Some thoughts on Riggies

[HanoverStriper]

Big riggie fan Rick. Haven't fished them this year, primarily due to time restraints. I ain't got any!

For reasons already listed above, I prefer riggies over live eels. Honestly, I get bored fishing live eels. Riggies are heavier, cast better, last longer, hookup better (no bowing to the cow), and store easily.

Like you, there have been nights when I would fish plugs for an hour or so without a touch, and hook up as soon as switching over to the riggie. There is no mistaking when you get hit, and you can setup immediately on the fish. You can also work more of the water column with a riggie. I typically cast them out, let them sink for a varying time depending on water depth, and retrieve at a moderate pace while lifting and dropping the rod slowly with an occasional twitch.

Time to rig is the only negative I can see with riggies, but the more you do, the easier it gets. They don't have to be pretty to catch either.

[DonLBI]

I was convinced they work one night while fishing the sod. I got a wind knot on a cast, I cradled my rod under my arm trying to pick out the knot. The riggie was in the water about a foot away from the sod bank. When the bass hit it almost pulled the rod into the water with it.

[numbskull]

As great as rigged eels work, and work they do, concluding that your experience catching fish with a rigged eel after failing with a plug means that rigged eels (or live eels for that matter) typically work 'better' than plugs is a mistake that may close your mind to what is possible and cost you lots of fish over the years (particularly if you lose or never gain confidence with plugs).

Some things for people to consider.

First, staying with a single plug too long is a mistake.
There are many times I'll make 10 (or less) casts with a needle and do nothing, then hook up on the next cast with a darter or swimmer (or vice versa).

Next realize that is important with plugs to vary the depth you fish, which is hard to do since most plugs start and stay near the top. A rigged eel (like a jig or rubber) is much easier to fish deeper (and a live eel easier yet again).

Retrieve speed is also an issue. Dogma is that slow is best. Dogma is often right but often also wrong. The experience with sluggos, multi-segmented swim baits, stick shads, and even buck tails shows that bass often prefer faster moving offerings. Rigged eels are usually retrieved faster than plugs and I'm sure that is a big factor in their success.

No question there are situations where something that gets deep and works fast will outfish a needle. That is what your experience is telling you. Rigged eels are a good way to accomplish that. There are lots of other ways as well.

[piemma]

I also felt live eels would outfish riggies untill about 8 years ago at Black Point in Narr. Typical slow night in July. Hot, humid and no wind. Bottom of the tide at around 1 AM and I had been throwing live all night. One last cast with a riggie and WHAM! About 25#. 3 more fish in the 20s and I never moved off the rock that I had been throwing live from all night. I became a believer!!! Since then, they are my go to when the fishing is tough.
RIRockhound wrote an article about rigging with plastic wire ties and with his system you can rig an eel in about 10 minutes. Plus they last a lot longer.