Big-O

Rage Rig is the use of a Weighted (Swimbait) hook on your normal T rig plastics for a more horizontal profile fall and crawl along the bottom. Most often used in shallow to 6 or 8ft and calm winds since it is a slow style presentation. Great when you've located fish and need to finesse them a bit. It's also a good search tool in trashy conditions because it's extremely SNAG proof including in jagged rocks. T rigs and jigs are more useful when the fish want a more vertical fall, Nose first etc, and more versatile because of the variety in weight sizes that are available which increases the depths and speed by which you can cover your water.

Might want to turn the tail downward opposite the hook direction especially on quicker retrieves. On the retrieve when the tail is turned downward, the tail will ride up directly behind the hook point which makes it harder for the fish to nip the grub tail without getting the hook too. Hope that helps!

Do you have the tail of the grub turned upward the hook?

Top 3 for me is Rage Craw or 4" Single Tail Grub... and the Eeliminator when a longer profile is needed.

Without question a top choice for each of us at Strike King and RT is the Rage Menace. One of it's primary use criteria during the design phase was flipping and punching behind the SK Slither rig (skirted tungsten). Each of these two items were released at the same time ICAST 2012. The BUG is gaining a lot of steam as we speak.

Thanks Everyone... I'm a ICAST till Saturday but would rather be Fishing Fo Sho

Excellent! Way to be a GREAT Dad too!!!

Nice one & Wtg on your new PB!

Shallow 6 ft or less, in most all conditions except heavy wind, The Rage Rig is good on most all soft plastics. Bait profile and overall size are a key to figure out to the best bite results

I was smiling as I began reading through the story but had to compose myself, after your backlash paragraph when you said... "I'm jerking around like a fool and the bird has gone bonkers!" This is one for the ages

After the hookset, Ms STOUT moved the front of my 22ft Skeeter about 15ft in her direction... thought she was a Blue Cat I was impressed with her power for sure! She bit a T rigged Plum color Rage Recon in 16ft water. Still using the Hvy action 7'11" St Croix Rage Rod and Vicious Pro Elite Fluoro. It's all holding together really well and my Favorite weight for depths over 10 is a 3/4oz tungsten, unpegged. Also this past month, I was truly honored to be inducted into the Masters Hall of Fame by many of my longtime friends and peers in the Karate industry. As you can expect, I was moved by this as well with my entire family at the ceremony with me. While on stage, one of my friends asked me how I felt NOW, and I replied "Well there's MUCH less pain Nowadays than there was when I was Younger"! I really appreciate all of you friends here at BassResource, and not just for your support of my products... moreover for the friendship and comradery we share here. I'm sorry that I've not been around as much as I used to, spending quite a bit of time with a few of my elderly friends and family recently which has been a real blessing for me too! ICAST next week, but all of you already know about the BUG Maybe Strike King will surprise me with some NEW colors too If any of you are able to make it, Stop by and see me at the SK booth... I'll be there with BELLS ON

Thanks Tws and everyone else for your comments, it makes me extremely happy that each of you enjoy my products

I prefer hooks that have the weight positioned further back on the hook bend to allow a more horizontal fall. Several years back, I assisted in the design of the Moaner Hooks "Weighted Stroker" which is an EWG style and the "Weighted Stick'r" where an EWG isn't necessary, but more of a flippin style hook is better suited for use with smaller dia baits. Sizes from 2/0 up to 6/0. Weight is a Hydro dynamic design, no shoulders at either end to avoid grass drag. Medium dia wire for more ease of hooksets when using Fluoro for the slower bottom bumping presentations, yet a strong enough wire to hold bigger fish. I'm not sponsored by them and nor have I ever received any financial benefits for my assistance... I just needed Hooks that worked Correctly for my style of fishing

Thanks ALL Denny assisted with the DB Craw! It was his request for making TWIN flappers on each of the two claws, then I had to design it and make it work... took us a year to get'r right... and it's RIGHT

Thanks, I was on Falcon You're right BassinLou, I'm really slowing down and lately I've thought about retiring from fishing... as I get older, I can tell that I'm not as interested in the hunt for'em like I once was... NOT REALLY, been playing hooky from making post like I use to

Congratulations to Your fine Fishing buddy and to you as well for being the perfect example of a REAL Dad your avatar says it all

Yep, I'd consider that one a learning curve and sounds like you've got it figured out too... That's what keeps us going

Those are some nice one for sure, stay after'em

WTG... Nice healthy fish!

She ate the Rage Blade and Eeliminator trailer SLOWLY swimming it over 16 ft brush and rocks near the drop... Blade was 1/2oz Sexy Shad color and Blue Glimmer Eeliminator, 25lb fluoro.

Can't argue that

Heard of that as well but haven't ckd it out or viewed it's application???

Dang... Jeff has more than me and also colors I WANT!!!!! What's wrong with this picture

It doesn't and I have no idea as to others who may have been as OCD as myself and could have been doing the same as I... But I am happy that I don't have to pinch weights on the belly of the hook any longer As to your thought "swimbait hooks paired with rage tails are being used out of convenience"... I would have to say that they're being used out of preference. Where you mention "the rage rig predates both the factory produced keel weighted hooks, the Rage Tail brand soft plastics"... Not sure what is meant here but the Rage Rig name was coined at a previous BR Roadtrip when others saw it's effectiveness by one of my non boaters named STEEZY. It was the culmination of from several previous years of my discussing the use and benefits of this Rig on the Forum. Steezy needed a ride to the Roadtrip and messaged me for assistance. During our travel, he shared with me that he wasn't a very experienced fisherman and asked for advice on what may give him the best opportunity to catch fish regularly regardless of who he fished with. I knew there would be a good shallow bite there and gave him several packs of Summer Craw Rage Craws along with the keel weighted hooks I had been using, then told him how I'd fish it and "Don't put it down"... He put a thrashin on us each and every day regardless of the boat he was in... Great story and Great guy, in fact we were calling it the STEEZY RIG after that

I believe that the Rage Rig article doesn't state that a RageTail bait is necessary to be used when Rage Rigging... And over the years, I've made it extremely clear that most ANY soft plastic (and especially those which are normally T-Rigged, C-Rigged or rigged weightless) can be fished Rage Rigged, with emphasis on the high action soft plastics being more effective in most situations, IMO. "Keel weighting Hooks" in the distant past were not termed Swimbait hooks as they are today, because neither the hook or the swimbait baitfish style plastics were being produced or utilized at that time. As far as the "Swimbait" hook being the style of the hook used for todays soft plastic swimbaits, this isn't called a SWIMBAIT RIG, as swimbaits are used with any and all styles of hooks ie trebles etc. and come in any and all sizes. Fishing terms and lingo regarding rigs came from styles of hooking and weighting systems to present baits. As with T-rigs, C-rigs etc., any variety of hooks styles and/or weights can be used, but the individual term and RIG reflects or designates the basic hook and weight position, line attachment, use etc. I started adding split shot and elongated tag end line weights (squeeze weights) to the belly of the hook many years ago to improve my opportunities in certain conditions to change the fall profile with standard soft plastic worms, creatures etc, which allowed me to catch more fish. This style of rigging is what is now termed Rage Rig and not necessarily fished to SWIM the bait through the variety of depths in the water column, but more over allowing the bait to fall more horizontally through the water column and bottom bump, allowing the bait to maintain the horizontal profile throughout, whether being dragged, jumped, bumped etc. This rig provides less snags in any and all types of bottom structure including grass which allows us to fish the different types of structure more thoroughly and as slow or quickly as the fish tell us they want. Hope that helps and answers a few questions