The Bait Rig - The Origin Story
"You can catch a big fish with a small hook but you can't catch a small fish with a big hook"
I was at work, but my mind kept drifting to fishing, and the urge to get to the sand wouldn’t let go. As the morning wore on and lunchtime approached, I finally gave in—I’d take the rest of the day off and head to the beach. It was Wednesday, and the beach was two and a half hours away. If I left at noon, I could be in my spot by 2:30 and fish until 8:30, still making it home by my usual bedtime. The plan felt too perfect to ignore. I hit the road and headed south, and there’s a special feeling of freedom in having fun when you're supposed to be working. Windows down, air conditioning blasting, music turned up, and rods in the back. I made the right decision.
I pulled up to my usual surf spot, but the conditions were already working against me. The current was ripping fast, and thick mats of seaweed clogged everything in sight. I cast my first line into the waves anyway—only for it to wash right back up on the beach within a few minutes, tangled and useless. Time to abort. When the surf is this bad, the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is my go-to backup plan. It’s calmer, more predictable, and often holds fish when the beach is a mess. I drove over and found a decent spot along the bank. I cast out a couple of rods and settled in. Within minutes, the rod tips started bouncing like crazy. I reeled in the first one—bait completely gone. Rebaited, cast back out. Same story with the second rod. Then the first rod started dancing again, so I picked it up, held it lightly, and waited for a solid pull to set the hook. Nothing. Just a faint nibble at best. When I reeled it in… bait gone again. This went on way longer than I’d like to admit. Rebait, cast, wait, reel in empty hook. Repeat. The fish (or whatever was down there) were clearly winning this round. Frustrated, I finally decided to take a break, sit back, and rethink my approach.
Frustrated, I sat back in my chair, stared at the water, and tried to figure out what was going on. Something out there was stealing my bait—maybe crabs? But what if it wasn’t? It could just as easily be small fish picking at it. Maybe my hooks were simply too big. I remembered something an old-timer told me as a kid: “You can catch a big fish with a small hook, but you can’t catch a small fish with a big hook.” That stuck with me. Sure, I’ve caught a few tiny fish on big hooks before, but today it felt like the right time to test the theory. I had my tackle box and crimpers with me, so I got to work right there on the bank. I built a simple three-hook leader about two feet long. I don’t normally use swivels, but since I was targeting whatever little thieves were down there, it made sense. I dug through my box and found the smallest hooks I had. I cut tiny pieces of bait, threaded them on, and cast the new rig out. Within a few minutes, the rod tip was bouncing again. This time I didn’t rush it. I sat in my chair and watched the tip dance for about five minutes. Finally, I reeled in slowly… and couldn’t believe what I saw. A fish on every single hook! These were the little culprits that had been robbing me the whole time. I laughed out loud as I unhooked three small fish. I rebaited with fresh tiny pieces and casted back out. A few minutes later—three more fish! It kept happening again and again. I was steadily catching whiting, brown trout, hardheads, and even a few small black drum.
The next few hours were fun. The fish were small but at least I was catching. It was getting dark and I knew I had to leave soon. That “one last cast” I decided to make was a good one. My rod tip didn’t just bounce this time—it slammed down hard, and my drag started peeling line off the spool. This fish was way too big for this light leader, I thought. I fought him very carefully. When he pulled, I let him run. I kept steady pressure on him and slowly worked him closer. After a good fight, I finally tired him out and brought him to the bank. A large black drum! Wow—I couldn’t believe I had landed him on that little three-hook rig. I took a quick picture, admired him for a moment, and released him back into the water.
This is the black drum from that night
I drove home that evening thinking about how many fish I had caught. On the way, an idea hit me: I needed to make a few more of these leaders and try them in the surf. If I could catch those small fish consistently, I could use them for bait. Over the next few weeks and several fishing trips later, I had perfected the leader. I switched to the perfect 4X circle hooks and used 80 lb test line. I started catching a ton of fish and kept wondering why I had never thought of making this rig before. It was so simple and effective—everyone should use these! Before long, the idea grew bigger. I needed to make a bunch of these and sell them. And that’s exactly what I did. The Bait Rig became the very first product that Just Bitten Fishing Tackle sold back in 2015.
Over the years, many of my customers have reached out and sent me pictures of the fish they’ve caught using The Bait Rig. Redfish over 40 inches, two-foot span stingrays, jack crevalle, alligator gar, and more — all fish that are way too big for this little leader with snap swivels. I’ve received emails about how this rig has gotten their children on so many fish that their kids are now completely hooked on fishing. Customers tell me it’s the only leader they use. I also hear from fishermen who don’t even have to bring bait with them to the beach anymore. They simply cast out The Bait Rig while setting up their bigger rods, and by the time they’re done, they already have fresh bait ready to go.
I have found that The Bait Rig works best with Fishbites. I’ve tried many times to become a distributor for them on my website, but they have turned down every request. Personally, I like to use a different flavor of Fishbites on each hook. They stay on the hooks extremely well and I don’t have to get my hands messy with squid or shrimp. Of course, when I’m tournament fishing I still use a mix of squid, shrimp, and Fishbites depending on the conditions. Give it a try. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
