HOW TO RIG A STINGER:

A stinger is a treble hook further back on a soft bait in addition to the jighead for shy biters such as Zander. The examples here are rigged on top of the body to be as snag-proof as possible. If trolling deep water they can of course just as simply be rigged underneath.

• Items 1 & 2 show Jelly Hoos rigged with 6/O jigheads and size 4 barbless trebles on Sovereign superwire (32lb), threaded through the body.
• Item 3 shows a Mannhaden rigged in a similar fashion.
• Item 4 shows a 4" Mann's shad rigged on a 4/O jighead with a stinger rigged externally.
• Item 5 shows how to attach the stinger to the jighead. This is the simplest method and prevents tangles, never attach the stinger to the snaplink / crosslock as this can cause the snaplink / crosslock to fail.

HOW TO RIG A SHAD

• Item 1 shows an unrigged 4" shad. When rigged it should remain the same shape.
• Item 2 wrongly rigged on a 6/O hook and at the wrong angle.
• Item 3 wrongly rigged on the right size 4/O hook but at totally the wrong angle.
• Item 4 wrongly rigged on a 3/O hook which is too small and at the wrong angle.
• Item 5 correctly rigged on the right sized hook, a 4/O, and at the right angle.

You need to remember that a soft bait will compress, while you have to be careful not to mask the point there is no need to expose too much of the hook as when the fish takes the soft plastic gives. As a rule of thumb you fit a 2/O jighead with a 2" shad, a 3/O jighead with a 3" shad, a 4/O jighead with a 4" shad, a 6/O jighead with a 6" shad.

An example of a well-used chartreuse Action shad after a days fishing for Zander on the Upper Lake at Mequinenza on the Ebro.