Spider rigging in rough water?

Was using 3/4oz egg sinkers but still had a lot of jump and slack in various areas of open water. I noticed others were pushing minners around me and we're having some luck. It wasn't til we got to the ramp that I noticed one of those boats and their rigs...looked like at least a 2oz weight.

Will increasing main weight on the spider rigs help keep the bait more stable or in place below? We were fishing 20-25fow at about 15'. To me, it seems like the heavier the weight the less jump in the line from a larger wave.

They will if your pole is stiff enough to handle the heavier weight. When I have to resort to that much weight I change my rig around. I will put weight on bottom then tie a loop knot about a ft up from weight and another up a ft or so from that one. Something else you can do fishing that deep is tie your rig with about a ft or so dropper on top then make line down to weight about 36 in long use 3/4 weight then about 12-14 in drop on bottom. When pole is jumping up and down it does not affect the bait as much.

Im using the BnM PST16'. I will play around to see what will work best. May need to get some more rigid poles, but we will see. But is my concept of/theory correct?

In rough water, using a heavier weight will keep the bait from jumping...obviously that is to some extent. I know that at some point it will be too rough out there to accomplish what I want the way I want. Nevertheless, if I can keep that bait still with a larger weight I will try that. I know the fish were there (bc I saw a guy in larger boat 50 yrds away pull in 4), just need to figure out how to keep bait still enough to rip some lips.

Also, does BnM make a heavier rod than the PST? I am partial to BnM since they are from MS and I had a great experience with them in the past. I'd feel like im cheating if I used anything else, plus the 20 or so BnMs in my garage may go on strike and quit catching fish! ha

The pst will handle it. I think they list them up to 5 ounce but don't hold me to that. I used 3 ounces pushing cranks and they held up.

PST in 12 ft and 14 is what I use with 2 oz weight. Work just fine. Definatley stop some of the bounce.

Not trying to high jack your thread. But I would like to hear more about this topic. Looking to get 4 new 14 footers myself

Go ahead. I'm here to learn. Any additional information is welcomed

We have rigged in 45 MPH wind here in northern Ohio. Add weight and the rods will slow down on bouncing but not stop. Sometimes you can hold the rods in your hand. Wind and waves can be a problem, but if you fish on week ends it won't go away.

Adding extra weight to the front of your boat will set the boat deeper in the water and you will not bounce as much and be more stable.

Having a slightly more flimsy/soft tip action rod can help, too. My 14' PST and 14' Capps/Coleman rods will bend exactly the same with equal weight ... as long as the rods are stationary. But, the Capps/Coleman rods will flex more easily in waves, so they don't "bounce" as bad as the PST.

I mostly push jigs with them, and have 2-3' leaders from weight to jig, so the bouncing doesn't move the jig all that much (like it does the weight & rod tips).

... cp :kewl

Boat has a lot to do with it too, as mentioned earlier ballast "weight" added to the front end of your rig will reduce some of the bouncing, back to the wind and poles in tite helps a lot too. Stiffer poles hurt you in the wind for sure and mostly fish no more weight than 1 oz with my back to the wind, fish out of a glass boat as well that sits pretty low in the water due to the weight throughout the rig from 4 cart batts and a big charger, full fuel in the back to 200 pounds of lead under the deck extention and 3 folks on the front deck a lot of the time. It all plays a part and you will figure out what works best in your rig.
Keep asking questions, its what this site is all about!!

Keep the thread going please getting more & more interesting-what weight do u all use normally 1oz all the time or less weight if no wind?

Thanks! Have a Predator861 if you couldn't guess. I knew added weight would help, but not sure where or how to add it. Storage compartment up front doesn't have a lot of room and I need the space. I'll keep tinkering and trying to figure out what works best. I ha e the duck bill extension and was thinking that I may be able to attach weight under that, but will have to check with someone who knows better about the strength of welds and all that. Anyway, thanks again

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Originally Posted by jaxsprat

Keep the thread going please getting more & more interesting-what weight do u all use normally 1oz all the time or less weight if no wind?

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I started with 1/2oz for general spider rigging in calm conditions. I've upped the weight to 3/4oz recently and have noticed less bounce in a slight chop, but on my boat in heavy waves or boat wash waves .... I'm not sure 1lb of weight would be of much use. :Doh::Rofl

I'm only pushing 3 rods : a BnM PST 14' and two BnM Capps/Coleman 14' rods. They all flex about the same when rigged with the same weight & in calm waters ... but the Capps/Coleman rods are not as stiff tipped as the PST, so they will "bounce" slower.
I'm generally pushing jigs with these rods, and have a 2-3ft leader between the weight & jig. Therefore, the "bounce" (rise/fall of rod tip & therefore the weight to a lesser degree) is less pronounced at the jig, since the jig is trailing behind & below the weight. My speed is generally between 0.5mph & 1mph, which is a factor ... as the jig is trailing the weight & not hanging below the weight like it would be at a slower speed.
In my case, the bouncing rod tips are merely masking any noticeable bite (at that time) ... but, not really moving the jig up/down to any great degree to where it would stop a fish from biting the lure.

My rigging is as follows : (placed in order on the main line) my weight - plastic bead (round or cylinder shaped) - duo lock snap - 2-3ft leader line - jig.

... cp :kewl

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Originally Posted by Predator861

Go ahead. I'm here to learn. Any additional information is welcomed

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For what you are looking for?

While definitely not being any kind of expert I have used corks and let out enough enough line to let the cork float without the boat lifting it off the water.