Since someone on the board was curious as to what a jack smelt rig is, I thought it would be nice to show how I tie my own rigs.
I’m no expert, and how I make them may not work for everyone. A San Francisco smelt may want a different rig than the way my Monterey and Capitola smelt like it, so adapt to your fish wherever they are.
Here’s a couple pictures of what the rig generally looks like from the PFIC book and the Internet.
Mine looks more like the top one, starting with a large bobber. This is a Pucci Pier bobber I got from Coyote Bait and Tackle. It’s almost perfect for jack smelt, only downside is the swivels do rust so I oil them occasionally.
Above are some clip on bobbers you can get from Walmart(baseball for size comparison). They rust really quickly, and typically don’t stay above the surface unless it’s a really calm day. They also don’t have enough buoyancy to self hook the smelt, so I would suggest you find the Pucci floats from a local fishing shop. You can use other stuff, like a empty plastic bottle, but the Pucci is the best in my opinion.
Once you get one, everything else is easy to get. I use 10lb Berkley Trilene, size 8 bait holder Mustad hooks, and a one ounce torpedo sinker.
So, for instructions on how I tie mine:
1) Start with about 2 ft of line with one end tied in a Surgeons loop knot. This is where you clip your swivel that goes to your rod.
2) Tie a 3-4 foot leader to the one you just made. You can use a blood knot or surgeons knot, but I like the Orvis tippet knot. Very strong, simple and easy to adjust to my preferences.
On the top part(the tag end pointing to the rod) tie the float.
3) Going down from the float, I go down to the hooks. All are spaced apart about 1 foot, each tied with the same Orvis tippet knot. The hooks are tied off to a Pitzen knot(also known as a 16-20)
4) The final, and most relieving step after all these knots, is a snap swivel tied off the end. This is where you snap your sinker, 1-2 oz depending on the current and what your rod can handle.
For bait, I use whatever I got, typically frozen shrimp, pile worm, anchovy, etc. I also like chumming the water with bread crumbs and mussels mixed together. You’ll usually get a bite within 5~10 minutes. If not, change bait. Still no bites, might need to move to a different spot. Sometimes they’re not to far away, other times you have to walk alllll day to find them. But the rewards speak for themselves. Here’s a pic of a friend I took to Santa Cruz wharf back in April. I had to work all the way to Stagnaro’s to find them, but when I did it was nonstop biting.
Anyways, that’s my take on the jack smelt rig. A bit of tackle, but very effective once you get the hang of it. Let me know what y’all think 👍
I’m no expert, and how I make them may not work for everyone. A San Francisco smelt may want a different rig than the way my Monterey and Capitola smelt like it, so adapt to your fish wherever they are.
Here’s a couple pictures of what the rig generally looks like from the PFIC book and the Internet.
Mine looks more like the top one, starting with a large bobber. This is a Pucci Pier bobber I got from Coyote Bait and Tackle. It’s almost perfect for jack smelt, only downside is the swivels do rust so I oil them occasionally.
Above are some clip on bobbers you can get from Walmart(baseball for size comparison). They rust really quickly, and typically don’t stay above the surface unless it’s a really calm day. They also don’t have enough buoyancy to self hook the smelt, so I would suggest you find the Pucci floats from a local fishing shop. You can use other stuff, like a empty plastic bottle, but the Pucci is the best in my opinion.
Once you get one, everything else is easy to get. I use 10lb Berkley Trilene, size 8 bait holder Mustad hooks, and a one ounce torpedo sinker.
So, for instructions on how I tie mine:
1) Start with about 2 ft of line with one end tied in a Surgeons loop knot. This is where you clip your swivel that goes to your rod.
2) Tie a 3-4 foot leader to the one you just made. You can use a blood knot or surgeons knot, but I like the Orvis tippet knot. Very strong, simple and easy to adjust to my preferences.
On the top part(the tag end pointing to the rod) tie the float.
3) Going down from the float, I go down to the hooks. All are spaced apart about 1 foot, each tied with the same Orvis tippet knot. The hooks are tied off to a Pitzen knot(also known as a 16-20)
4) The final, and most relieving step after all these knots, is a snap swivel tied off the end. This is where you snap your sinker, 1-2 oz depending on the current and what your rod can handle.
For bait, I use whatever I got, typically frozen shrimp, pile worm, anchovy, etc. I also like chumming the water with bread crumbs and mussels mixed together. You’ll usually get a bite within 5~10 minutes. If not, change bait. Still no bites, might need to move to a different spot. Sometimes they’re not to far away, other times you have to walk alllll day to find them. But the rewards speak for themselves. Here’s a pic of a friend I took to Santa Cruz wharf back in April. I had to work all the way to Stagnaro’s to find them, but when I did it was nonstop biting.
Anyways, that’s my take on the jack smelt rig. A bit of tackle, but very effective once you get the hang of it. Let me know what y’all think 👍