Stinger Rigging Soft Plastics for Barra

By Nicholas Moore

Fishing the impoundments west of Mackay for more than 10 years for barra has taught us a lot of things and each fish/bite/session and season gives you subtle hints for continuous progression.

Something that a good mate of mine came up with the one day when we were rigging lures is a method of adding stingers to plastics. It just so happened that it has now become our staple and it has numerous advantages over traditional methods but like with anything has its trade-offs.

Many have seen the common methods of crimped mono or nylon coated wire looped over the eye of the hook. Or assist cord connected to a treble hooked then attached to the soft plastics. The list of stinger options is almost endless.

Getting Connected

This method I’m going to share involves placing a swivel over the shank of the hook, which is not new, however locking it in place to ensure proper hook-ups or to stop the assist tearing the plastic apart is something new that I’ve added to how I do things. This stinger system is particularly good with plastics like the new 6.2” Bait Junkie Minnow that has a good slot in the belly. 

The Ingredients

Below is what you will need:

* A good jighead. I am not going to mention weights as we tailor these to the specific spots we fish as well as scenarios.

* The smallest strongest swivel you can find that will fit over the barb. I love Japan Power Swivels.

* A length of 80-100lb braid

* A decent treble for a stinger

* And a split ring

* A bait needle or loop of steel wire

Step by Step Guide

Step 1-The first step is to tie off one end of the braid using a Miller knot to the swivel.

Step 2- Next you want to measure the distance from where you want the stinger to hand up to the eye and back. At this measurement point tie another Miller knot to the same eye of the swivel.

Step 3-You will effectively have a loop of braid on the swivel.

Step 4-Lay the loop on the jighead to check loop length in preparation for the next step.

Step 5-Now time to assemble. First thread the hook onto the plastic into the slot in the plastic.

Step 6-Next thread the hook through the swivel and nudge over the barb.

Step 7-The next step is to use the bait needle. From the front of the plastic alongside the shank of the hook. Push the eye end of the needle through to the slot. Then pull the braid loop through the eye, then pull the needle and loop back through the plastic.

Step 8-Now thread the braid loop over the jighead eye and attach.

 

Step 9-You will note the swivel sits nicely in the slot. The main purpose of the braid loop is to stop the swivel moving any further back along the shank and to stop the the stinger from tearing through the plastic like some of the other methods can do.

Step 10- Finally attach a split ring and treble to your now attached braided/swivel setup.

Finished Product- Below is the fully rigged soft plastic.

Extra Tip- The Bait Junkies come in a clam shell and this is perfect place to store your stinger rigged plastics. All you need to do is cut a small slot in the clam shell for the jighead to protrude from the packaging.

 Conclusion

There are a lot of advantages to this method, and I think you’ll find it a great way to enhance your soft plastic swimbaits.

The new Bait Junkie Minnows are excellent for this rigging method and allows you to increase your number of hook points which in this case helps to increase your hook-up rate on barra.

If you haven’t tried the new Bait Junkies yet I encourage you to give them, and this rigging method, a try.