Fishing rigs — 6 essential setups

Best for : Walleye and bass holding on or near the bottom, deep water, covering lots of ground quickly.

Components

• •Main line (braid or 12-15 lb mono)
• •24-36" fluorocarbon leader (10-15 lb)
• •Bullet/egg sliding weight 1/4 – 3/4 oz
• •Bead + barrel swivel
• •Worm/wide-gap hook (#1 to 3/0) with soft plastic

Assembly

1. 1.Slide the bullet or egg weight onto the main line, then add a glass bead behind it.
2. 2.Tie the main line to one eye of a barrel swivel (the bead protects the knot from the weight).
3. 3.Tie the 24-36" fluorocarbon leader to the other eye of the swivel.
4. 4.Tie your worm hook to the end of the leader and rig a soft plastic.
5. 5.Cast, let it sink, then drag slowly along the bottom — the weight stays down while the bait floats naturally behind it.

Best for : Bass buried in heavy vegetation, wood and structure — the weedless setup that comes through snags clean.

Components

• •Main line (braid 30-50 lb preferred)
• •Bullet sliding weight 1/8 – 1/2 oz
• •Optional bobber stop / peg to fix the weight
• •Worm/EWG hook (2/0 to 4/0)
• •Soft plastic worm or creature bait

Assembly

1. 1.Slide a bullet weight onto the main line, point facing the rod tip.
2. 2.Tie the worm hook directly to the line (peg the weight against the hook eye if you want it fixed).
3. 3.Push the hook point into the nose of the soft plastic about 1/4", then out the side.
4. 4.Rotate the hook and slide the worm up to bury the eye, then push the point back into the body so it sits flush — fully weedless.
5. 5.Pitch into cover, let it fall on slack line, then hop it back along the bottom.

Best for : Vertical finesse for suspended or pressured walleye and bass in clear water — keeps the bait off the bottom at a set height.

Components

• •Main line (braid 10-15 lb)
• •6-10 lb fluorocarbon leader
• •Drop shot / cylinder weight 1/8 – 3/8 oz
• •Finesse hook (#1 to 2/0)
• •Small soft plastic (minnow or worm)

Assembly

1. 1.Tie the hook to the leader with a Palomar knot, leaving 12-24" of tag line hanging below.
2. 2.Pass the tag end back down through the hook eye so the hook stands out horizontally, point up.
3. 3.Attach the drop shot weight to the bottom of the tag line (pinch-style clip lets it slide free on a snag).
4. 4.Nose-hook a small soft plastic so it sits naturally above the weight.
5. 5.Drop straight down or cast and shake in place — the weight holds bottom while the bait dances at fish level.

Best for : Slow-trolling live nightcrawlers for summer walleye spread across flats and weed edges, often behind a bottom bouncer.

Components

• •Main line to bottom bouncer (1-3 oz)
• •4-6 ft mono/fluoro snell (12-15 lb)
• •Colorado/Indiana spinner blade + clevis
• •4-6 coloured beads
• •2 snelled hooks (#2 to #4)

Assembly

1. 1.Thread the spinner blade onto the clevis, then slide it and the beads onto the snell line.
2. 2.Tie the front hook, leaving the rear hook trailing 2-3" behind for a two-hook crawler harness.
3. 3.Connect the snell to a bottom bouncer or to a swivel ahead of a sliding sinker.
4. 4.Hook a nightcrawler through the nose on the front hook and pin it once on the rear hook so it streams straight.
5. 5.Troll slowly (0.8-1.5 mph) so the blade spins and thumps — vary speed until walleye commit.

Best for : Ultra-finesse for tough, pressured bass (and bonus walleye) — a small soft plastic on a light mushroom jig head that stands up on the bottom.

Components

• •Main line (braid 10 lb to fluoro leader 6-8 lb)
• •Mushroom-head jig 1/16 – 1/5 oz
• •Short (2.5-3") buoyant soft plastic stick

Assembly

1. 1.Tie the mushroom jig head directly to your light fluorocarbon leader.
2. 2.Thread a short, floating soft-plastic stick straight onto the hook so it sits inline.
3. 3.Make sure the bait is rigged straight — any kink kills the stand-up action.
4. 4.Cast, let it sink on slack, then deadstick or give tiny drags — the buoyant tail rises tail-up off the bottom.
5. 5.Keep it subtle; the Ned shines when fish ignore bigger presentations.

Best for : Bass holding tight to docks, laydowns and shallow cover — a slow, shimmying fall that finicky fish can't resist.

Components

• •Main line (braid to 8-12 lb fluoro leader)
• •Wacky/octopus hook (#1 to 1/0)
• •Optional O-ring + wacky tool
• •Straight soft-plastic stick worm (Senko-style)

Assembly

1. 1.Slide an O-ring onto the centre of a stick worm with a wacky tool (it saves baits from tearing).
2. 2.Pass the hook under the O-ring (or straight through the worm's middle if no ring).
3. 3.Leave both ends of the worm free so they flap on the fall.
4. 4.Cast near cover and let it sink on a slack line — both ends quiver as it falls.
5. 5.Twitch lightly, then let it fall again; most bites come on the drop.

• •Use a fluorocarbon leader in clear water — it is nearly invisible and abrasion-resistant.
• •Match weight to depth and wind: heavier to hold bottom, lighter for a natural fall.
• •Re-tie knots after a big fish or any nick in the line.
• •Carry a few sizes of each weight — conditions change fast on Quebec lakes.