Are Pre-rigged Baits Worth Their Salt?
Let’s face it: after a long, hard work week many of us don’t have the time or energy to prep and rig a pile of ballyhoo. What’s the easy way to add some meat to your spread? Pre-rigged ballyhoo. I hit the tackle shops and bought three different kinds, to see how they stack up.
1. Willies: Cost - $8.50/3-pack mediums. Smell – Fresh as a sea breeze. Appearance – Good green tone, clear eyes and intact scales. Rigging – Well-wrapped wire, with a loop small enough to slide on a skirt. Two sharp hooks protrude from the underside of the bait. Results: With no weight it skipped; after sliding on an Ilander it swam great—until a fat mahi-mahi inhaled it.
2. Just Rite Bait: Cost - $9/3-pack mediums. Smell – Yum—just like sardines. Appearance – Shiny blue tone and clear eyes, but some scales were missing. Rigging – Tightly-wrapped wire but the bill hadn’t been snapped off. The hooks needed a file. Results – It tended to skip until I slipped a small chugger over the wire. Soon there was another mahi in the box.
3. Bionic Ballyhoo: Cost - $9/2-pack larges. Smell – Salty. Appearance – Awesome green hue, all scales in place, and nice broad tails. Rigging – Nice wire wraps but the hooks did need to be hit with a file. Results – Its motion did me right—yahoo for wahoo.
Overall, I was impressed with the quality of all these pre-rigs. Once a little weight was added they swam well, in all cases the rigging was solid, and every bait seemed hand-picked with few or no imperfections. When time is short, pre-rigs are worth considering.
Price: Varies by bait, see above.
The Highs: No work involved!
The Lows: Needed to add weight to get some to swim right.
Who Wants It: Guys who have little time to fish, and even less to rig.
Contact: Any bait & tackle shop
-- By Jon Meade
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