Spider Rigging

In case there's some out there that are thinking about getting into spider rigging, after years of trial and error and throwing money away, I have finally came up with the combination that works most anywhere you fish. First, it doesn't take a fortune to get into spider rigging no matter what you have seen or read. I have seen spider rigs made from PVC pipe to steel plumbing pipe. The latest thing is the single mounted holders across the front of the boat. The claim is, when you set the hook, it don't disturb the other poles and spook fish. They are really pricy and you have to drill a bunch of holes in your boat. The spider rig itself is not the important tool but the rod holder design is. There are several good rod holders out there but finally settled with the Driftmaster Gunslingers. They are a fast rod holder and the rods come out of them with almost no resistance As far as the base itself, the driftmaster T250H is a solid place to start. You can get this complete set up with 4 gunslinger rod holders for 124.00.

On to the rods. I have tried about every rod on the market. Started with 10 footers back in the early days but use 12 footers today. Some people prefer 14 to 16 foot rods but in most Oklahoma lakes 12 foot works great. Always start with a shorter rod until you get comfortable because I guarantee if you start with long poles you will get really disgusted trying to keep them untangled and learning how to land fish. The perfect rod has a really soft tip but enough backbone to get a good hook set. The soft tip is critical for detecting the light bites. If the tip is to stiff and the fish feel any resistance, a lot of times they will turn the bait loose before you can set the hook. The rods I use today cost right at 30.00. Start out with 3 poles until you get the feel of it then add another as you get more comfortable. Any reel will work from spinning to small baitcasters whatever is preferred and as long as it has a good drag that works, it don't have to be an expensive one. You don't need the spools full of line about half works great. Spider rigging is a line watchers game. Always use a hi vis main line connected to the 3-way swivel. If you are concerned about fish seeing the hi vis line you can run fluorocarbon on your drops. 8 lb test has worked well over the years with 8 lb fluorocarbon on the drops. I use the fluorocarbon more for the abrasion resistance.


On the drops themselves I have better luck running a 1/0 wire hook. After I switched from 2/0 my hook ups became more consistent. When the bite gets more aggresive, you can switch from live bait to straight plastic. Found out it always pays to add an attractant to plastics so the fish will hang onto it a second longer giving you time to set the hook. Learn to sweep the pole straight up for more consistent hook sets. At times they will bury the rod in the water and other times you may just see your line jump or move sideways. Spider rigging is not for everyone but when fishing is tough it's hard to beat. You can catch them year round from 2 ft to 30 ft deep and it's addictive. Good Luck

Hey Tim, thanks for the informative write up. I haven't tried spider rigging yet, but have started getting my boat set up to give it a try. Your information will give me something to work with.

Thanks,

Steve (snowbelt)

Gonna add a little information I left out that's important. About 95 % of the time, a 1/2 ounce weight works fine depends on how deep you are fishing and how hard the wind is blowing. If I am fishing deeper than 10 ft, I may switch to a 3/4 or 1 ounce sinker. Boat speed is a lot more critical the deeper you fish. If you are fishing 10 to 30 ft deep and moving to fast the your bait will be under the boat defeating your purpose. Always make sure the line stays pretty much vertical with the rod tip. Best way I have found is have a light wind behind you and drift just using the trolling motor to keep you in a targeted depth. Keeping your boat speed between .02 to .05 mph will usually get more bites. Colder the water the slower you need to go. As mentioned in the past, saves a lot of trouble to run the locator over the area you plan to fish looking for brush etc. Not fun hanging up 3 or 4 rods at once plus when you get to a brush pile, you can hold on it for a minute before you move on. You may catch several fish off of one location. Experiment with different boat speeds to see what they want that particular day. You can cover a lot of water and when you are fishing a new lake there's no better way to locate fish.

Thanks Tim, I ordered 2 drift masters yesterday!

I'll post up pics later of my holders, rods and rigs.

I am new to spider rigging as well. I love to feel the thump but I can see how this would be very effective during the off-season.

Spider rigging works anytime. If you don't have a lot of time to fish and want to get fish in the boat quick there's no better way. Rigging the pre-spawn staging areas and flats are really good and if you want total chaos, run them along the banks in spawning coves. Usually run the closest pole to the bank about a foot deep and add a foot on each rod as they get deeper. Also helps a lot to get an extended reach net. Takes a little time to get them in the water but well worth it.

Great post TimY, I'm really looking foreword to our day on the water in a couple weeks and I know my boy Eli is getting excited too. I haven't put much thought into spider rigging since I primarily fish out of an aluminum canoe but I will definitely keep this is mind if and when I upgrade to a big boy boat.

~J. Babcock


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I'm going to try spider rigging again. You make it sound simple.

Thanks

Spider rigging is fun for kids to. In the spring you can push slip corks with a minnow on bottom and a jig above it. Lot of fun. What you need to remember about spider rigging is there is an opportunity to put a lot of fish in the boat. Take what you need and release the rest. I probably keep a few fish every 4 or 5 trips. Don't need a freezer full. Wouldn't keep what I do if there were not family members that can't fish anymore but love to eat it. 10 or 15 nice crappie makes a great picture to. Doesn't have to be 37.

Great tips Tim. Thanks for helping us understand the technique!

I am relatively new to spider rigging. I had pretty good success last year trying it out and went full out converting my boat to make it as easy/comfortable as possible. The 4 things that I learned, or am learning, since starting this adventure is ... 1. have patience, 2. remember rule #1, 3. learn good boat control and 4. Never forget rule #1!!. I have spent a good deal of money on seats, rod holders, rods, nets, etc. This technique primarily relies on having decent electronics (so you are fishing where there are fish and fishing the correct depth), boat control is key (keeping your baits in the right spot and at the correct speed), and as I mentioned earlier, the thing that I have had to work on more than anything else ... patience! (you are going to get hung up, and when you do it will likely be on more than one rod at the same time. The guys that are really good look like they are just sitting up there on the front of their boat enjoying the day and bring in a crappie every so often). But, it is a very good way to catch a lot of crappie pretty efficiently. its still chaos when you have 2,3,4 rods get a bite at the same time, but it sure is fun. TimY has great advise, start slow, don't try to start with 8 16' rods at first ... that WILL test your patience. I started with 12'ers. now have a combination on 12, 14 and 16'ers. There is a time and place for each technique, spider rigging being one of many. Learning when and where to use a specific technique and be effective is what I am after. I like to eat crappie, but I love the challenge each day presents.