RIGGING SKIPPING BALLYHOO ON CIRCLE HOOKS

RIGGING SKIPPING BALLYHOO ON CIRCLE HOOKS

Most circle hook rigs start with a piece of copper or monel wire 10 to 12 inches long wrapped onto the bend of the hook. The wire should be wrapped tightly enough so that the loop won’t slide over the barb, yet loosely enough to allow the loop to slide back and forth on the hook. I prefer monel because it’s a little sturdier than copper and easier to work with, but suit yourself. To begin the rigging process, poke the end of the wire into the ballyhoo’s head from the top down, forward of the eye socket and just behind the upper jaw. Take care to insert the wire as close to the center of the bait’s head as you can. Then push the wire down through the bottom of its lower jaw and pull the shank of the hook down snug against the bait. The hook should be lying with the shank along the ballyhoo’s bill with the eye facing forward and your wire loop just above the hole in its head. The rest of the wire should protrude downward from the underside of the jaw. Use it to begin wrapping the hook snugly to the bait’s head. Start by going behind one of the ballyhoo’s gill plates, over the top of its head and then behind the other.