Mono Split-Bill

 The first rig is built on monofilament leader material of whatever pound test is needed for the target game fish. It can range from as light as 80-pound on up, within reason. Just remember, extremely heavy leader can dampen a bait's action. This rig is probably the most commonly used and is a breeze to assemble. It is a favorite for billfish, especially as a drop-back bait, because it will look very natural as it floats back to a fish in the trolling spread, unlike a weighted bait which frequently sinks too fast. This is also a versatile bait that can be positioned anywhere in the spread, but on windy days it helps to run it only on flat lines off transom clips. The clips keep the lines down, low to the water and out of the wind.

 When making this rig for billfish, I like to use a 6/0 or 7/0 Mustad 9175 hook with a medium or small ballyhoo. This particular hook is a short-shank, extra strong model and is reasonably priced. Be sure to sharpen the hooks before rigging the bait because they are never sharp enough out of the box. For most situations where sailfish and white marlin are the target species, I use 80-pound test leader which can be tied or crimped to the hook. I prefer using crimps and slide the end of the rigging wire in the crimp with the leader being sure it goes all the way through the sleeve and sticks out the other end before I press it with a crimping tool. This creates a neat, slip-free connection and anchors the rigging wire. By the way, I prefer using 15-pound test monel wire for rigging because it is soft enough to wrap around the split-bill of the ballyhoo without breaking it. The monel can also be straightened out easily by pulling it over the backside of pliers without breaking it, so it can be used again and again when replacing baits on the rig. Note that the placement of the rigging wire on the rig is crucial, because the wire must go through the eye sockets of the ballyhoo tightly without pulling the hook out of center.

 The next rig is the monofilament split-bill with chin weight. This is a great outrigger bait because it won't get blown around in the spread as much as the unweighted rig. It is rigged basically the same as above, except the placement of the rigging wire is in a different position due to the addition of the egg sinker chin weight. The rigging wire is switched back to the hook shank. To accomplish this, run the rigging wire through the eye of the hook, wrap it around the hook shank then back up through the eye. The simplest way to attach an egg sinker is to simply run the leader through the hook eye and the sinker, and crimp them together like in the picture. Assemble a selection of rigs with different size chin weights and experiment with them to see which size works best under the trolling conditions and with different-sized ballyhoo.

 The last rig is the pin rig split-bill assembled on single-strand wire leader. This is a great all around rig when not targeting billfish because it catches just about anything and it provides the protection of wire for toothy fish like wahoo and kingfish. For this one, I like to use a needle-eye Mustad 3412 hook because it fits cleanly in a ballyhoo's gill plates without creating any bulge. It is a longer shank hook and works well with 30-pound class or lighter tackle. If heavier tackle is being used, the Mustad 3412C is the double strength version and is recommended.

 Start the rig by passing the wire through the hook eye and making a haywire twist, but leave the tag end pointing up to act as a pin for attaching the bait. Attach the rigging wire to the eye of the haywire twist as pictured. The extra weight and the thinner diameter of the leader wire, when compared to monofilament, makes this bait track straighter and stay down with less tendency to surface. This bait runs particularly well in the flat line positions.

 :Obtaining fresh ballyhoo is impossible in many areas where they are still a popular and effective bait. So, if you're purchasing frozen bait like most anglers, make sure the bags they are packaged in are clean and have no ice or blood inside them. The fish's eyes should look clear and their bellies should be pearly white. Be sure they don't have broken beaks or missing fins or scales.