i have NOT tried it yet.  why?  i honestly cannot find the sinkers locally.  on my bait orders, i always forget to buy sinkers.  

 

but yesterday, while i killed it on the Tx-rig;  i think i understand.  i was using a 1/8 tungsten bullet.  it's relatively tiny.  i was in super clear water yesterday and i watched my bait bounce down a ridge.  as i lift the rod, the bait dances up and drops immediately at slack line.  the bait and sinker separates 1-3 inches max.  i think there is too much material in the sinker and therefore more surface to surface contact between the tungsten and line.  friction.  i think the hoop of a dropshot sinker is much less friction which should allow them to separate more.  

 

i will hit the shop local to my office later this week and buy some.  time to try  the free rig.  i think free rigging a big flat bait like a gill shape will allow some drfting of the bait.  

 

second thing..i believe we may need those rubber sinker pegs  less than we think.  especially on the lighter sinkers.   

The Free Rig has become one my favorite techniques.  What I have found is that if you let the bait fall and then jerk the line once the weight slides up the line. After that, you slowly pop it. It works great for the Fat ika,  the Cover Scat, the Bellows Gill and especially the Dolive Beaver.

i'm gonna try free-rigging the Dep Bull Flat or OSP gill thing.  i think it will look like a glider in the water.

 

those darn sinkers are elusive!  i tried spreading out one of the regular pinch type sinkers and that was unwise.  it bet it would fray my line.  

If you don’t have the right sinkers you can still replicate the initial fall part of the free rig with bullet sinkers with a bobber stop a little ways up the line to give it a “headstart”, at that point though you’ve got yourself a petey rig, very similar to a mojo rig.

I’ve kinda done this with a t-rigged hula grub Using a 1/16 to 1/8oz bullet weight. Hopping it and letting it fall. The resistance of the hula grub causes the bait to seperate from the weight. Ive gotten away from hula grubs since i have gotten into different baits but its a dynamite rig for me in summer.

Ebay 

19 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

i'm gonna try free-rigging the Dep Bull Flat or OSP gill thing.  i think it will look like a glider in the water.

 

those darn sinkers are elusive!  i tried spreading out one of the regular pinch type sinkers and that was unwise.  it bet it would fray my line.  

Bull flat and dolive gills work great with the free rig. I'll lift or pump/stroke 1-multiple times for the free rig separation/fall. These gill baits get hammered on the fall with the free rig. 4.8 bull flats seem to weed out the small ones. IME, Big glides still catch little ones for me, but the 4.8 bull flat seems to attract 3+ pound class fish. 

I just use the cheap bell sinkers from Wally World. It doesn't hurt so bad when you lose one.

On 5/15/2023 at 9:23 AM, Darth-Baiter said:

i'm gonna try free-rigging the Dep Bull Flat or OSP gill thing.  i think it will look like a glider in the water.

 

those darn sinkers are elusive!  i tried spreading out one of the regular pinch type sinkers and that was unwise.  it bet it would fray my line.  

 try rigging the Bull Flat on a weighted swimbait hook,  the 1/4 oz 5/0 size Berkley Fusion  pairs up well with the 4.8 size Bullflat https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Berkley_Fusion19_Hooks_Weighted_Swimbait_4pk/descpage-FHWW.html

yes that is another way i like to rig the bull flat. 1/8 is ,y favorite but it can take a long time to sink in deeper water.

Dropshot and bullet sinkers have too much friction to be effective free rig baits.  I get mine from Tackle Warehouse: https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage-RTGSHS.html?from=BASRES

 

They work great!

@Glenn  i ordered those.  true story:  3 packs.  i ordered three of various weights.  i added a few favorite soft plastics to bring it up above $50 to get the free shipping.  i just recieved my shipping notification.  i am only getting the soft plastics in the first box.  no mention of the weights.  hahahha..

 

i think i have 3 bell shaped 1/8 tungstens i can use this weekend.  i had forgotten about them.  or i can widen a regular dropshot sinker and install a lure clip as the "hoop".  

 

those bass are not gonna catch themselves.  on then bright side, i now own a LOT of my favoriite plastics.  no more nursing them to health on deck.  

Great!  Let us know how it works for you!

On 5/15/2023 at 12:23 PM, Darth-Baiter said:

i'm gonna try free-rigging the Dep Bull Flat or OSP gill thing.  i think it will look like a glider in the water.

 

those darn sinkers are elusive!  i tried spreading out one of the regular pinch type sinkers and that was unwise.  it bet it would fray my line.  

