weeds

[dogdoc]

Fished Sunday with the wife and had a very hard time with weeds. Small bunches all spread out. Not sure if we fished 15% of the time effectively due to weeds on the baits. Running rigged bally hoo with chugers or skirts. Saw some examples of weedless rigged bally, anyone have experience with that.

 

[Hookup1]

It's really difficult. I have it often in Florida in the winter when the bay grass moves out or the offshore grass gets blown in. When it's really bad I give up and move in or out.

I'm assuming that you are pin rigging J-hook ballyhoo.

First you can try pin-less rigs. Pop the eyes out and wrap the wire back down.

You can try small octopus skirts.

You can also try some of the bass fishing springs on the hooks with the hooks positioned all the way forward.

I have had some success with pin rigged circle hooks that are chin mounted as well.

You can also flip the hook over and imbed the point in the ballyhoo. This along with a octopus skirt is about as weedless as it gets. Use a long shank J-hook and it will pull thru bait. This has worked well on scattered weeds.

George Poveromo's World of Saltwater Fishing 2025

George Poveromo's World of Saltwater Fishing 2025

georgepoveromo.com

Where are you fishing?

 

[Doc Stressor]

If you use downriggers, even set at 5', you will keep the grass from running down the line to your bait or lure. For higher speeds, you need to run a planner instead of weight.

Just use a boathook or gaff for clearing the downrigger wire and your line.

 

[Halfhitch]

When I have one of those days when the weeds make you have to continually clear the lines, I find it less than fun. I usually either find an area for jigging or find a good showing on a reef and bottom fish. Spending a day cranking in piles of weeds is torture.

 

[dogdoc]

fish out of fort pierce inlet

 

[dogdoc]

follow up, we fished again today and weeds were still bad. I rigged 6 weedless small ballyoo with a 4 in rubber squid skirt over the beak. while they did not run as well as traditional rigged bally they ran ok, were essentially weedless and were the only baits to work. caught a king and mahi and the other 4 were destroyed by short strikes or failed to hook up. nothing else stayed in the water effectively. think i can tweak the rigging some to make them run better

 

[Hookup1]

follow up, we fished again today and weeds were still bad. I rigged 6 weedless small ballyoo with a 4 in rubber squid skirt over the beak. while they did not run as well as traditional rigged bally they ran ok, were essentially weedless and were the only baits to work. caught a king and mahi and the other 4 were destroyed by short strikes or failed to hook up. nothing else stayed in the water effectively. think i can tweak the rigging some to make them run better

The trick with this style of rig is keeping the snags under the squid skirt and the hook in the bally belly. Put a 3/8 oz. egg sinker in the mono loop under the chin. You may need to crimp vs tying a knot - easier to place it where you want. Remember the hook should be turned up. If you go pin-less you can put the egg sinker on the line and use the wire connected to the knot and wrap to keep in place.

I usually remove the eyes with a knife or scissors as opposed to punching them out. This preserves a little cartilage piece in the head and helps to keep them from braking. When rigging you frequently go thru the eye socket. The pin or the knot/crimp can be wired to the eye socket. The hook should be flexible and flopping around then hooked into the ballyhoo belly as long as its pointed "up" when crimped or knotted on the rig.

As you can see these baits get chewed up. Make a few more rigs before you go out next time. At least a dozen. Use "medium" 12 pack bally or "small" bally usually in 12-pack. Better yet fresh bally if you can get it.

 

[SkunkBoat]

strip baits

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

I feel your pain. Been there plenty of times . I have to find a weedless trolling rig that works. I just run and deal with the weeds.