UV Feather Bottomfish Rig

- An Essential for Everyone's Rockfish Tackle -

The Pitbull Tackle UV Feather Bottomfish Rig is a pre-tied rockfish rig featuring two UV-enhanced feather/mylar flies that shine spectacularly underwater. Designed to attract all varieties of bottomfish with or without bait, these Shrimp Fly Rigs are some of the most tried and true rockfish lures ever made. They are constructed with high quality terminal components, a heavier-duty hook, and UV feathers offered in a variety of colors. On the top side of the rig - where the main line is tied - we selected a high quality black-nickel barrel swivel to reduce line twist that is common with bottom fish rigs. Similarly on the bottom side of the rig, a safety snap with swivel is tied directly onto the rig. The addition of a safety snap is now a standard for the bottom fish rigs as many anglers want the flexibility to quickly change weight sizes without having to re-tie their entire setup. Using a snap offers superior strength and flexibility to the tradtional dropper loop on older shrimp fly rigs, and gives anglers the confidence that their rig will hold intact and wont break at weak knot connections or dropper loops. 

Check out our full line of Bottomfish Rigs here!

How To Fish:

General Rigging: Fishing these rigs is easy. First, tie your main line to the barrel swivel on top of the rig. As a helpful hint, many anglers tie a Snap Swivel to their main line which allows the user to quickly snap in and out different rigs or different colors with absolute ease. Next, snap in a weight of your choice on the pre-tied safety snap on the bottom of the rig. At this point, the rig is ready to be fished. As an optional enhancement, scent can be added to the flies or strips of bait such as squid can be threaded onto each fly. Next, lower the rig to the desired depth. This is typically on the bottom, however some fish tend to school up off of the bottom and suspend in the water column. Once the bait has reached the desired depth, slowly raise and lower the flies to entice hungry fish. Occasionally, reeling up through a school of fish while raising and lowering the rod can be an effective strategy, especially in shallower water. Keep in mind that sometimes too much movement can be a bad thing; let the rig work for you by allowing the natural current and drift of the boat to flutter and swim the rig. Once bit, it can be beneficial to leave the rig down in the strike zone for a few more seconds before reeling, as the struggling fish typically excites other fish nearby resulting in the other shrimp fly getting but as well. Year in and year out, shrimp fly rigs are the go-to lure in most bottomfish angler's tackle boxes.

In California, anglers can have two hooks per line. When using the rig, appropriate tackle considerations include a rod rated in the 15-40lb range. Braided line is an excellent choice for the main line as the fish will only come into contact with the leader. We suggest using torpedo style sinkers ranging from 5oz - 12oz depending on water depth and current.

Hybrid Bottomfish Rig: This method is highly popular among bottomfish anglers up and down the coast. Traditionally, 2-hook shrimp fly rigs with heavy lead weights were the go-to lure for rockfish and ling cod, but anglers sought more out of their gear. Many anglers who were frustrated with catching smaller rockfish species began fishing with swimbaits or larger metal jigs, but oftentimes these lures target only large predators such as ling cod and are far less effective on rockfish. The concept of combining the two rigs then began to take shape. Anglers in California who are restricted to a "two hook limit" on their gear began removing their bottom shrimp fly from their rigs and opted to swap out their heavy lead weights with equally heavy bottomfish jigs. This creates a rig which combines the best of both worlds; a jig on the bottom targets the larger predators such as ling cod while a teaser shrimp fly above targets the more abundant rockfish species. 

Specifications:
Rigging: 40" - 40lb leader, 4/0 hooks
Quantity: 1 Rig per Pack (2 flies per rig)

WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DHEP) and lead, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer, and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov