# sabiki rigs in the surf



## kapman

I have been flipping thru the posts here and noticed that some of you are catching whiting and sheephead on sabiki rigs. 

I assume you are baiting them with shrimp and letting them lay on the bottom? I am asking because i didnt think these species were caught regularly on arti's.

Let me know how you are rigging these to catch whiting in the surf.


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## jagarcia10

I usually just use a double drop leader tiped with peeled shrimp with small 4/0 circle hooks. Some guys also use shrimp flavored fish bites.


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## HuntinforTail

Sabiki rigs are about all I use any more to catch bait fish to mid sized drum (i've personally caught black drum up to 34 inches on a sabiki). I've been trying to get people to try them for a long time now.

I always tip them with a bit of shirmp. I buy the 4 or 6 hook rigs with the 40 lb main line and 30 lb branches. Tip each hook with some shrimp or fish bites and you'll outfish all our buddies who are using double drop rigs every time.

I take one piece of shrimp, peel it, and cut it into 4- 6 small pieces and use those small pieces to bait the hooks. 1/2 lb of shrimp will last you all day with sabikis.

All the following fish were caught on sabikis.


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## HuntinforTail

I'm going to experiment making some heavier duty homemade ones this year. Maybe with 100lb test. I'll keep yall updated on how it works out.


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## kapman

HFT, thanks for the info. 

How are you rigging those, are you adding weight and letting it sit on the bottom, or are you working it in like a tout?


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## HuntinforTail

Yea sorry. Usually i put a 2 oz triangle weight on it. I've tried fishing it with light spider weights, but its harder to get a hook set with spider weights since they dig in the sand. 

When the current is really strong you may want to use a 3 or 4 oz triangle, but you hardly ever have to go higher than 2 oz.

Toss it out, tighten up the line, let it sit, and wait for a bite, or stick it in a rod holder and sit back and wait. When there are a lot of whiting or bait fish in the surf you won't hardly have time to get it in a rod holder.

Make sure you post up your success(hopefully) story after you give them a try.


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## mas360

Does anyone have a picture of this "Sabiki" rig? I've never heard of it until this thread.


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## HuntinforTail

They are usually about 4 feet long with 6 hooks branched off a mainline. The branches are tied to the mainline instead of crimped with swivels. The hooks are tied to the branches instead of using snap swivels like a double drop. The hooks are usually dressed up a little like flies. They are usually $3-5 each.

Since they don't have a lot of metal they are very low profile underwater. One drawback is that since the branches are tied to the mainline, it is much easier to break than a double drop if you catch a sizable fish.

I'm plannin on writing an article for my website in the next month or so about the pros and cons of a sabiki rig versus a double drop rig.

I'm going to experiment with making some 60/50lb sabiki rigs with strong hooks this summer.

You'll see them at the tackle shop in a package that looks like this:








Here is what they look like when fished.


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## Brian10

I use heavy duty sabiki's offshore tipped with shrimp. It pulls up all sorts of interesting fish.


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## Bearwolf34

Sounds like the sabiki would be a hard head catching rascal.


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## Sharkhunter

I make a 3 hook bait catching rig that works nice. I know a lot of guys use these with great sucess though.


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## batmaninja

How do yall fish the sabikis? I have used them off shore around rigs to catch bait mainly just jigging them. Is that the same manner you use them in the surf?


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## HuntinforTail

batmaninja said:


> How do yall fish the sabikis? I have used them off shore around rigs to catch bait mainly just jigging them. Is that the same manner you use them in the surf?


Same way you would a double drop. Tip each hook with shrimp, cast it out into one of the guts, tighten the line and wait for a bite. I don't do any jigging. Sometimes I'll do a slow retrieve to see which side of the gut the fish are holding.


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## Momma's Worry

*Sabiki*

I will let you in a secret........Every fish that swims will attack a Sabiki Rig....you will be amazed at how large a fish will hit those small flies......learned that long ago but they are fragil and don't last long.......get the heavy-ist line you can find..........I use R and R Tackle HC-20's/22's 60main / 40 drop #20 /#22 hook 6/8 hooks, white or yellow ...always keep a dozen on hand.....besides blue runners, etc(bait fish).........deadly on white and striped bass plus blue cats trolled at Lake Livingston ......red drum(even bulls),black drum ,sheepshead,sand trout,speck's,mac's(anything with teeth will destroy one quick),red snapper,vermillion snapper,mangrove snap's etc .......... I troll them on Cannon down riggers with a silver spoon or spec rig where the weight normally goes....yea 10 hooks.......you will get a lot of multi hook up's.... D Law


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