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Subject: "How to Butcher a Castaic Trout" Previous topic | Next topic
NicoFri Jun-04-04 04:31 PM
Member since Nov 03rd 2001
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#2713, "How to Butcher a Castaic Trout"
Fri Jun-04-04 04:32 PM by Nico

  

          

Ever since the beginning the Castaic Trout has always been and still is one of the most realistic looking and swimming baits on the market. It's hard to find a bait that gets more big bites. And even better, the bait is very durable... I know Fish Chris has a bait that has landed dozens of huge bass and a couple big catfish without much serious damage. The only problem has been the hooking and landing ratio. It is terrible, worse than just about any other swimbait, which is why many serious big bass fisherman have let the bait sit in their box even though it gets bit so well.

Ever since I learned about pro-rigging swimbaits from this forum a few years ago I've been experimenting with pro-rigging the Castaic baits. It works out quite well with both the Gizzard Shad and the original Castaic Trout. In anticipation for fishing tomorrow, I pro-rigged another this afternoon and took some pictures documenting the process. If you've got some of these baits lying around that you're scared to fish with, give this method a try. The hookup ratio goes from poor to great, and the landing ratio goes from terrible to superb.

Also, if you've done this before, or have any ideas for improving the setup, please post your comments. These instructions probably will not work for the new snap on type baits, but I'll update this post later on to include them.

Materials Needed

9 inch Castaic Trout (pre-snap-on model)
Mini Aquarium Tubing, 5/32 inch outside diameter
Gel Super Glue
Masking or Scotch Tape
Electric Drill with 5/32 inch bit
40 lb mono
2 2/0 Gammie round-bend trebles for rigging

The Bait

This is a really old Castaic trout that has some cracking in the head from too much exposure. It hasn't been swimming quite right ever since, so I figure I can kill two birds with one stone by pro-rigging it and correcting its tilt with internal nail weights.

http://www.ichthy.com/prorig/1.jpg

http://www.ichthy.com/prorig/2.jpg


Option A -- Cheating

You can just bend the two eyelets and drill a small hole through the bill as shown below so the line passes smoothly through them. I've never used this method in practice, so I can't really comment on the pros/cons. It seems like it should work, but I would worry about the line getting damaged. It may be the only easy option for the newer snap on heads however.

http://www.ichthy.com/prorig/cheat.jpg

Option B -- Legit Method

Step 1 - Take Apart the Bait

Carefully pull the body from the head. I would also pull the bill out. It is attached with extremely weak glue. Super-gluing it back in at a later point will create a much more durable bait.

http://www.ichthy.com/prorig/3.jpg

Step 2 - Remove the Wire

Pull the wire going through the bait out with a pair of vice grip pliers. The line tie and the hook eyelet are both part of the same wire. I haven't found any way to get it out other than the brute force method. Pull and twist out the hook eyelet first. If you try pulling the line tie eyelet out first it will break off at the nose and you'll never get the rest of it to come out.

It takes a lot of force to get the wire out, but it will come out clean.

Step 3 - Drill Holes for Line Tube

Follow the diagram below for drilling holes with a 5/32 inch bit. Be aware you will need to drill through quite a bit of lead on the bottom hole.

http://www.ichthy.com/prorig/paths.jpg

http://www.ichthy.com/prorig/4.jpg

Step 4 - Thread the Tube Through the Head

Tie a piece of heavy fishing line to one end of a piece of the mini aquarium tubing. Use the line to pull the tubing through the holes. It's easier to navigate the bend if you go from the bottom towards the nose.

http://www.ichthy.com/prorig/5.jpg

Step 5 - Set Up Body Reenforcement Tubes

Drill three holes into the soft plastic body at the same location of the three holes in the head. I drill holes about an inch and a half into the body. Next cut three approximately three inch pieces of tubing, push them into the body halfway, and super glue them securely into place.

http://www.ichthy.com/prorig/6.jpg

http://www.ichthy.com/prorig/7.jpg

Step 6 - Trim the Tubes and Add Nail Weights

Measure the depth of the three holes in the head and trim the ends of the tubes sticking out of the body so they fit snugly in the head. The bottom tube will have to be trimmed extra short since it will run into the line tube a short ways into the head.

Next add three nail weights to the body. One inside the bottom tube, and the other two on either side and slightly below the bottom tube as shown in the photo below.

http://www.ichthy.com/prorig/8.jpg

Step 7 - Glue the Whole Mess Together

Try fitting the two pieces together to make sure everything fits snugly. If everything looks ok you can start gluing it together. Glue the line tube in place first, then glue the body to the head. Coat all surfaces, holes, and tubes with the gel super glue. Once it's together use pieces of masking tape to make sure the body is pressed firmly against to the head while it dries. Let it dry for several hours before moving on.

http://www.ichthy.com/prorig/9.jpg

http://www.ichthy.com/prorig/10.jpg

Step 8 - Finishing Up

Trim the ends of the tubes about 1/16 inch away from the head. Take a razor blade or exacto knife and clean up and uneven edges around the head/body junction.

I rig the bait with two 2/0 round bend treble hooks. This is a very realistic bait to begin with, so I feel it's ruined with a lot of extra wire, split rings, or even braided line. I prefer to attach the two treble hooks about two inches apart using 40 lb mono. Thread your main line through the tube then tie directly to the front treble hook. To give the bait an even more realistic appearance, and to make the action more consistent, embed both treble hooks into the bait as shown below.

http://www.ichthy.com/prorig/11.jpg

Hopefully I'll get something in the way of a fish photo tomorrow to finalize this post :) :)

  

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How to Butcher a Castaic Trout [View all] , Nico, Fri Jun-04-04 04:31 PM
  RE: How to Butcher a Castaic Trout, swimbait, Jun 04th 2004, #1
RE: How to Butcher a Castaic Trout, BASSCAT, Jun 04th 2004, #2
RE: How to Butcher a Castaic Trout, Sacto John, Jun 04th 2004, #3
RE: How to Butcher a Castaic Trout, Mattlures, Jun 04th 2004, #4
      RE: How to Butcher a Castaic Trout, Nico, Jun 05th 2004, #5
           RE: How to Butcher a Castaic Trout, swbt_maker, Jun 06th 2004, #6
                RE: How to Butcher a Castaic Trout, Nico, Jun 06th 2004, #7
                     RE: How to Butcher a Castaic Trout, Wade, Jun 07th 2004, #8
                          RE: How to Butcher a Castaic Trout, CJ, Jun 08th 2004, #9
                               RE: How to Butcher a Castaic Trout, bankpounder, Jun 21st 2004, #10
RE: How to Butcher a Castaic Trout, Nico, Aug 05th 2004, #11

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