A rig is just how you arrange your hook, weight and line for the job, and the right one is often the difference between a slow day and a great one. Here are twelve classic rigs, each diagrammed so you can see exactly how it goes together, what it is for, and when to reach for it. Tie them up with the knot picker.
A sliding weight above a swivel, then a long leader to a hooked soft plastic. The bait drifts naturally behind the weight along the bottom.
When: Covering bottom for bass on flats and points; lets a soft plastic move freely while you feel the weight tick the bottom.
A bullet weight sits right against a soft plastic rigged weedless, with the hook point buried. Slides through cover without snagging.
When: Bass in weeds, wood and heavy cover, where a weedless presentation is the only way to fish without hanging up.
The hook is tied a set distance up the line with the point facing out, and a weight hangs below. The bait hovers off the bottom.
When: Finicky bass and perch holding just off the bottom; a deadly finesse presentation in clear or pressured water.
A small mushroom-head jig with a short, buoyant soft-plastic stick. Simple, light, and stands up on the bottom.
When: When nothing else works. A go-to finesse rig for pressured bass and a fine confidence bait for beginners.
One or two small round weights pinched onto the line above a bait hook. About as simple as fishing gets.
When: The perfect first rig: worms and small baits for panfish, trout and almost anything from bank or boat.
A sliding float stops at a bead set to your depth, with shot below to cock it and a hook beneath. Presents a bait at any depth.
When: Suspending live bait for crappie, perch, trout and more, especially over deeper water where a fixed float will not cast.
The bait sits on a fine 'hair' just below the hook rather than on it, so the hook is left bare to catch hold as the fish ejects it.
When: The standard rig for carp and big bottom feeders on boilies, pellets or corn. Hooks fish that feel the bait but not the hook.
A string of small, flashy hooks on short droppers off a main line, with a weight at the bottom. Catches several baitfish at once.
When: Filling the bait tank with sardines, herring and other small fish before targeting bigger species. A saltwater staple.
A sliding sinker runs on the main line down to a swivel, then a leader to the hook. A biting fish can move off without feeling the weight.
When: Surf and bottom fishing with cut or live bait for redfish, stripers, catfish and more, where you want a fish to run before it feels resistance.
A three-way swivel splits the line: one dropper to a weight, another to a leader and hook. Keeps the bait a set height off the bottom.
When: Fishing current and structure for walleye, catfish and trout, or trolling bait near the bottom without constant snags.
Two hooks on short droppers off the main line, one high and one low, with a weight at the very bottom. Two baits, two depths, one cast.
When: Bottom fishing from pier, boat or surf for panfish-sized saltwater species; doubles your chances and helps you find the feeding depth.
A soft stick worm hooked through the middle (often through an O-ring) so both ends wiggle as it sinks. Deceptively simple, deadly effective.
When: Pressured or shallow bass around docks and cover; the slow, shimmying fall triggers bites when nothing else will.
Every rig starts with a good knot and the right line. Pick the knot with the knot picker, match your main line and leader with the line and leader card, choose the hook size on the hook size chart, and see what the fish want on the bait and lure guide.
Free to cite: link back to this page or a specific rig using the anchor on each.