Skip to main content

Easy Stinger Rigs

Easy Stinger Rigs
Easy Stinger Rigs

Customize wire leaders to avoid cutoffs and promote more and better hookups.



King mackerel fishermen know all about downsizing tackle to lure big fish to the bait. Smaller diameter fishing lines, lighter gauge hooks and swivels are more likely to catch the eye of a mature and educated king mackerel. Perhaps the most critical adjustment, however, is in the size of the wire bite leader.

Over the years, leaders commonly used on the tournament circuit have downsized from No. 5 to No. 3 wire. Stinger wire, too, has dropped from No. 6 to No. 4.

An important side benefit of going with lighter, more flexible wire is that your live baits will swim better and live longer. Menhaden may live up to 12 years in the wild, but an improperly rigged bait may live only 2 minutes in your trolling spread.

Lightening up wire leader is a deadly game that king mackerel fishermen play until fish are lost on a regular basis. Eventually, you reach a point where the lightest wire is severed by the sharp teeth of the king mackerel.

Single Hook Stinger

One solution is to use medium-gauge wire for the stinger, or back half of the rig, but hide it in the skin of the bait. Jacksonville's Dave Workman Jr. does this. He begins by selecting coffee-colored wire. Dave also inspects several wires and picks the darker colored wire; the reasoning is that sunlight reflecting off bright wire may spook fish (for the same reason, Workman employs black kingfish hooks and swivels).

For the primary leader, Workman uses about three feet of No. 3 wire, with a black No. 4 Spro Power Swivel haywire wrapped to the line side. The terminal end he passes through the eye of a 5/0 shortshank black Octopus hook and simultaneously through another No. 4 Power Swivel. This first hook and swivel are then secured with a haywire wrap connection. Next, Workman haywire wraps a short length of No. 4 piano wire to a second 5/0 black Octopus hook and the remaining side of the Spro swivel. (Attaching the stinger wire and hook to the swivel eliminates the possibility of the stinger wire pulling through the gap in the eye of the nose hook during a fight.) The length of this “stinger” is adjusted so that the aftmost hook can be embedded in the live bait just in back of its dorsal fin.

Next, Workman lays the stinger hook alongside of the live bait just in back of the dorsal fin and measures where the hook can be hidden under the skin without impeding its swimming action.

When large live baits are hard to find, Workman beefs up the profile of his rig by adding a Boone duster onto the leader wire so that it swims just in front of the bait. A colorful duster can also help baits stand out in dirty water, which is common outside inlets on falling tides.

Single-Treble Combo

Captain Bill Miller uses a single J-hook forward and a treble hook stinger.

First, he takes a pair of side cutter pliers and opens up the eye of a 2/0 live bait hook. Next, he threads a No. 6, 80-pound black barrel swivel over the eye of the nose hook, then positions it at the bend of the nose hook and closes the eye of the nose hook.

Next, haywire wrap a short 4- or 5-inch section of No. 4 brown piano wire to the remaining side of the swivel. A No. 4, 4X strong treble hook is then haywire wrapped to the remaining end of the stinger wire. Adjust the length of the stinger wire so that the hook lies just in back of the dorsal fin of the live bait. A No. 10, 35-pound black barrel swivel is haywire wrapped to an 18-inch length of No. 4 brown piano wire. The end of the leader wire is then haywire wrapped to eye of the nose hook.

Wire kingfish leaders can also be fashioned to slow-troll double live baits. Here, a second No. 4 coffee-colored piano stinger wire is haywire wrapped to eye of the first stinger hook. Next, a second stinger hook is haywire wrapped to the tag end of the remaining stinger wire. When rigging double baits always nose hook the larger live bait first, followed by a small live bait. This way the stronger live bait swim ahead of the smaller, weaker live bait avoiding wire tangles.

Finally, always have on board several pre-made wire leaders so that kinked wire leaders can be replaced when a mackerel is caught or released. FS

First published Florida Sportsman December 2015




GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Videos

Cover Up With Sun-Protective Clothing

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Videos

Inflation We Can Live With! Mustang Convertible PFD

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Videos

Converting and Re-Arming Mustang Inflatable A/M PFD

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Videos

YakAttack Rod Management Systems Set the Bar for Kayak Anglers

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Videos

YakAttack Kayak Carts Will Get You There

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Videos

YakAttack Tackle Storage Just Got WAY BETTER

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Videos

Take Gear and Tackle Storage to NEW HEIGHTS with Outdoor Crates

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Gear

‘Magnetic Tethered' Kayak Rods

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Gear

Plano Soft Sided Tackle Bags

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Gear

NuCanoe Unlimited U10

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Gear

What's New in Fly Reels: Hardy

Long-range binoculars are a great asset on a fishing boat, but the view gets shaky quick. Fujinon has a great solution w...
Gear

Fujinon's Ultimate Offshore Fishing Binoculars

Florida Sportsman Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

Preview This Month's Issue

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Get the Florida Sportsman App apple store google play store

Other Magazines

See All Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get the top Florida Sportsman stories delivered right to your inbox.

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All Florida Sportsman subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now

Never Miss a Thing.

Get the Newsletter

Get the top Florida Sportsman stories delivered right to your inbox.

By signing up, I acknowledge that my email address is valid, and have read and accept the Terms of Use