Simple bass rig
BeginnerAlso called Single-hook bass trace
One bait, one hook, a trace a bass will not think about. Often fished close, sometimes with a light lead.
Present a crab, rag or sandeel to a bass without a Christmas tree of snoods.
One hook length, one hook, a light lead. The skill is where you put it, not how many swivels you own. A three-hook flapper is the usual wrong turn, not a promotion.
Diagram
When to use
Surf, an estuary mouth, dusk, a crab or a rag or a sandeel for bass. One bait in the right water.
Surf, estuary mouths, a dusk session.
Ground and marks
Beach, Estuary, River mouth, Rock mark. Ground: sand, mud, mixed.
Surf, an estuary mouth, dusk, a crab or a rag or a sandeel for bass. One bait in the right water.
A three-hook flapper ‘just in case’ on a bass tide. A 6 oz grip and a 4/0 Christmas tree in two feet of surf.
First of the flood over a bar or into a creek. Dusk on a surf beach. They use the tide; they do not sit in slack ditches.
Marks: Beach, Estuary, River mouth, Rock mark. Ground: sand, mud, mixed.
A 3 ft 20–30 lb trace, one hook, a crab or a rag. Cast to the feature, not the horizon. Hold the rod or watch it — bass often hit and run.
Hooks 1/0–3/0. Lead: 2–4 oz, often a breakout.
15–20 lb mono or 20–30 lb braid, a light shock leader or a 20–30 lb fluoro if the lead is light. Single hook length 2–4 ft of 20–30 lb. Breakout lead 2–4 oz.
How to tie it
- 01A 3 ft 20–30 lb trace, one hook, a crab or a rag.
- 02Cast to the feature, not the horizon.