For weights I have been using the ones from Woo Tungsten, teardrop. 

This thread stuck in my mind with the early open water and cool spring, less boating, the hydrilla is way up, so a 3/8th oz free rig with a rage bug does nothing but catch.  It's almost like horizontal pitching.  You can cast anywhere into it and pop/stroke your way back, getting that vertical fall between the strands.  Numerous times last week I could make 5-6 exact same casts and catch on every one while other nearby boats weren't.  Appreciate being reminded of it's effectiveness. 

 

scott

On 5/17/2023 at 9:45 AM, FishTank said:

For weights I have been using the ones from Woo Tungsten, teardrop. 

Swiveling tungsten teardrop is the way imho, and based on Milliken who made me finally try this technique.   I got ones from Flatout Tungsten and Epic Tungsten.   

 

As for the Free Rig, after fishing it for a couple of weeks now, I don't see myself using a T-Rig outside of pegged T-Rig usage in the Spring.  I use high end tungsten for bullet weights, but even then have that weight hit that knot like it does hundreds of times is and always has been a huge weakness to the T-Rig.    This is eliminated with the Free Rig, something I don't hear many talk about.  

 

First night out I was throwing a 8" Zoom Mag Lizard on a 1/4th oz tungsten bullet T-Rig, very slow action!     I said what the heck, and tied on the Free Rig with 1/4th oz tungsten tear drop by Epic Tungsten, same 4/0 EWG Gama hook, and at first I used a 7" Roboworm..........almost instantly I was going through a brand new pack of those Roboworms, so then I switched to the exact same Lizards from the T-Rig, and bingo......same action as the Roboworm, tons of action.   The technique truly tore up my hands and thumbs.   

 

No doubt about it, in lakes where fish have seen tons of bottom contact stuff, the Free Rig makes a HUGE difference I'm finding.    I've watched the differences in person, on YT videos, it doesn't look like much, if anything at all.......but the fish again no doubt can tell the difference.    The longer the cast, the more effective this technique is I'm finding......and I imagine line type/diameter plays into this equation somehow as well.

 

To me it just feels more finessey, that was my first gut feeling, next thing it reminded me of is a "fun drop shot".   The last thing, it has an uncanny odd way of hooking 90% of the fish in the same manner, deep in the roof of their mouth.....perfect place.  I'm convinced they pick this bait up differently, OR simply eat it with more reckless abandon.    Bottomline, the Free Rig is a lot deeper than simply rigging your weight to slide up and down the line differently.   

 

 

Alright, alright....I'll try it, I'll try it

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48 minutes ago, Smokinal said:

Alright, alright....I'll try it, I'll try it

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Why, it's just a Texas rig, right?

4 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

 

 

To me it just feels more finessey, that was my first gut feeling, next thing it reminded me of is a "fun drop shot".   The last thing, it has an uncanny odd way of hooking 90% of the fish in the same manner, deep in the roof of their mouth.....perfect place.  I'm convinced they pick this bait up differently, OR simply eat it with more reckless abandon.    Bottomline, the Free Rig is a lot deeper than simply rigging your weight to slide up and down the line differently.   

 

 

How high are yall popping it up? 

With a Senko style bait, will it let you fish it quicker effectively? ?

11 hours ago, txchaser said:

How high are yall popping it up? 

 

I've been using creatures that kick and alternate between dragging and hopping, but I tend to hop first and more often.  I do a pretty big double hop, 7-8 then 8-10/11 on a 6'9-7' rod.  That's probably 3-4' at a minimum.  Been really effective for me both in cover and open water.

 

scott

12 hours ago, txchaser said:

How high are yall popping it up? 

I just give it little pops with the rod tip, not much different than adding action to any worm.  I wouldn't say I fish it any differently than T-Rig.  

 

Milliken just preaches "freedom of movement" with his bottom contact baits, the Free Rig, C-Rig, and Swinghead are the main baits besides true finesse stuff I see him throw.   I think the main key is just to achieve that added freedom of movement to aid in realism.  

 

 

@AlabamaSpothunter  are you throwing it on a baitcast setup?  or spinning?

4 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

@AlabamaSpothunter  are you throwing it on a baitcast setup?  or spinning?

baitcast......throwing it on 15lb Fluoro with a 7ft MH F rod.  

Are the size weights you use similar to t-rig...wind and depth dependant?

1/8, 3/16, 1/4 ?