ULTIMATE ANGLING - the Ultimate SA Fishing website
OFFSHORE ANGLING => Offshore Traces, Rigs and Baits => Topic started by: Bwana on February 27, 2012, 11:12:18 PM
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Rigging Bwana’s Swimming Bonnie Dead Bait
(http://www.ultimateangling.co.za/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=8756.0;attach=57034;image)
Hi Guys
Now that couta season has arrived and we are all looking forward to tackling a few crocs this winter it is a great time to share a rig that I have adapted to create an effective slow trolling bonnie. Again it is IGFA compliant using 2 singles and an IGFA clip (couta clip) but this can easily be adapted to suit trebles as well.
For this demo I must say the bonnie I have used is slightly too large for the trace I am using, I prefer a slightly smaller jub-jub but in this case I would normally have lengthened the back hook trace by another 3-5cm. This was one of my marlin baits so it will have to do in the absence of a willing jub-jub size volunteer!
What you will need:
1 x dead bonnie (30-40cm)
1 x couta trace - 60cm #7 wire with a #6 Centro power swivel + duster
- modified couta clip (I bend it to an oblong shape to accommodate the teardrop sinker)
- #6 power swivel linked to 2 x hook traces (#8 wire)
- 2 x hook traces with a 6/o single on each (in this case Mustad Big Gun)
2 x copper rigging wire (20cm each)
2 x bait pins
1 x toothpick
1 x bait needle
1 x elastic band
1 x teardrop sinker (in this case 3oz, smaller jub-jub size bonnies I use a 2oz)
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STEP 1
Break the bonnie’s backbone close to the tail and loosen the muscles about 1/3 up from the tail by bending the bonnie gently from side-to-side to allow free movement while trolling. Take the elastic band and hook it around the right side pectoral fin, through the mouth and around the left side pectoral fin. This must be done gently to achieve equal pressure. Make sure the bonnie’s fins are stretched out like wings. Lay the bonnie on its side taking care to fold the one fin flat against the body. Take a piece of copper rigging wire and put it into the bonnie’s mouth so that it hangs out either side about 100mm like a moustache.
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STEP 2
Take the bait needle and push it through the top and bottom jaws about 10-15mm from the tip of the nose. Repeat the process creating another hole close to the tip of the nose. The first hole is for the rigging wire to close the jaws, the second is for the IGFA clip.
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STEP 3
Take the second piece of copper rigging wire and push it through the first hole in the jaws, secure the elastic band and other rigging wire in position by wiring the jaws shut. Trim off the excess copper wire. Fetch the couta trace and lay it next to the bonnie to check size (in this case the trace rear hook is a little short but it is just for an example).
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STEP 4
Slide the teardrop sinker onto the IGFA clip and push the needle part of the clip up through the bottom then top jaws in the front hole you made with the bait needle. Close the clip and make sure it is sitting central in the baits nose or it will be off balance. The sinker should be hanging at the bait’s chin.
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STEP 5
Now take the two hook traces and slide each hook under the skin on the bonnie’s back taking care to lay the wire fairly flat against the body. Take the bait pins and push them in through the eye of each hook to ensure the hook stays in place and upright. Take the “moustache” rigging wire and wrap the sinker in place at the chin of the bait. Use quite a bit of tension as the weight must not move or the bait will wobble or spin.
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STEP 6
Take the toothpick and lift the bait’s dorsal fin. Slide the toothpick in near the front spine of the dorsal and push it in until the dorsal stays upright. Trim off the excess.
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STEP 7
Make sure the clip is centred, the pec fins are stretched out like wings and the sinker is centred at the chin. Now slide your duster down the trace to cover all the rigging and you’re ready to swim your bait! The combination of the extended dorsal and pec fins combined with the chin weight will present a nice straight swimming bait with a slight side to side “flash.” Adjust your trolling speed to suit the bait’s action. You might want to experiment with different sized weights until you find what works for you.
Give it a try and good luck….
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(clap) :resp: and thanks for sharing
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Great tut there Mark, thank you! :+ cred:
How long does it take to rig one?
How important is it to extend the pec fins? I can already predict mine will not look so neat...
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Excellent Tutorial :+ cred:
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Very nice tut Bwana, I am sure to give this a go :+ cred:
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Great Tut :+ cred: going to give this one a try
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Very Nice Bwana, Looks very good. I will just extend the back hook to the tail.
PS: How does this Bonnie actually swim? What speed can you pull her or is it slow troll? Also have you considered adding a big mydo or keel weight in order to impart some action on the fish?
Very nice tut. Cred for you
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Mark you are a genius with baits. Excellent will try it at Ponta in a weeks time. Still have some of our traces we used December so they will come in handy again.
