain sinkers and everything else...during the day they get wise again...and that's when most guys are fishing the drop shot rig or stealth flyline baits. Every now and then you can get one to eat a stealth jig during the day...

I've seen a lot of people fishing sinker rig in the grey light in the morning. That's when I caught my only sinker rig fish. It was still mostly dark. First stop on an overnight

 

[Rubberhook2]

Common tactic in the grey but guys are still dropping jigs to get a reaction bite. I suppose you could fish a drop shot rig at night....but I am just too jacked up to stop and hold a bait still to do that. At night I am fishing rope with a 300lb bite leader when they are biting nails...during the day no 300lb bite leader, no glow paint, no assist hook up top. Something shiny with one hook on bottom and maybe 80 to 100 flouro...

All these jigs accounted for daytime bites on 100+ pound fish...except I removed the assist hook on the middle one...

 

[I hate seals]

Most of our sinker rig fish came mid day on the wind back to the boat. So there.

 

[hucklongfin]

Common tactic in the grey but guys are still dropping jigs to get a reaction bite. I suppose you could fish a drop shot rig at night....but I am just too jacked up to stop and hold a bait still to do that. At night I am fishing rope with a 300lb bite leader when they are biting nails...during the day no 300lb bite leader, no glow paint, no assist hook up top. Something shiny with one hook on bottom and maybe 80 to 100 flouro...

All these jigs accounted for daytime bites on 100+ pound fish...except I removed the assist hook on the middle one...

View attachment 1461028

What jigs are they?

 

[Rubberhook2]

I knew someone was going to ask that

Left is a 250 gram Jigparra, middle is 300 gram Jigparra, far right 150 gram brown ahi sniper...

 

[hucklongfin]

I knew someone was going to ask that

Left is a 250 gram Jigparra, middle is 300 gram Jigparra, far right 150 gram brown ahi sniper...

Well, I just ordered a couple more jigs!

 

[Cactus Chris]

I knew someone was going to ask that

Left is a 250 gram Jigparra, middle is 300 gram Jigparra, far right 150 gram brown ahi sniper...

I just got some similar ones from Caivo but they're a little less symmetrical. Similar sizes too

 

[Rubberhook2]

Well, I just ordered a couple more jigs!

Hahaha...sorry bout dat

No affiliation I swear.....

 

[hucklongfin]

Hahaha...sorry bout dat

No affiliation I swear.....

No worries… I’m weak that way!

 

[Rubberhook2]

No worries… I’m weak that way!

Oh, my jig "issues" are legendary here on BD...

I have caught more bluefin during the day on 150 gram snipers than any other jig so make sure you have those. I like Sanhu Tackle here in Cali. 6 jigs for $44

Knife Colt Sniper Jigs 150g

 

[hucklongfin]

Yeah, I like the 100+ gm snipers during the day too.

 

[Cactus Chris]

Yeah snipers are one of my favorite jigs to fish. I get mine from Caivo and I forget the price but they're stupid cheap. What single hook do yall like for the 100g-150g?

 

[Blackmagic]

We had a lot success on multiple trips fishing sinker rigs during the day this last season. #260 at noon and a #150 at about 8am. Those were both 80 fluoro with a 3/0 ringed circle hook.

 

[Cactus Chris]

We had a lot success on multiple trips fishing sinker rigs during the day this last season. #260 at noon and a #150 at about 8am. Those were both 80 fluoro with a 3/0 ringed circle hook.

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Nice! Were you fishing the rubber band sinker rig or the dropshot sinker rig?

 

[Blackmagic]

Nice! Were you fishing the rubber band sinker rig or the dropshot sinker rig?

Rubber band 6 oz torpedo ( black rubber band), 80lb seagaur premier ( RP knot to 100lb braid mainline) . Sinker about 6’ up from the hook. Slow steady decent to the zone the Capt would call out (line marked every 50’) and dropping 10 seconds at a time every min until bit or time to change bait.

 

[hucklongfin]

We had a lot success on multiple trips fishing sinker rigs during the day this last season. #260 at noon and a #150 at about 8am. Those were both 80 fluoro with a 3/0 ringed circle hook.

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One of the benefits of the sinker rig is that you can use a larger hook than for flyline.

 

[Rubberhook2]

Yeah, I like the 100+ gm snipers during the day too.

I have as well but mostly casting into foamers where they are keyed in on microbait and up high in the water column.

But if it is a sonar school down 150 to 250 the 150 gram gets down faster...

And Brown Ahi is my jam...

 

[hucklongfin]

I like to rock the Katy Perry during the day!