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The heavy bottom rig for rock

A short, strong leader and a sinker on a weak link: you pull the fish out of its hole and, if the sinker snags, you lose only the sinker.

Technical sheet
LevelExpert
HabitatRocks, wrecks, drop-offs
Target fish7 species
Knots usedThe Palomar knot, The Albright knot, FG knot

The bottom rig for rocks
The bottom rig for rock 1 braided main line, with no stretch. 2 joining knot. 3 three-way swivel. 4 short, thick, abrasion-resistant leader. 5 strong hook baited with a sardinella. 6 weak link: line weaker than the main line, which breaks first if the sinker snags. 7 heavy sinker.
Tackle and starting setup

Powerful 2.10 m rod, 30 to 80 lb; braid PE 4 to PE 10; fluorocarbon leader 80 to 150 lb, short (50 to 80 cm); strong hook 5/0 to 9/0; heavy sinker (species sheets 29, 38, 39).

The rig step by step

  1. Tie the three-way swivel to the braid
  2. Rig the short leader and the strong hook
  3. Attach the sinker with a line weaker than the main line
  4. Drop down, wind up one turn, strike hard

Bait: Whole sardine or sardinella, mullet, whole squid, large live bait.

Setting and technique: Drag set tight from the start: the first few seconds decide everything.

Which fish

White grouper 29Mérou de Gorée (African hind) 30Denté à bosse (Pink dentex) 32Vivaneau à dents de chien (African brown snapper) 38Vivaneau guinéen (African red snapper) 39Rascasse de Kuhl (Offshore rockfish) 55Diagramme gris (Rubberlip grunt) 45

The knots in this rig

The Palomar knotThe Albright knotFG knot

Matching baits

SardinellaSquid

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