Many anglers use two-hook stiff rigs on their offshore trolling lures, and most use heat-shrink tubing or electrical tape to stiffen the rig. The problem with these rigging materials is that once the rig is assembled, neither allows for inspection of the gear after a fish is caught. Both tape and heat-shrink trap salt water, breeding corrosion for the life of the rig. I also don”¿t think it”¿s a good idea to apply heat to mono, even just to tighten the heat-shrink tube, and once it is in place, I cannot tell if I have damaged the mono in process. To remedy this, I bought some 3/8″ vacuum tubing at the auto parts store. Simply cut the length needed, slide it on your leader, crimp on your double hook, and slide the vacuum tube over the shank of the hook. The tubing keeps the trailer hook where you position it (90 or 180 degrees off the lead hook) and protects the crimped end from the lure head. Best of all, this method allows for easy inspection – just slide it back off the hook and wash the whole rig with fresh water at the end of the day.
– Rob Brewer, Ewa Beach, Hawaii
