Try the Zephyr Cove Rig rigging soft plastic baits
By
Capt. Dave Lear
Updated: December 4, 2018
Port O’Connor, Texas guide Mac Jank loves tossing soft plastic lures at trophy trout and redfish. But he was frustrated by missing fish or tearing up the baits after only a couple strikes. So he came up with a solution. The Zephyr Cove Rig, a quick and easy modifica-tion, increases hookup ratio by 50 percent or more and extends the life of the lure.
Jank cautions that the rubber bands will dissolve the lure plastic over an extended period so they should be removed before stowing the tackle for more than a couple of days.Dave Lear
Jank’s rig adds a shock absorber to the eye of swim bait hooks, such as Owner Twist-Lock, Trokar 30-Degree, VMC Deep Drop Weighted or the Mustad PowerLock Plus that come with wire spring bait keepers. He settled on the clear rubber bands that are used with orthodontic braces. The 1/8-inch, triple strong bands work best for this purpose on hooks up to 6/0.Dave Lear
Thread the band through the eye of the hook. Loop one side of the band over the tag end of the spring wire and then do the same on the other side.Dave Lear
Screw the spring into the nose of the bait up to the rubber band. Rotate the hook back-wards along the belly of the bait to measure where to insert and then run the hook point through the bait and out the back so it lays flat. The lure is now weedless. Skin-hooking the point is optional but not really necessary.Dave Lear
