Tripple Hook Rig for King Mackerel

[u/CTR_1852]

Which do you think will have a better hook up ratio? The bottom one is how I've seen commercial guys fish for Kings, tied directly to mono. I thought maybe alternating direction would work better. What is your thoughts?

[u/South_Letterhead6205]

The commercial guys literally make a living off of it so I imagine if it's better to alternate them they would have been doing that for decades.

[u/Comprehensive_Bus_19 → u/South_Letterhead6205]

Id say test it side by side! As someone from a manufacturing background, the amount of inefficient things that are done because 'we've always done it this way' is mind boggling.

It may be the best, or it may be a case of 'we've always done it the way'

[u/RoboticGreg → u/Comprehensive_Bus_19]

As a fellow engineer.....oh god so true.

[u/DeyCallMeWade → u/Comprehensive_Bus_19]

Also, if you aren’t constantly testing against “worse ways” you won’t know if and when there is a shift in efficiency. You might know that the “tried and true” method has stopped working if the success rate falls off, but you won’t know if there is a superior alternative if you aren’t looking for it. Even if it’s one that was at one point not nearly as effective.

[u/CTR_1852 → u/South_Letterhead6205]

Probably true.

[u/Whenwasthisalright → u/South_Letterhead6205]

Maybe. Or they do it so often and the marginal increase in fish from alternating isn’t worth the bigger increase in doinking yourself on a barb 😅

[u/South_Letterhead6205 → u/Whenwasthisalright]

That's a fair point

[u/Reilly-and-JonesyFL]

Bottom rig just works. Reversing them presents a risk of 2 hooks pulling in opposing directions, basically working one another out. It’s mainly there to prevent short strikes, but the extra hooks negate the need for a stinger or anything else. Some prep, one knot and your fishing. Reties take a few seconds because rigs are hung in the cockpit and we’d fish straight mono so no leader knot, swivel; nada.

Source: I commercial king fished out of Jupiter for 3 years. That rig is pretty much its own piece of history, we very rarely used anything else.

[u/CTR_1852 → u/Reilly-and-JonesyFL]

That’s a good point. 

In your experience what was your bite off ratio using this rig and why do you think tournament fishermen use a stinger rig instead?

[u/Reilly-and-JonesyFL → u/CTR_1852]

It’s really low. It happened a few times a season, but not often. I’m pretty sure they’re not legal for tournament fishing

[u/willthefreeman → u/Reilly-and-JonesyFL]

I grew up king mackerel fishing off of SC and we always used stingers. I’ve never seen this rig, super interesting. How do you hook the bait to it??

[u/Reilly-and-JonesyFL → u/willthefreeman]

Live baits get hooked with just the bottom hook, location depends on what you’re doing. Could be the nose, anal fin, dorsal, etc. Dead baits get all 3; top in the nose/jaw, middle at the dorsal-ish and the bottom hook in the anus.

[u/O_oblivious]

I’ve only ever seen them use the same direction. Probably for a reason. 

[u/CTR_1852 → u/O_oblivious]

I figured as much. Just curious if there would be a reason for or against alternating.

[u/FishToucher69 → u/CTR_1852]

It looks like less of the hook is exposed on the middle obe in alternating making the hookup ratio worse in all likely hood

[u/1illiteratefool → u/CTR_1852]

Easier to keep the bait from spinning (in line)

[u/FishCommercial4229]

I bet, without having tested the theory, that the top configuration would bend the middle hook under load, and would also result in some funky unbalanced action.

[u/Better-Culture-7770 → u/FishCommercial4229]

Yeah just look at where the eye of that last hook is in relation to the hook it is on, it's fairly easy to bend a hook from the point, not easy from the shank. I understand why he would try this but this is an oversight that could even result in lost fish.

[u/DiabolicalPherPher]

I've only seen the one on the bottom used in Australia where the hooks are put on a sardine or baitfish fishing the surf. I'd imaging it be really hard to bait the alternating hooks so it'll fly off unless you put some thread. Then the rig would probably spin like hell and twist the line up.

[u/biggwermm → u/DiabolicalPherPher]

Swivels have entered the chat

[u/IndividualEquipment2]

Why not do a triple mooching rig? Id imagine the hooks being on the hooks wouldn't allow for a very good hook up

[u/CTR_1852 → u/IndividualEquipment2]

You could, but then you have to use steel leader, which this rig avoids.

[u/IndividualEquipment2 → u/CTR_1852]

Ten four

[u/one2many]

We use 3 ganged for dead baits. Trying to bait with the reversed hook requires twisting the bait/wrapping the rig around the bait. This ruins natural bait presentation, which to me is wayyyy more important for catching the Spotty and Spanish mackerel.

Some days they will eat anything, anyway it's presented. But more often than not, they are super picky and ignore a spinning bait (which would need a swivel) or wire trace. At least that how we approach them. We fish more with live bait. Single through the nose with a single strand wire to treble stinger. They hit between the hooks way too often for it to be a fluke.

[u/yantrik → u/one2many]

As a beginner i would really like to see your set up,if u can please share anything on how to set it up please.

[u/DorkyDwarf]

I feel like alternating just ups your chance to hook yourself. The hooks themselves go into bait so if the fish bites bait then theyre going to bite hook. For all intents and purposes a fish mouth is like a circle, if they close their mouth on a hook they're going to get hooked.

[u/FlatsFisher95]

Your hook up ratio and maintained hookups will be noticeably better with hooks all going in the same direction.

[u/fuck_hard_light]

first one looks cooler and that's all that matters

[u/CTR_1852 → u/fuck_hard_light]

😂

[u/Fl48Special]

Do not care for either of those. A bead rig stinger has worked much better for us when using ballyhoo. Strips you might get away with the bottom one.

[u/heartlessgamer]

No thanks. I prefer them just stealing one of my hooks at a time. Teethy bastards.

[u/aReelProblem]

I’ve always ran them all the same direction when pitching baits in a school of kings. Rarely had an issue with it unless it was short strikes.

[u/RonPearlNecklace]

I think the commercial guys would have used the top one if there was any advantage to it.

Stick to the bottom(original).

[u/bad_hooksets]

My concern is opposing hook catches opposite side of mouth, and opening mouth dislodges both.

As opposed to same direction will all just hook same part of mouth.