5 Best Rigs for Speckled Trout Fishing!

What's your go-to method for rigging soft-plastic paddletails when targeting speckled trout? I put the five most popular rigs to the test by casting them in front of an underwater camera in a swimming pool to see how the lures behave with each technique.
Although I fish a jighead far more than the other techniques, the pool test exposed the value of a different method that will definitely spend some time at the end of my line over the next few months.
Check out the video for all the details!
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[@samhklm]

Love your hand made double rig setup. Back in the day we used the H & H spec rig which is about the same thing. Definitely will be setting up a drop shot rig to test with.

[@TheSHOP411]

We used to buy them by the card at TG&Y for about ¢15 a piece. I caught more fish as a kid on speck rigs than I will ever catch in my adult life.

[@jacobridgedell2096]

Brilliant! I'll be using the drop shot more often now too.

[@MarshManMasson]

I will as well. Let me know how it works for you

[@rickbrown7067]

Thanks Todd, love your drop shot rig. I’m going to give that a shot next week. Look forward to your drop shot rig video..

[@rodneydalton2507]

On your drop shot tie straight to the hook with a Palomar knot and tie your weight on the tag line. You get the same action and have more sensitivity to feel the strike

[@chadwestberry4128]

Todd, what about a pool video on different retrievals. Popping up verse side ways, ponchatrain pop, etc. I’ve always been curious. Different size jig heads would be cool too

[@MarshManMasson]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2a0fWqklp6erLMsi=_bqJJFA5CezvvToH

[@MarshManMasson]

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[@media1groupDC]

Like Joel I've always used carolina but gotta tell you that drop shot does looks pretty sexy! Definitely if the fish are not hugging the bottom! The visuals on these are gold!

[@TheSHOP411]

I really enjoyed this pool test. This has memuch more interested in using the drop shot more often. Thanks for doing all this work

[@kenp247]

I've never fished the drop shot rig, but after seeing it in action, I definitely will try it. Thanks, for showing all the different rigs in action.

[@comfortablynumb9342]

Check out the Core Tackle Hover Rig and Tush swim bait hooks. They are amazing. They're like a jig head but the weight goes inside the soft plastic, and the line tie placement gives the bait a crazy action, especially with jerk shads but they work with paddle tails or other soft plastics too. They cause the bait to stay more horizontal than a jig with the weight in front. And the bait looks better without the head.

[@chadwilson6550]

Thanks for that. Very interesting. I’ve always used Carolina rig but from the test I won’t anymore.

[@TheSHOP411]

It was a little underwhelming. I think I would still use it with live bait if that's what we were using.

[@MarshManMasson]

It’s effective, but I think less so than a drop shot in many situations

[@rhkeller3]

Gave me a lot to think about, thanks

[@johnfontenot7861]

The double rig and drop shot looked really good! Great vid!

[@staceyboone4100]

Cork and drop shot looks great

[@john21fishing83]

I enjoy these. They are very informative.

[@joemacera747]

Great video, lots of good info

[@anthonywootan9092]

Love these vids!

[@my31and37]

Very informative Todd, thanks!. I have to wonder what a nosy neighbor would thing about some guy fishing in a swimming pool.🤣

[@jefflee6459]

Man I been Jonesing for a pool test for a while. Thanks

[@stanmeyers4613]

I've learned a lot from your pool videos

[@MarshManMasson]

You and me both

[@dipstick5869]

Back in the 60's it was hard to beat the "Spec Rig" and the "Mr. Champ".

[@jasoncagle3058]

I mainly use Carolina rigs with live bait. It works pretty good.

[@jasonkimbrel37]

Great video, always nice to see how things look from a fish eye perspective. What hooks do you use for the drop shot technique? I used to drop shot for largemouth and they make “drop shot specific” hooks, just wondering if you do something different.

[@gchamp3]

I throw a lot of double rigs and it looked even better than I thought. Drop shot double rig with a heavy jig head on bottom and a bare hook up top could do some serious damage.

[@MarshManMasson]

Yeah, I agree. The double rig looked better than I thought it would

[@Marsh-Mechanic]

Joel must be a really good fisherman because the Carolina rig looked the worst LOL But the drop shot looked great. Cool to see the cork action in the pool. Thanks for sharing! Kelly

[@MarshManMasson]

Yeah, I was disappointed with the C rig as well

[@williamschneider6811]

With a Carolina rig you need to fish a more buoyant bait so it floats above the bottom.

[@comfortablynumb9342]

I've been catching lots of redfish and trout from a pier lately and they're all in one area. It's weird because it doesn't matter which way the tide is going, you have to cast to that area. It's so strange working a jig against the current but it's been crazy effective when the tide is going out. I don't think the jigs touch the bottom much, they just hop up and down in the current and both species are hitting. They bite on the incoming tides too and you fish with the current. Same spot, same baits, same basic technique. I grew up in Florida and learned to fish there. Now I'm by the Chesapeake Bay and I wouldn't have figured out how to catch those fish on the outgoing tide because it's so unnatural to me. But I caught a 27" red 2 days ago that I let go, and a bunch of shorties, and yesterday I got a 19" red there. And I've caught a bunch of trout mixed in with the reds. The rail is packed on that pier because the bite has been crazy good, even fishin' backwards.

[@MarshManMasson]

Thanks for the report from the NE. Always great to hear what viewers are doing in other parts of the country!

[@colindavisandnightpeople]

I’m confused about how you feel a fish hit the drop shot bait

[@agave1314]

🐸✝️ God bless you and your family and friends ✝️

[@victorrangel1478]

You missing Jo following your lure!

[@MarshManMasson]

You know you’re dispensable when you get replaced by a traffic cone

[@montanacosta]

👍🇺🇸

[@billmoss5624]

👍😎✌🏼

[@colindavisandnightpeople]

It seems like all of these techniques can be accomplished without the ‘dropshot’ Like why does a weight need to be added several feet away from the bait when a jighead accomplishes the same thing. Dropshot/carolina rig seems unnecessarily complicated

[@jasonkimbrel37]

Because you can keep the bait in the strike zone longer while still giving it lots of action. Can’t really do that with a jig head unless you’re vertical jigging.