Time is precious when fishing. When we get time to fish, we need to get to the water, put on our gear, find the fish, and then figure out how to catch them. One of the worst skills that many anglers have is tying knots and rigging their lines.

Many fly guys use a strike indicator, 2 nymphs, and one nymph that is a dropper. If they dry fly fish, the rig means a top fly and a dropper. 

Ice Men need to rig up with cold fingers. Tying knots in the cold can be miserable. They too often use multiple rods and rigs. On Canyon Ferry, in the Winter, IceMen can use up to 6 rods! 

Spinner fishermen use a variety of lures, crank baits, hooks, snelled hooks, bobbers, sinkers, swivels, and other rigs. All of them require proper and different knots. 

Each rig takes time to tie and prepare. If you are doing this while on the water, you are wasting fishing time. Why not plan and prepare ahead of time?

PRE-Rigging saves time. Your rigs can be precisely tied, while you are at home. It’s warm, comfortable, and you can focus. The challenge comes when you prepare the rigs and need to store them, without tangling them up. 

Here are some pre-rig suggestions. 

Use a foam pad with shark teeth cut into them. Dense foam comes in different colors and is stiffer. Hooks easily attach to the foam. You can wrap the rigs around the foam and keep them separated. 

Another trick is to use cardboard that has shark teeth cut into it. You can stick the hook into the cardboard and wrap the rigs around the stiff paper. Now slide the pre rig into a plastic bag. Old leader bags work perfectly. 

Toilet tubes also work well. You can wrap the fishing line around the tubes and place them into a plastic bag, where they are ready to go. I have also used pipe foam insulation for this task. 

These tubes work especially well if you are using long trolling rigs or slip bobber rigs. You can mark the leader length onto the pads, paper, or foam. 

The beauty of these Pre-Rigs is that only ONE KNOT will be needed to re tie and regroup. If you struggle with tying a proper Blood Knot, use a Micro swivel. These allow you to tie a simple clinch knot. 

We have all seen the fishermen struggling to see, tie, and make a fly, lure, or hook selection, after breaking off a fish. If you don’t believe me, time yourself. 

Don’t be that guy!

Montana Grant