How to Rig Ballyhoo With Rigging Springs

Ballyhoo, also known as halfbeaks or gar, is a saltwater baitfish found in the warm waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Gulf of Mexico. They are related to flying fish and needlefish and have a pointed bill similar to a sailfish. Fishermen use ballyhoo to lure big gamefish, trolling them on the surface of the water where they are normally found. Using a ballyhoo rigging spring eliminates the need for copper wire to close the ballyhoo's mouth shut and gets bait back onto your hook that much faster.

Things You'll Need

  • Bucket
  • Wooden dowel
  • Scissors
  • Monofilament
  • Ballyhoo hook
  • Knife
  • Ballyhoo rigging springs
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the frozen ballyhoo in a bucket of cold water to thaw.

    • 2

      Take a thawed ballyhoo and squeeze the fish from the top and bottom -- from just behind the gills almost to the tail -- to remove any intestinal waste and break the fish's vertebrae. This will give the ballyhoo bait a more natural swimming motion while trolling.

    • 3

      Use a small wooden dowel to push the eyes out of the sockets from one side to the other to allow the rigging spring to fit more securely. Break or cut the ballyhoo's bill with scissors about halfway down the bill to speed up the rigging process.

    • 4

      Attach monofilament to a ballyhoo hook -- use at least 80-pound test to ensure your line won't break. Cut a small slit on the belly of the ballyhoo where the hook will exit.

    • 5

      Insert the point of the hook just past the gills with the point facing the back of the fish. Bend the ballyhoo slightly in the shape of the hook. Bring the hook through the fish cavity until it exits through the previously cut slit -- the end of the hook should now be facing forward and the eye of the hook should be covered by the gills.

    • 6

      Wrap the monofilament around the gills two or three times, then through the eyes two or three times as well, making sure that the monofilament is tight without cutting into the bait.

    • 7

      Slide the monofilament though the cut piece of the bill and back over the head. Slide a ballyhoo bait spring over the bill and begin wrapping the monofilament around the spring until it comes out the end of the spring by the bill. Trim the bill more if there is too much sticking out of the end of the bait spring.