Spreader bar Y/N

Ruff

Active Member
Since there are not a ton of fishimg opportunities here on the north coast in the winter, I've been doing the next best thing.....watching fishing videos. In a lot of the hali videos I've seen lately the guys haven't been using spreader bars. Is this common practice? I've always used a spreader bar to get away from tangles. Is there a better way? Let me know what you guys out there are doing?
Thanks
Ruff
 
I prefer to rig mine without spreader bars.

I tie the braid to a swivel using a palomar knot. Then I add a heavy-duty split ring with a 2nd swivel on it. I then tie a length of tuna cord that has a looped end to the 2nd swivel. The looped end will loop around the 2lb ball. I then take my hali leader (swivel-200#mono-circlehook) and add it to the split ring.
 
Yes-- I use the spreader bars.... makes things simple and far fewer tangles ( unless you are jigging )
 
I tie the braid to a swivel using a palomar knot. Then I add a heavy-duty split ring with a 2nd swivel on it. I then tie a length of tuna cord that has a looped end to the 2nd swivel. The looped end will loop around the 2lb ball. I then take my hali leader (swivel-200#mono-circlehook) and add it to the split ring.
Can you give us a pic of this?

TIA
 
Interesting......I'm curious about why THX?

Spreader bars are cheap and easy. Do you find this works better?

Not being an asshole I'm just curious
 
A split ring is a lot cheaper than a spreader bar!

Mostly I just find spreader bars to be awkward, and I dont think they prevent that many tangles to begin with...

With this setup you can grab the paracord, the ball, the leader, any of it with your bare hand. Makes gaffing fish very easy. When youre done fishing you just unloop the weight and hook the circle hook onto the reel, good to go. It doesnt tangle because theres nothing to tangle with. The ball hangs straight down obviously and the bait is free to swivel around with the current.
 
I believe a spreader bar does avoid tangles during slack tide only, but more importantly it gives leverage, thus more action on your bait.
 
What about "ringing the dinner bell" ?

Do you get the same action? Get the same bounce?
 
If you do I'm sold......I got a pretty significant hand tear releasing an oversize last year when she decided to f@ck off while I was being an idiot and pretendeding I knew how to release the biguns.
 
Where I fish for halibut the swells are usually between 1-3m, so I set the rods in the holders and nature does the rest.

Ive never felt like my bait wasnt getting enough action on it. o_O
 
Unless I'm jigging I always USA a spreader bar.
 
When fishing anchored and a bait, or in snag filled areas I always use a spreader bar, but I do not buy them. Go to value village, Vincent de Paul, or sally Anne and get heavy wire coat hangers (ones without dipped coating pained only), normally get 20 for a few bucks. In 15 minutes with pliers and a spike I can make all I need for a couple years. Wire is easy to bend and make tight curls on ends. I have caught 240 lb hali with them so plenty strong for our current 133cm and soon to be less sized fish. After constant JDF dogfish days they do sometimes kink them, easy to get new one from box. Never put weight on spreader bar, always tie piece of line of less breaking test than main line, so when weight snags good tug and all that stays is the weight, easy to put new one on.

Done right with a spreader bar you can drop a rig as fast as free spool allows and never get tangled. Currents or depths do not matter. Now for a snag free area nothing beats drifting with a top hooked pipe jig with hoochie and bait.

Sorry all you $7 stainless spreader bar companies. Benny showed me in 1985, never changed as it always worked.

HM
 
A split ring is a lot cheaper than a spreader bar!

Mostly I just find spreader bars to be awkward, and I dont think they prevent that many tangles to begin with...

With this setup you can grab the paracord, the ball, the leader, any of it with your bare hand. Makes gaffing fish very easy. When youre done fishing you just unloop the weight and hook the circle hook onto the reel, good to go. It doesnt tangle because theres nothing to tangle with. The ball hangs straight down obviously and the bait is free to swivel around with the current.
How
I have been happy with using 300-500# mono spreaders that are cheap to make your self. No tangles at all.
How long do you make your leaders and are you using 300-500 pound mono? Sounds really heavy but is this why the gear doesn’t tangle?
 
Another bonus of spreader bar, you can use an in-line flasher, scent chamber and extra large hootchie without issue, I think that the thump and scent brings them in better.

HM
 
Gangion cord. Cheap. Easy. Bomber.
2’ from heavy swivel at rod to a knot that ball weight can slide between, then 2’ to large circle hook with bait.
As hali comes to surface you can grab the ball weight, which slides up, and if hook looks set good I generally drag em over the rail by ball or wrap gangion around cleat if a release is needed.
The gangion will hold scent from your bait bucket too!
Got shown this method and have not put spreader bars on boat for years
 
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