Tight Lines and catch the crocs
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This has got to be one of the best dead bonnie rigs I have seen, and it certainly makes me start to think of some other :billf: opportunitites with a bait like this rigged slightly different with a single circle, down deep on a dowrigger!!
As always Mark brilliant stuff!!
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Nice post (clap) (clap) (clap) :+ cred:
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Thanks guys, hope you can get some results with this rig.
@Marcos - it doesn't take long to rig at all, if you have all the components laid out and have practised a few I reckon it will take about 3 minutes to rig. Also try not to handle the bonnie too much as the skin can mark quite easily and it does lose it's colour and slime. It's usually best with a fresh dead bait but you can also pre-rig them and keep them in a cooler box on ice. The pec fins are crucial to the balance of the bait. To be honest that is the easiest part of the rig - just put the elastic around the fins and through the mouth!
@Jaen - thanks bud. I find it trolls very nicely with the nose weighted, the slow troll is probably max 2knots and I find the best action is at a speed where the nose drops forward a bit and the tail wiggles. Sometimes you need to tweak the speed to get that action. With a heavier weight it does track straighter at higher speeds. I am sure a mydo would also work but not sure how that will work with the IGFA clip?
@BigVan - thanks mate, by all means give it a try at Ponta and let me know how it goes.
@Greg - I have always said I'm going to pull this rig in the deep for billies or even for wahoo. I have no doubt it will work with a few tweaks, maybe multi-strand cable and 2 j-hooks or even a circle bridled to the nose with the nose weight wired in place from the eye sockets and nose.
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@Greg - I have always said I'm going to pull this rig in the deep for billies or even for wahoo. I have no doubt it will work with a few tweaks, maybe multi-strand cable and 2 j-hooks or even a circle bridled to the nose with the nose weight wired in place from the eye sockets and nose.
Thats my thinking!
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:shre: :+ cred:
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Mark superb tut! :+ cred: Quick question: Is the 2nd piece of copper wire used to wire the mouth shut only there to hold the elastic band and sinker copper wire in place? Does it make a difference to the "life" of the bait once in the water?
Thanks.
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@SD- I like to wire the mouths of all my deadbaits shut. It prevents the mouth opening into that "scream" look after a while in the water (which can also cause the gills to flare). I suppose you could get away with using the IGFA clip to keep the mouth closed but I use the copper to ensure the mouth is properly closed, then the IGFA clip is primarily a centred towing point. I am sure you can come up with a variety of adaptations to this rig as well. On my live bonnies I use an IGFA clip through the top lip and pin the two hooks as in this case.
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A very well presented tut and a great bait presentation too! I think I will give this one a test drive on my ski and see if I can tempt one of those crocs in my home waters. Thanks Mark and :+ cred: for you!
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Thanks Tommo, let us know if you catch a bus couta!
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With the Cuta comps around the corner, I thought this would be a great thread to bump, get that rigging practice in chaps!!
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With the Cuta comps around the corner, I thought this would be a great thread to bump, get that rigging practice in chaps!!
I was looking at this last night too :-)
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Trying this tomorrow for sure!!
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Trying this tomorrow for sure!!
:tite SD!!! Hope you win the Hilux.
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well guys I wish you all the best of luck this weekend in the comp. I have been using this setup again over the past 2 months with good success, but have also learnt a few tweaks:
1) With small Bonnies (jub-jubs) the elastic often slips off the pec fins so I have been substituting the good old toothpicks instead (push the toothpick into the base of each pec fin and trim off the excess)
2) In clean water I have been leaving the duster off and using only a single glow bead in front of the IGFA clip, when rigged neatly the sinker is not very visible
3) I normally get the most revs with this bait downrigged near the bottom
Give it a go boys, post some pics of the fish you get! :tite
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Awesome stuff!! Cannot wait to try!
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With the Cuta comps around the corner, I thought this would be a great thread to bump, get that rigging practice in chaps!!
Done. Topic stickied and added to featured articles (at the bottom of Home page)
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:udman: Thanks for sharing, will try it but the tooth pick thing on the dorsal fin who knew. Awesome post :wahoo:
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Fantastic, thanks for sharing, I will def give it a go., Where do you get the IGFA clips?
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CLS- the IGFA clips are getting quite expensive so do yourself a favour and buy one pack of medium ones, then what I do is bend my own ones to the same shape with #12 single strand wire, by doing this I can vary the size and the big bonus is that the wire is not shiny so it is a more camouflaged rig! Now there's a litlle inside secret!much cheaper too, tight lines and happy rigging.
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Thanks a lot, will do that.
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Fantastic, thanks for sharing, I will def give it a go., Where do you get the IGFA clips?
any fishing store. They go for R10 per packet (2) up here these days.
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Absolutely fantastic. Thanks (clap)