The inshore bait rig
An inshore bait rig presents bait on or near the bottom in sheltered water. Two cover most of it: a running-sinker (ledger) rig, where the sinker slides on the line so a fish runs with the bait before it feels the weight, and a light paternoster, which stands the bait off the bottom above the weight. The bait hooks are snelled and the swivel is a Palomar.
| Both rigs | Spec |
|---|---|
| Main line | Braid (around 15 to 30 lb) or mono, off a light to medium boat or spin outfit |
| Leader / rig body | Fluorocarbon or mono, around 20 to 40 lb: 30 to 40 lb for snapper, 12 to 20 lb for whiting and lighter inshore fish |
| Sinker | Running sinker: a sliding ball or barrel sinker sized to hold the bottom (heavier in tide and depth). Paternoster: a bank or ball sinker on the end |
| Hooks | Strong bait hooks: 3/0 to 6/0 for snapper and bigger fish, often two snelled; long-shank or smaller for whiting and seabass |
| Bits | A bead to protect the swivel knot on the running sinker; a swivel to join the rig to the main line; a glow bead above the hook is a useful snapper touch |
What it's for
Bait fishing on or near the bottom in sheltered inshore water, from a boat, a jetty or a pier, for snapper, seabass, striped bass and the bottom fish that feed with them. Which rig you use depends on how the fish are feeding. The running-sinker rig is for shy, careful biters: the sinker slides freely on the line, so when a fish picks up the bait and moves off it does not feel the weight and drops the bait. It lets the bait sit naturally on the bottom and you watch the rod tip for the run. The light paternoster stands the bait off the bottom on a snood above the sinker, which keeps it clear of crabs and weed, presents it where the fish are looking, and lets you fish more than one bait. It is the steady all-rounder for snapper and whiting over reef and sand. It fishes Port Phillip Bay for snapper and King George whiting, Tokyo Bay for the bay's bait species, and the Chesapeake for striped bass and bottom fish.
The rig at a glance
The running-sinker rig, read top to bottom: the main line passes through a sliding ball or barrel sinker, then a small bead, down to a swivel tied with a Palomar knot. Below the swivel is a leader, around half a metre to a metre, to the bait hooks, which are snelled on. The sinker slides on the main line above the swivel, and the bead protects the knot, so when a fish takes the bait and moves off, the line runs through the sinker and the fish feels little resistance until you lift into it. The light paternoster, read top to bottom: from the main line a swivel, then the rig body with a snood standing off it carrying the snelled hook, and the sinker on the very bottom below the snood. The bait sits off the bottom on the standing snood. The defining detail on the running sinker is that the sinker slides free above the swivel; on the paternoster it is that the snood holds the bait clear of the bottom above the weight.
How to build it
- Snell the bait hooks. Tie the bait hook, or two hooks snelled in line for a long bait, to the leader with a snell knot. The snell lays the line straight down the hook shank, which gives a clean, strong hold and sets the hook well, and two snelled hooks pin a long bait like a pilchard or a fish strip so it sits straight. A glow bead slid above the hook is a useful touch for snapper.
- Tie the swivel. Tie the top of the leader to a swivel with a Palomar knot, and tie the main line to the other end of the swivel with a Palomar too. The swivel joins the leader to the main line and stops the bait spinning and twisting the line.
- For the running-sinker rig, thread the sliding sinker. Before you tie the swivel on, thread a sliding ball or barrel sinker onto the main line, then a small bead below it to protect the knot, so the sinker sits above the swivel and slides freely on the main line. When a fish takes the bait and moves off, the line runs through the sinker and the fish feels little resistance.
- For the light paternoster, set the standing snood and the end sinker. Tie the rig body to the swivel, tie a snood standing off the body to carry the snelled hook, and tie a bank or ball sinker to the very end of the body with a Palomar knot, below the snood. The snood holds the bait off the bottom while the end sinker anchors the rig. You are ready to fish.
How to fish it
Bait up and lower or cast the rig to the bottom over the mark you are fishing: a reef edge, a sand patch, a channel, a drop-off. With the running-sinker rig, let the bait settle, keep the line just tight and watch the rod tip, because the bite often shows as the tip nodding then pulling down steadily as the fish moves off with the bait. Give a running fish a moment, then wind down until the line is tight and lift into it firmly to set the snelled hook. The sliding sinker is the point of the rig, so let the line run when a fish takes rather than holding it tight. With the light paternoster, the bait stands off the bottom, so you can hold the rod and feel the bite as a tap or a pull, or set it in a rest and watch the tip. Lift into a positive bite the same way. Refresh the bait regularly, and if crabs or pickers are stripping a bottom bait, the paternoster's standing snood keeps the next one up out of their reach.
Where this rig works
The inshore bait rig is fished wherever you put a bait on the bottom in sheltered water. Across the atlas it is fished in Port Phillip Bay in Victoria, the running sinker for snapper in the spring run and the light paternoster for King George whiting over the sand; in Tokyo Bay for the bay's bottom and bait species from the boats; and in the Chesapeake Bay for striped bass and the bay's bottom fish on cut and live bait. As the atlas grows, every new water that uses an inshore bait rig will link to this same page.
Inshore bait rig questions
A bottom bait rig where the sinker slides freely on the main line above a swivel, so when a fish takes the bait and moves off it feels little weight and is less likely to drop it. Use it for shy, careful biters like snapper and seabass, where the bait sits naturally on the bottom and you watch the rod tip for the run.
On a running sinker the sinker slides on the main line and the bait sits on the bottom, so a fish can run without feeling the weight. On a paternoster the sinker is fixed on the end and the bait stands off the bottom on a snood above it, which keeps it clear of crabs and weed and lets you fish more than one bait.
A fluorocarbon or mono leader of around 30 to 40 lb, with strong bait hooks of 3/0 to 6/0, often two snelled in line to pin a long bait like a pilchard or a fish strip. A glow bead above the hook is a useful snapper touch. For whiting and lighter inshore fish, drop to a 12 to 20 lb leader and smaller hooks.
Two. A snell knot ties the bait hooks, laying the line down the shank for a clean hold and letting you snell two hooks for a long bait. A Palomar knot ties the swivel both ends, and the end sinker on the paternoster. Wet both knots before you pull them tight.
Just enough to hold the bottom and feel the bite. Too light and the rig drags out of the spot in the tide; too heavy and a shy fish feels it and drops the bait, especially on the running sinker. Go up a size when the tide runs hard and down when it eases, matching the depth and the current on the day.