Meat Rig Fishing-Secrets, Tips and Tactics-Fundamental Fishing

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Check out another great video here kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4WliX2VbdKVbpYfeature=shared

[@DaveSchramm]

Great video. Finally bought a big boat last year and have 2 seasons under my belt now. Trying to learn from every place imaginable. Was in manistee recently (im from Kalamazoo and fish out of South Haven) and stopped in just to chat. Guy there on a sat morning was incredible and told me about the videos. I've been unsure how to run a mest rig. This really helped! Thanks for taking the time to put it together. Will be back to the store next time I'm up that way!

[@stevenwharmby3342]

A big THANK YOU! for making the best and most informative salmon fishing videos that I can find anywhere on the internet! I have only been down-rigging Lake Ontario for two years now. The first year I caught nothing. This year, I am catching salmon on a regular basis! Great fun!

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Steven Wharmby Thank you for the feedback, Steven! This is exactly why we’re doing these videos, to help people out. We were new at one time, and we still learn new techniques all the time.

[@rthurman9065]

Good job on this video. Speed is critical any time you run bait.... um meat for you lakes guys. About 120 rpms or 2 per second is about right for the rotation. Boat speed over ground is not important until you get up close to 4 mph. Probably not a problem on the lakes but currents in the ocean and tidewater on west coast can exceed that regularly. Something you should consider is that strip baits are very rarely used out west. They are considered short lived and only employed as a last ditch effort when you are running out of bait and you are on a hot bite. We just fillet a herring. Cut a compound angle on the big end and stick a hook through the top corner leave the second hook on a mooching rod hang and send it down. The strip will spin because of the angle. Looking at swivels used on the factory rigs it is apparent the lakes are very free of debris. All the swivels would have to be changed to bead chains, roller chains or ball bearing for use out west. Changing those out you might find that they will rotate easier allowing for even slower presentation. Probably not practical for you lakes folk but if you make your own try dropping the leader test. The smaller diameter leader lets the baits work easier ie slower speeds can be attained and a far stealthier presentation. I’m guessing you are probably using 50 lb test. West coast boats employ substantially different programs then the lakes. I have used leaders all the way down to 8lb test. Best results with 12 or 15 pound test. 30 lb is the heaviest I use. Don’t be afraid to try plug cut or whole herring or anchovies. Look to Pro Cure ( not a sponsor ) for good videos on basic rigging and bait curing. Plug cuts and whole baits have the right profile and much more flash the the strip baits hence the lack of use of strip baits on left edge. Injecting bait oils may be a game changer for the lakes. Both whole and plug cut baits will hold allot of bait oil. Try injecting your baits with herring, anchovy, sardine or tuna oil or some combination there of. You can find the syringes and needles at a good feed store. They are used on cattle. BTW strip baits would benefit from injections but have little capacity hold and meter out the oils well. When buying frozen herring look for clear eyes, a deep rounded belly, and good scale retention. If possible find out the baits source and when it was packaged. You want this years bait and if possible from Washington state. It’s hard to get even out here. Avoid anything left over from last year if possible. The good stuff has all its scales and bleeds red when cut. Old stuff doesn’t bleed.

[@bradyjandreau3834]

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[@tombarbd7446]

Thanks for the info. After living 20 years in Colorado and lots of trolling Lake Powell {Utah}, we are back in northern Michigan for the last punches on our dance card. I've got a lot to learn and a short time to learn it!!! Thanks again.

[@jimstanton1854]

Happened to be watching KZbin and fell onto your series of videos. I like them very much. I live in South Dakota and most folks don't realize we have salmon and trout here but in actuality we do on Oahe Reservoir. I also head east about 4 times yearly to sheboygan Wi. I am an avid salmon fisherman and we utilize both Great Lakes tactics and Pacific tactics and merge the two at times. I appreciate your simple approach to the various types of salmon set ups and you are both personable to watch as well as give good usable info. Keep putting out your videos, I appreciate you sharing.

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Thanks Jim for the nice comments and thanks for watching the channel.

[@jonmartel1005]

MC Rockets! Adjustable roll

[@carlericpickett597]

Wow, never heard of this for Salmon fishing. Great video.

[@dkillerv6983]

Thanks for all your Awesome vids.I have started fishing salmon again after a 10 plus year stop and your videos are huge for me to get back in the game..THANK YOU !!!!

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Thank you for the nice comments and for watching the videos.

[@huntfishfightfire]

I'm on the Wisconsin side and the two meat rigs that really stand out on my boat have been the Dreamweaver Green Gasoline and the Big Water Green Mile. I love when they get hit because it's usually big and silver.

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Both of those are great.

[@paulnicholson7679]

Fishing Lake Ontario I've only used single hooks with one in the body and one in the tail. Will try this free floating treble setup for my next one.

