There seems to be a lot of stuff going around about the "free rig" at the moment. I can't see how it's any different from an un-pegged texas rig. What am I not understanding about how it fishes?

Weight slides much faster.

1 minute ago, Michigander said:

Weight slides much faster.

Sliding through a thin ring is much easier than sliding through the length of a bullet weight. I use dipsy sinkers for this.

Got you, thanks. That makes sense.

The worm rig I fished in 1956 used a harness rig Creme worm on a free rig I just discovered. Fish long enough and everything come around.

Tom

There are a thousand and one variations of the saltwater fish finder rig for bottom fishing with bait. The one I've used for 40 years starts with a plastic slide and sinker on the line.

 

 

The weight sits on the bottom and the bait is free to float away on the current. The fish can take the bait without having to lift the sinker. Surf fishing sinkers run from an ounce up to 8 ounces typically. The largest one I ever had to use to hold bottom was 14.

 

Looking at the diagram isn’t this basically a Carolina rig? 

 

2 hours ago, Johnbt said:

There are a thousand and one variations of the saltwater fish finder rig for bottom fishing with bait. The one I've used for 40 years starts with a plastic slide and sinker on the line.

 

 

The weight sits on the bottom and the bait is free to float away on the current. The fish can take the bait without having to lift the sinker. Surf fishing sinkers run from an ounce up to 8 ounces typically. The largest one I ever had to use to hold bottom was 14.

 

That is a Carolina rig to me too. The whole point of the free rig is that there is no hardware blocking the sinker from sliding along the line. An unpegged Texas rig falls into that description but the free rig always involves a weight with an open ring like @MN Fisher already mentioned. These weights are ideal; skinny dropshot weight with no swivel and an open ring. Of course, a regular old bell sinker would work too. 

 

http://www.omfishingsinkers.com/Tungsten-sinker/Tungsten-skinny-Drop-shot-Weights-Unpainted-Round--free-shipping-if-your-order-is--40-or-more-Delivery-time-9-11days_p-80564.html

13 hours ago, WRB said:

Fish long enough and everything come around.

Tom

 

According to Rick Clunn, everything old will become new again.

1 minute ago, Catt said:

 

According to Rick Clunn, everything old will become new again.

And salt water techniques will become freshwater techniques, albeit smaller. LoL.

On 12/22/2020 at 3:46 PM, Michigander said:

Weight slides much faster.

^^This^^

14 hours ago, Catt said:

 

According to Rick Clunn, everything old will become new again.

That saying has been around since at least Victorian times, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle used it in one of his Sherlock Holmes short stories, I believe it was "A Study in Scarlet" but don't quote me, I have not read it in years, "There is nothing new under the sun, it has all been done before."

I think it's be translated from Egyptian hieroglyphs too.  ?

3 hours ago, Sphynx said:

That saying has been around since at least Victorian times, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle used it in one of his Sherlock Holmes short stories, I believe it was "A Study in Scarlet" but don't quote me, I have not read it in years, "There is nothing new under the sun, it has all been done before."

 

Actually it's from the bible, The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

4 hours ago, Catt said:

 

Actually it's from the bible, The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

Lol...have we discovered the longest running sentiment in human history on the BR forums? Might have to add a philosophy subforum

The Egyptians pre-date the bible, so it goes way back! They also coined "change is the only constant" with a dog headed man and a couple of sheaves of wheat.  

I must be behind the times here, because this is the first I've heard of the " free rig". If it's an unpegged t rig, I've been fishing one already for at 40 yrs.

I use this for catfish. Once I got tired of spending money on sinker slides I started using a snap swivel and put the line through the line tie loop and hook a sinker on the snap.

The Hookup Tackle channel on YT just did a whole episode on the free rig. Really helpful if you're interested in this topic.

 

Having just recently heard of it myself, I've thrown it a couple of times in my ongoing (unsuccessful) hunt for a tactic that works on my local pond winter bass. I can see the merit in it as a tactic, though, especially if you're using a wider body soft plastic that will sink considerably slower than the weight. I'm looking forward to trying it with my beloved moon juice Rage Bug in warmer weather.

We first posted about it 1 1/2 yrs ago: https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/free-rig.html

And then another more recent article: https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/free-rig-fishing.html

And there's other, more obscure rigs like these: https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/specialty-bass-rigs.html

 

Enjoy!

28 minutes ago, plawren53202 said:

The Hookup Tackle channel on YT just did a whole episode on the free rig. Really helpful if you're interested in this topic.

 

Having just recently heard of it myself, I've thrown it a couple of times in my ongoing (unsuccessful) hunt for a tactic that works on my local pond winter bass. I can see the merit in it as a tactic, though, especially if you're using a wider body soft plastic that will sink considerably slower than the weight. I'm looking forward to trying it with my beloved moon juice Rage Bug in warmer weather.

 

I watched it.  Very good info.  

 

I have been using this rig for a while but never called it a free rig and I didn't use an open hole drop shot weight either.  I used a round lead ball weight with the open hole.  I tend to like a regular T-rigged set up better. 

 

 

Other than the initial drop, I imagine you need to really stroke it to get the rig to fish differently than an uppegged texas rig. I don't think there would be much separation otherwise.

On 12/24/2020 at 11:35 AM, Tim Kelly said:

The Egyptians pre-date the bible, so it goes way back! They also coined "change is the only constant" with a dog headed man and a couple of sheaves of wheat.  

 

Uhh I pretty sure Adam & Eve pre-date the Egyptians ?

 

Back on point, I don't see an advantage!