Tail Hooked Mackerel Question
 

My carolina rigged mackerel kept getting wound around my line today, so I'm going to try tail hooking a mack. I'd appreciate a few tips. I'm planning on using the JD dropper rig that Jim showed us a while back and a big circle hook. I thought I'd hook the mack behind the dorsal fin and have the knot on the hook go right up to the tube that holds the weight.

The questions are:
How far back to hook the mack?
Should there be a little line between the hook and the tube that holds the weight?
How heavy should the weight be? 3 ounces?
Is a circle hook a good call?
On the drop the mack will be going backwards down to the bottom and will be real close to the line. Problem?
If I decide to paddle to another spot or if there is a good drift, willl the mack be dragged backwards? Do I need to pull him up if I relocate?
Would I be better off nosehooking with that rig?

I'd appreciate your advice. Thanks, Tom

I think you'd be better off nose hooking the bait with my rig.

The idea of my dropper rig is that the bait stays right against the stop so it can't tangle, and when your dropping it down the bait swims down head first, and when you pull it up it goes up nose first. Since the mack is always pointed the direction you are pulling it you can drift fairly fast, or even paddle with the rig down, dragging it.

The bait is not as free to swim around, but the trade off is that you have more control over exactly where the bait is so your less likely to hang up or tangle. It's a good dead man rig where you can put the rod in the holder and just watch it, while fishing Iron etc...

I fish that rig tight almost straight down with a lot of weight. 3 ounces for slow drifts or still conditions and usually around 8 ounces in a good drift but I'll even fish it with 12 ounces if it's windy.

Since the fish can run free without pulling the weight around you can use a lot of weight, and I want a lot of weight to keep it straight down so I can fish around it with Iron and not tangle up, and also keep it right in the signal cone of my fish finder. You'd be surprised how often I see fish on the meter as they come in and hit my bait this way.

If you tail hook it with my rig the mack will pull away from the stop and tangle up just like with the carolina rig.

Tail hooking is kinda like flylining your taking advantage of how the bait swims and you want it to swim away from the weight. It's good way to fish with fresh baits in hot bites.

I use usually do not use a lot of weight when I fish that way, under two ounces, and I think you have to hold the rod and monitor the bait more.

If you let it slack at all the bait can swim around your mainline and wrap up which can screw you and cause a break off if you hook a good fish.

It's no good for paddling unless the mack is really fresh because the mack has to swim the direction your going itself and if it gets' tired and it get's pulled backwards, it won't get bit, and will die in short order.

I don't hook mine in the back, I butt hook them underneath, right behind the anal cavity, which causes the bait to swim better since the weight generally hangs below him when they swim, and they are not fighting to stay upright.

Circle hooks are your call, I don't use them for local fishing mainly because I'm old fashioned. I will say from fishing PV for cow tuna with circles, and local marlin with circles, you don't need a huge hook, you just want a hook that is large enough gap wise to lodge in the corner of the mouth of the fish your fishing for.

Jim

Thank You

Jim,

Do you have a photo or drawing of your rig? If so, please share.

Bob

Link to JD Dropper Post