[@steveneddy9492]

Caught my First Salmon on meat rig. Learned so much from you..

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Thank you.

[@jeffcummings5688]

Thanks Chris for sharing your knowledge.Tangled Tackle and Dreamweaver for sponsorship

[@terryhemmes6210]

Ive never had a mest rig go. Have a couple things to change like checking the roll of the meat rig. Hope these work better for me

[@kentuuri8272]

Thxs for the video Chris👍🏻. I can say I was intimated with using meat rigs and it’s a big investment if you end up picking the wrong colours and styles. I fish the North Shore of Lake Superior on the Canadian side and I heard from a friend in Wawa that they were using them there quite successfully. So I went for it I bought some Captain Johns and Dream Weavers. I know generally you can’t go wrong with green glow and uv in spoons so that’s the colour of meat rigs and flashers I bought. I also dip Net my own Smelt in spring for bait. I brine my own smelts and use Pautzke brine in green Uv and OrangeUv and natural Uv as well as my own recipes. I haven’t used bait strips just Smelt in my teaser heads. Meat rigs have definitely become my biggest producer of salmon and big lakers in my spread. Thxs

[@tangledtacklefishing]

They are strong producers. That’s great you have smelt run to get your own bait. This is the first year in a long time we had a few show up about a week ago. Thanks for the great comment. We appreciate it.

[@Bradleyoutdoorsman]

Thank you for your video I don’t do meat rigging but maybe someday I will but I actually enjoyed just watching a video in general as I’m a basically a new salmon fishery that I’ve been starting to use spoons and stuff like that. I mainly fish inland but wanting to enjoy great lakes to

[@elizabethberger468]

We just found your channel. This is awesome information thank you for sharing.

[@tangledtacklefishing]

You're absolutely welcome.

[@jayfogarty7544]

Hi Chris, are salmon main food source here in SD. on Lake Oahe is Herring and Smelt. Would you know if Alewife cut bait work just as good if herring isn't available? I know Alewife are part of the Herring family. Thanks!

[@tangledtacklefishing]

I wouldn't hesitate to try Alewife. I think you will have good success with it.

[@MrWaadman]

I'm looking for bulk heads for customization purposes. Maybe a couple hundred. Any ideas?

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Purple Taco Fly Supply. Look them up on the web.

[@tangledtacklefishing]

As always thanks for watching. If you're new to the meat rig game or even an old salt this video will give you some great insight to meat rig fishing, and some tips and tactics to put more fish in your boat.

[@tdew1967]

Awesome video. Wish I had them a few years ago when I started out. Keep up the good work. 👍🏼

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Thanks T. We absolutely appreciate it.

[@rroflik]

BIG Thank you, ton of great information. Little things that matter.

[@dongreer6717]

I notice two holes at the end of the flashers. Which one is the default side? Does it just make the flasher turn counter clockwise if you switch sides. :

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Run it on the fin side, and no, it does not change direction by changing it.

[@billgregory9560]

Im fishing lake temagami and looking for education planning to use herring this year Il keep looking thanks

[@craigjordan7938]

Great video! Appreciate the info!

[@davidmclachlan354]

What is the best way to tie a copper or lead core to monofilament. Love your show. I fish out of Michigan City Indiana Dave McLachlan

[@tangledtacklefishing]

David McLachlan for copper, a small swivel between the two. For lead core, a Willis knot.

[@Noidea242]

A you don’t consider fluorescent orange I have had great success late in the season with it

[@jegorah1]

Great video. Thanks.

[@partymarty6280]

Great Video!! I’m just getting ready to start learning how to fish meat rigs, can you tell me what length lead you would reccomend for meat rig on Downriggers? Thank you... Marty

[@tangledtacklefishing]

20-25 feet is a good start. As you get more comfortable with them you can experiment more.

[@leonardbannen4073]

You showed how to use the strips but did i miss on how to start with the herring and prepare it to use? Thanks

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Leonard Bannen it’s in the first five minutes of the video. Or just use them right out of the package.

[@leonardbannen4073]

@@tangledtacklefishing "whole herring" s what I meant to say

[@tangledtacklefishing]

We can’t get whole herring now so it’s on hold until that changes.

[@TheeRiverGoat]

Dude, what an awesome video. Thank you.

[@tangledtacklefishing]

You’re welcome Eric. Glad you got something out of it.

[@billgregory9560]

made lots of sense thank you

[@bmk506]

Great video man 👌👍 Can't let Atomic go unmentioned....killer flys and meat rigs they use ryes and John king heads and have some good cut bait as well! Tight lines everyone

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Good shout out. There are so many I apologize for getting to mention that one.

[@melvinbaker9416]

What rods do you like to use down riggers and for dipsy rods

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Okuma Convector Pro wire rods. Best I've ever used.

