Your opener set up

I am going out with 4 rods.

Blue runner inshore rod, 20# big game with a Trix Jetty Worm.

My dropshot bass rod with my sabiki.

Ugly stik tiger with 50# spectra and 15# fluoro leader baited with a jigging spoon.

My bass pitching stick riged to dropshot bait.

What do you have put together for the Friday night taco fest?

MolBasser

MH 7 foot Fenwick with an Abu 6500, 30# Spectra, 3.5 oz Megabait with 4/0 siwash.  This setup slays em!

7' MH Ugly stick, ABU6500, 1-3 oz shad style jig heads, my own custom swimbaits

It's going to be fun!!!

Penn 9 levelwind on a 6' stoutish shakespeare with 1-4oz jigs and scampis.  For live bait I'll put a squid on a jig just like I would a scampi.  Might bring the 3/0 senator w/ 30lb mono for diamond jigs if I'm someplace with deeper water.

Secret rod and reel with secret line and secret lures and secret bait... probably fish from my secret spot and take a secret road to get there.

(couldn't resist)  

I'm saving up for one of your secret rods!  shhh

7' Tallus, TLD w/PowerPro, Flurocarbon topshot, leadhead jigs.  Big gaff.

Question:  Some hookups turn out to be fish that grab only the tail of the swimbait and then let go when they get to the surface.  Does anybody have experience with tying on a second hook to dangle near the tail of the swimbait?

What knot should be used and where do you tie it on?  

John

KZ, you smarty pants!!

MolBasser

I tie a 2/0 octopus hook onto a 1-2" piece of line with a noose at the other end.  Noose it about the main hook on a swimbait and hook it through the tail or whatever.  I did that with squid for the RF derby last opener and most of the fish came on the stinger hook.  Granted most of the fish were dinky gophers...   If the fish is big enough to be worth eating, he'll probably take the whole thing down no problem - especially a lingcod.  Usually I don't bother, I was just trying for every edge on the derby.

For a stinger hook on a jig... you might try these hooks from Gamagatsu.  I have a pack of them but haven't tried them yet... could probably attach them to the main hook on a swimbait jig to get one more hook back by the tail of the jig.

http://www.gamakatsu.com/new_products/new_assist510.htm


I also saw this one on their website... looks like a nice rig for halibut fishing... anyone ever try one of these?
http://www.gamakatsu.com/new_products/new_nrtreble.htm

I have been making a homemade version of the second setup for a few years, works great.

I also saw this one on their website... looks like a nice rig for halibut fishing... anyone ever try one of these?

It's a nice rig, but I think you'd end up missing fish that strike the head.  I would replace the nose ring with a small hook instead.

It all depends on where I'm going to be fishing, the type of structure below, depth, water vis, and target species.  I like to keep it simple. 6'0 Calstar rated 8-20 with an Abu Garcia loaded with 12 lb line line. A 7 ft reddington or lamiglass inshore flipping rod and Newell 229 loaded with 20 lb line and 4 oz single hook megabait, and other jigs around the same weight. A clastar 440 6'6" with a Penn 500 loadedwith 30 lb for the deep reefs off Big Sur. I usually fish an 8-10 oz diamond or jax jig on something like this.
I love to fish the plastic, and this has always been where I have had most of my success. When it comes down to it, turning a good day into a killer day all depends on matching your tackle to the bait in the water and what the fish have been chewing on. Also, here's an age old fishermens adagy: when its light out, use light colors, and vice versa for cloudy days. This best reflects the natural color of the bait based on the above water lighting. A few tried and true colors are white or root beer scampis, and purple/black or anchovy fishtraps. The size and the ledhead depends on the depth and current. Fish em slow and kinda make em dance a bit over the bottom. Sometimes the rockfish will literally be hopping on your jigs, but this is not always the case, and that is where your jig technique comes into play.
I've also noticed that the phatt cabezon in shallow really like purple or red single tails, which most likely imitate octopus or the red crabs, which are some of their primary food.
Lings like just about anything they can get there mouths on, but when they are being more picky, a 7 inch purple/black fishtrap or long green eel jig has worked many times. When the water is murky, think flashy or chrome color.

I really like those gamakatsu jig stinger hooks.  I've caught alot of fish where the trebble caught them on the outside of the mouth, I always figured they were attacking the head and unluckily getting popped by the trebble.  Anyone know of a store in SJ that carries them?  

JZumi, short strkes are solved by downsizing your lures/bait (on swimbaits you can snip an inch off the head and use the same jighead)unfortunately, as PS pointed out, its probably cause the fish are smaller.

Secret rod and reel with secret line and secret lures and secret bait... probably fish from my secret spot and take a secret road to get there.

(couldn't resist)