Don Moorman, Swimbait Trophy Bass Hunter, shows us the Double Hudd Rig
(continued)
There
were not a lot of bassers out today on Pardee but the trout anglers were out in
full force, and the mass of trolling boats looked like a bona fide salmon fleet.
We stuck to the shoreline early and started working along the bank. Moorman
brought out the Double Hudd Rig early and showed us the implementation.
No these swimbaits aren't getting
frisky, Cal and Don set into each other!
His setup is
a modification of a traditional double fluke rig. He rigs two 6 inch Hudds
attached via two swivels. The first swivel is tied directly to the main line and
setup like a Carolina rig only without the weight. The second swivel is slid
onto the line like the weight from the Carolina rig. Attached to the free end of
both swivels are leaders of varying lengths that are then connected to the six
inch Hudds.
Don asks "who set into who?" and
it is determined that Don's Hudd draws first blood
Key to this
rig is the use of different rate of fall baits to gain separation in the water
column during the retrieve. In other words, a ROF 12 is used on the bottom of
the rig tied to the swivel in direct contact with the main line, and a ROF 5 is
attached to the free sliding swivel at the top of the rig. Moorman recommends
leader lengths of about 18 inches and up with the lower leader being a tad
longer than the top by about six inches.
Don employs a
wide range of swimbaits in his pursuit of big bass
Moorman
explained that it is possible to use the standard eight inch Hudds but casting
them will do a real number on your rod, not to mention your shoulder. The 6 inch
size is perfect for this setup.
With the day
warming up Moorman works the bank with the double rig
We asked if
he’s experienced much tangling of the lures on either the cast or during
retrieve, and without answering Moorman simply whipped the rig over his shoulder
and cast it out. He launched the baits just as far as a single and both Hudds
hit the water at the same time about two and a half feet apart.
On casts the
double rig doesn't tangle up
One Hudd in
the water is a pretty cool sight with its amazingly lifelike profile and tail
wag, but as we witnessed Moorman’s retrieve, the two baits swimming close to
each other made the baits look even more lifelike. Because the rig uses varying
leader lengths and Hudds with different fall rates, the baits really look like
two schooling fish. The deeper bait acts like the follower and Moorman confirmed
that the majority of his hits on this rig have come on the rear bait.
Two baits
away...
Next Section: The Double Hudd Rig comes to
life...