[@chrishartzell317]

Are there any benefits of running one style meat compared to the other? Speaking in reference to whole meat compared to already cut meat

[@tangledtacklefishing]

chris hartzell some years the fish seem to prefer one over the other, just like any other lure. If strips aren’t working, try whole herring or vice versa.

[@471shawn]

Very good video thank you I will have to try a meat rig for sure.

[@robbieleist3416]

Great video! Thanks for the information. I am a Lake Erie Walleye guy and I am trying to figure what to use on Manistee Lake in mid-October. This will be my first trip up there, coming from Ohio. I kept hearing the term meat rig used but wasn't sure what it was, this cleared it up, thanks again! Would meat rigs be a good option in Manistee lake around mid-October? I mostly pull jets using big boards on Erie. For this trip I was planning on using dipseys. Just not sure what to put behind them. Any advice would be greatly appreciated and I'm more than willing to trade tactics with anyone wanting to visit lake Erie for Walleye.

[@tangledtacklefishing]

I'd stick more to body baits and spoons.

[@brianlane4871]

How far behind the ball do you run the big hoochies and meat rigs when fishing deep past temp break?

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Good question Brian. We like to snug them up. 12-15 feet.

[@stevebrewer6775]

Will lake trout hit meat rigs? And if so is there a specific color or style?

[@tangledtacklefishing]

They will and they love green.

[@barryech2010]

Love your channel

[@jessejonas7846]

If you don’t have a fish hawk for depth speed is there something to look for while out trolling to maybe get close

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Great question Jesse. Try to watch your downrigger cables and your dipsy lines. With time and experience you can start to get an idea of which direction the current is moving and how to adjust accordingly. Also watch the angle of the downrigger cables and if they are blowing back too much bring you speed down and vice versa if they are too slack. The same thing goes with your dipsy lines. Adjust your speed by watching the pull. It takes time but you can learn to watch those things and adjust your troll. Hope this helps.

[@jessejonas7846]

Tangled Tackle Fishing thank you

[@tangledtacklefishing]

No problem Jesse. Good luck.

[@jayfogarty7544]

Do those flies slide up and down the leader above your meat rig or do they have a stopping point? Do those flies make that much of a difference compared to just a flasher and meat rig? Thanks!

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Each has a stopping point so that it cannot slide further down the line. They stay spaced out that way. As far as running a naked rig with just a meat head I've tried it a few times and found the teaser rig works much better.

[@turner593]

@@tangledtacklefishing how are you stopping those flies from sliding down ? I'm assuming crmps

[@tangledtacklefishing]

@@turner593 some companies use crimps, some use toothpicks and others use other methods like double looping the line through a bead in front of the fly.

[@jameshansen1490]

Musslehead meatrigs way to go! Double white paddle!!! Deep!

[@larrychastain6830]

Great video as always. Generally,when running this rig on a downrigger,how far do you run it behind the cannonball?

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Great question! I try to sneak them back as far as I can to give some added stealth. 50 to 70 feet if I can get away with it. The deeper we go though we bring them back closer to the ball to minimize tangles. Remember when fishing with multiple downriggers to keep at least ten feet of depth difference between them and run all your leads the same length. That will also help prevent messes.

[@brennenzuniga3641]

Tangled Tackle Fishing You recommend 50-70 feet behind the cannonball?? I have always tried to stay within 30ft.

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Absolutely.

[@garrygerlach5949]

I want to run a strong wire leader ahead of the flasher to the mainline so I have less of a chance of losing it. My Question is, What is a "good length leader" for this or should I make up a variety of sizes of them 12", 24", 36", 48" and maybe some in moon as well? I have 120lb. Mono and some 80lb. Wire. Which is better or is it just personal preference?

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Gary I’m sorry but I really have no idea. I’ve never done anything like that. I run 50 pound Big Game between my Dipsy and my flasher and I don’t think I’ve ever had one break.

[@milkman2591]

Ive dragged a flasher with a 30lb mono and 30lb braid

[@remiera3802]

Keep er’ tight!

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Ha! Excellent advice.

[@brettmiron3362]

Do you use any type of small clear rubber bands to keep the hook on the meat?

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Hi Brett. No we don't. The hooks stay pretty tight to the bait while rotating.

[@phillipquinn1652]

Just wondering how you store your meat rigs and heads? I wasn’t sure if you had to do something special with them due to the scents from the meat. Thanks.

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Great question Phil. If it's a hot set up and we are going to use it again in the near future we will spray it off well with water and wrap it on the flasher. If it's being stored long term we again spray it off and wrap them on round swim noodles for storage with other meat rigs.

[@aaromflorip4028]

What size flashers would you run for staging kings in 30-50 feet of water....

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Good question Aarom. We like the eight inch flashers for those situations.

