Live-bait rig

Hook a lively baitfish through the lips or shoulder, cast or drift it out near current or structure, and let the bait's own natural swimming action attract a strike

Best for: Striped Bass Red Drum Cobia Flounder
Water: bayinletbridgeoffshore

Schematic, not to scale. Hover, tap, or tab through the parts; the drawing isolates each one.

Terms usedMain line Swivel Leader Hook sizes

Components

As listed in the rig record, top to bottom.

Main line to a swivelSwivel
Leader to a hook sized and styled to the live baitBait
Small supplemental weight or float, only if needed to control depth

Setup

Hook: A circle or octopus hook sized to the specific live bait (a spot, croaker, mullet, or eel), hooked through the lips or back to keep it swimming naturally and alive as long as possible.
Weight: As little added weight as the situation allows — the goal is to let the live bait swim and present itself naturally; add just enough weight (or none, see Free-Line Rig) to keep it in the strike zone.

How to fish it

Hook a lively baitfish through the lips or shoulder, cast or drift it out near current or structure, and let the bait's own natural swimming action attract a strike.

When to use it

Bridge pilings, channel edges, and buoys on a moving tide
Big striped bass, cobia, and flounder that want a bait that swims
Enough current to carry the bait, but not so much that it drags

Common mistakes

Over-weighting the rig, which restricts the live bait's natural movement and defeats the purpose of fishing it live in the first place

Variations

Natural-bait rigs: the same idea, adjusted

Rigs drawn from the same schematic family — heavier, lighter, or with one part changed for a different fish or water.

All bottom rigs

Where to use it

Water this rig is documented for

Spots marked “species match” document a fish this rig is for and the way it is fished — a place to try it, not a report that it has been fished there.

All fishing spots