For those of us that fish large live baits how we rig that live bait can be a challenge. At one time or other you have probably lost a nice fish because on the hook set the hook rotates and it sinks itself back into the bait and the hook never makes contact with that trophy of a lifetime. Every time you miss a big fish it is always the trophy of a lifetime.
The technique most often used to try to prevent a hook set going back into the bait is to Bridle Rig the bait. A bridle rig is using a device or some other type of technique designed to hold the bait without having to imbed the hook itself into the bait. There are a number of devices for sale that do an adequate job and there are a lot of YouTube videos on-line that show how to make bridle rigs. I have been playing around for years with a number of different designs and techniques for bridling bait. I want something that can be rigged up quickly and easily and most importantly something that will not injure the bait so severely that it does not act or react normally. I want to keep the bait as lively as possible after it is bridled.
I wanted something simple and I think the Zip Tie Bridle Rig is as simple as it gets. To make a Zip Tie Bridle Rig all you need is a small zip tie, a small O-Ring and a small sharp awl to make a clean hole in the bait to run the zip tie through. Here are the instructions you need to follow:
#1. Take a small sharp awl or a bait rigging needle and make a hole through the bait at the location you want the bridle rig to be located. You can bridle bait through the nose; through the tail; at the top of the back or where ever you want to place the bridle to still control the bait. Take your time and try to make a small hole through the bait in such a way as to not hurt the bait so badly you affect the baits liveliness and effectiveness.
#2. Take a zip tie and slide a small O-Ring onto the zip tie. Then thread the zip time through the hole you made in the bait and slide the O-Ring up the zip tie so it will be on the outside of the bait when you close the zip tie. Now close the zip time as snug as possible with the O-Ring placed where the hook needs to go.
#3. Take your hook and slide it under the O-Ring on the Zip Tie and your zip tie bridle rig is complete.
The components are very inexpensive and each Zip Tie Bridle Rig will only cost you a few cents to make. You can buy zip ties at any hardware store, Walmart, just about anywhere – usually about a 100 for around $5 or so. You can buy a sharp awl at any hardware store or hobby type store again for about $5. The O-Rings require a little work but they are super cheap (about 3 cents each). Simply google – The O-ring Store, LLC. It will pop right up. On the search bar – type in B70003 and that will take you to this page: -003 N70 Buna-N Nitrile 70 O-ring. The 003 is the size of the O-Ring. They are tiny – 1/16th. They get bigger as the number goes up – I bought 200 of the 003 and 200 of the 004 size and they seem to work fine. If you go to a large zip tie you may need larger O-Rings.
Something I learned well observing bait that is bridle rigged. I never had an appreciation for how heavy a large 8/0 or larger hook is to a bait fish. When they are bridled through the nose they will tire out fairly quickly from the weight of a large hook. The bridle is a very effective technique but I found that you need to downsize your hooks if possible. I use large 8/0 circle hooks and have watched baits tire out fairly quickly from having to haul around that large hook hanging off his nose. This is especially true for suckers. They are not very hardy and the weight of that large hook is too much for them and they lose their vigor very quickly.
For you guys that fish BIG baits – give this a try. Pretty simple and easy to do. Post us a picture of your big flathead.
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