[@aaromflorip4028]

Do you run the meat rig rite out of the package?.?. Or do you do run 3x the flasher size?.?. We retie ours with floro 3x the size of the flasher..... but we are having trouble catching fish on meat.... sunny clear days and shallow water are a nightmare for our team..

[@tangledtacklefishing]

We run them as is right out of the package.

[@tylerheinrich3717]

Can u do a video on electronics graph GPS transducer radar?

[@tangledtacklefishing]

As far as installation or use or something else?

[@tylerheinrich3717]

Wat brand do u run how u have the boat rigged rod holders storage misc.

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Many of those topics will be covered in some upcoming videos as soon as we get on the water. Thanks fir the comment.

[@immel3460]

Hey Chris ever have meat soggy out of the package? Is that ok? Also you say you put your meat inside salt water? Aren't they pre salted?

[@tangledtacklefishing]

They are pre-salted but soaking them in salt and water will stiffen them up even more.

[@immel3460]

@@tangledtacklefishing I will give that I try thank you

[@michaelschmitt8133]

Do you tie your teaser flies? If you do can you do instructional video on that?

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Hi Mike. We do have a video on that subject. If you look in our channel for “make your own custom meat rigs” it should give you all the information you need. Thanks for watching.

[@wabashoutdoors9540]

Very informative, thanks for sharing video.

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Thanks Troy for the nice comment.

[@amandajohnson679]

And his name is derek johnson he just saw you he would love it!!

[@portfrankscharters]

When you are talking about speed are you talking about knots or MPH

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Peter R MPH

[@davidfox717]

Love this info ! The best

[@Tyedyetodd]

Is the meathead supposed to spin like a plugcut? I ran a three fly with meathead today (I’m in Oregon) and next to the boat at speed with the correct one second pump the meat rig didn’t seam to spin much. Our Willamette River fish love a tight spin on a whole or cut plug herring. Thanks.

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Great question. We look for about 1 1/2 spins a second. Experiment and you’ll get it dialed in to what your fish want in no time.

[@Tyedyetodd]

Meathead spin or spin doctor at 1 1/2. That damn meathead trolled at 2.3 SOG pretty much trolled flat the only action came from the flasher flop. I’m gonna go back to Spinners,whole and plug cut herring. I have no confidence in a meathead after watching it just lay there with no spin to the bait.

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Meathead Spin at 1 1/2. I’ve never seen one that didn’t spin. You can try tweaking it by putting a greater bend into the head.

[@jasonheckathorn284]

Have you used the meat rigs from Musslehead Tackle?

[@tangledtacklefishing]

I have Jason and they do run well. The biggest downside I see with them is that they tear up the meat strips to a point where you really can't use them again because of the locking head.

[@jasonheckathorn284]

@@tangledtacklefishing only used them once on our fishing trip last year when we went to Ludington and got skunked. Going up there in few weeks hopefully have alot better luck. Any word on what the kings are hitting on up there?

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Jason Heckathorn spoons have still been good with an occasional meat or fly bite.

[@andyk5960]

awesome info

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Thank you.

[@TechyTechAdvanced]

I would love to start using meat rigs but I cannot find anyone selling the green label baits where I live! They sell the rigs but not that meat that needed to run them. Lol

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Whole herring is almost impossible to find this year due to restrictions on imports driving the costs up. This year we are running pre-cut strips from Dreamweaver exclusively. Hope this helps.

[@billgregory9560]

you must own dream weaver

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Nope

[@amandajohnson679]

Hey my dad is your biggest fan when you do your live today could you shout him out

[@tangledtacklefishing]

No problem Amanda. Be happy to. Thanks for being a great daughter.

[@andyglass5462]

Nice video

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Thanks as always Andy. Happy to have you here.

[@Jayr2374]

Mussel head is best

[@matthewduboise6684]

What are your thoughts on fishing with no meat in the meat rig?

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Gotta be honest Matt, it’s never crossed my mind.

[@tomroberts6315]

Then it is called Brad's super bait cut plug..lol

[@robertbeaver7695]

how do u know how deep your dipsey diver is running

[@tangledtacklefishing]

That’s a great question. Most divers come with a dive chart on the package. It will give you an approximate depth in relation to how much line you let out. Just remember that there are multiple diver settings so make sure you’re looking at the correct chart.

[@danielwilcox1110]

'.

[@firebrand07]

One big advertisement

[@LenLaitila]

Why do these Perks babble on and on without getting to the point of the video. Came here to learn something but found nothing but advertising babble. I'm done.

[@tangledtacklefishing]

Thank you. I’ve never been called a “perk” before. Very flattering.

[@blandry021]

I stopped watching your videos because u don’t to the subject of the videos quick enough.

[@tangledtacklefishing]

That's alright. I'll survive somehow.