How To Use A Sabiki Rig Surf Fishing For Bait

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Sabiki bait rigs are great to use for surf fishing to catch bait. These rigs are readily available to purchase at your local tackle supplier. Sabiki rigs come with six little jiggy type flys and look similar to a tiny bucktail. Anglers usually use them directly from a dock or in a boat by jigging them up and down. They’re not often thought of for catching bait from the surf. For the surf zone, get sabiki rigs with a #4 or #6 hook.

These rigs are a favorite for pin fish, croaker, blue fish, perch, pompano, spanish mackerel, spot, sardines and mullet. I recommend tipping the hooks with cut pieces of  Fishbites Bag O’ Worms. The little pieces are scented to attract more bait fish. They are quite sturdy and will survive several strikes.

You use them with a rod and reel setup for light tackle. They will need some weight added to them for casting into the surf. They come ready to attach a sinker using the clip at the bottom of the rig. Don’t use a pyramid sinker. A pyramid sinker would jerk and catch, preventing you from jigging it in properly. Get a few casting sinkers in the range of 1 to 3 ounces. You want to use casting sinkers because they are smooth and will slide nicely on the bottom as you work the rig in.

Casting Sinker

Cast out directly into the breakers Keep you rod high as you reel and jig it along. You want the presentation to be as vertical as possible in the water column.  Don’t reel in too fast. Just jig it, let it settle a little, reel and jig it again. It takes a little practice to get a good presentation. Before long you’ll have it catching more than one bait fish at a time.

Next time you head out for some surf fishing give these rigs a try. You can use the bait you catch whole or as cut bait. It doesn’t take long to catch enough bat fish to keep you fishing the whole time your out there.

Choosing a current option

The former rig listing is no longer available. The linked JSHANMEI pack is a current example with multiple small hooks for catching baitfish; it is not a big-fish bait rig. Confirm the selected hook size, leader strength and local limits on hook numbers. Its seller’s claims are not a hands-on test by this site.

View the current bait-rig pack on Amazon

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