What this rig is all about:
Mutton snapper are extremely smart fish and get spooked easily so they are difficult to catch. However, you can maximize your chances at catching a keeper mutton snapper using this simple rig tutorial and learning some tips and tricks. This rig doesn’t require any hand lining or any type of down rigger and is probably the most convenient way to fish for mutton snapper that utilizes a long leader. Read on to learn more!
Here is a list of materials/items that you will need to make this rig:
Links include pricing info on Amazon and are the suggested products for this rig.
- 50 pound braid main line
- 40 pound monofilament leader line (50-70 feet in length)
- Barrel swivel (optional, see setup guide)
- 12 ounce bank sinker
- Weight clips
- 3/0-6/0 Mustad circle hook
Recommended rod:
SHIMANO Trevala 6’6 M 2-Piece Saltwater Jigging Casting Rod
Setup guide:
- The first step you have two options:
- One is to use a barrel swivel to attach to your main line. If you choose this option, you have to make sure that the barrel swivel you are using is small enough to pass through the guides of the rod. You can tie the barrel swivel to the main line with whatever secure knot you’d like. I recommend a palomar knot.
- The second option is to use an FG knot to marry your main braided line with the leader line. This way, you don’t need a barrel swivel at all. To learn the FG know, watch this video:
- One is to use a barrel swivel to attach to your main line. If you choose this option, you have to make sure that the barrel swivel you are using is small enough to pass through the guides of the rod. You can tie the barrel swivel to the main line with whatever secure knot you’d like. I recommend a palomar knot.
- Connect your leader line to your main line using one of the options above. Cut the leader line such that you have roughly 50-70 feet from the connection to the main line and the hook.
- All that’s left is to tie on the hook. Finished rig should look like this:
How to use this rig:
When using this rig off a boat, the procedure is:
- Hook on your bait. For bait, live bait is the best to use. You can use sardines or pilchards anywhere from 4-6 inches and just hook them through the nose. One tip is to clip either the pectoral fins or clip the tail fin so that the bait cannot swim up in the water column. This will help you land a mutton snapper since they feed closer to the bottom.
- Drop the bait in the water and free spool the leader line until you get to the connection to your main line.
- Clip on the sinker weight close to where the leader connects to the main line. 12 ounces is a good starting weight. Then, continue to drop the rig to the bottom. This is what the clip used to hang the sinker from looks like:
- Once the rig is at the bottom, reel the sinker just barely off the bottom so that the sinker doesn’t bounce and spook the snapper.
- Once the mutton takes a bite, there’s really no need to set the hook since there is so much line. You can just reel and the hook should set itself. When you are reeling it in and the clipped-on sinker gets to the guides, simply remove the clip and continue reeling.
If you’re fishing with more than one rod, cast each rod out just a bit to avoid any tangles since the length of the leader is so long and has a live bait at the end. You want to keep the rods and the live baits as far away from each other as possible when in the water.
That’s all there is to this simple mutton snapper rig. It’s super convenient and works very well! Go out there and test it out! Let me know if this rig is working for you and rate it at the top of this article.
Don’t forget to check out the Pro Fishing Rigs store for more cool stuff!