Buying premade pompano rigs or chicken rigs kinda sucks, they can get pricy quick when there are toothy critters around and often come in a line weight you don’t want. I’ll show you how to easily make a dropper loop (pompano) rig board that you will have you tying up consistent professional-grade pompano rigs and chicken rigs in no time. First thing we need to do is head to the hardware store and grab a few things to build the board.
Fishing Do-It-Yourself Project (DIY) Coverage on AllOutdoor
- Do-It-Yourself Project (DIY) – Calcutta Bamboo Gaff
- Do-It-Yourself Project (DIY) – Outdoor Kayak Rack V2 Hobie Rack
- Do-It-Yourself Project (DIY) – Collapsible Pier Cart Rod Holders
The first thing we need is at least a 36-inch length of a 1×6 board. I found this 1×6 fir board in the Home Depot reject pile, so I paid only $6 for a 12-foot-long board. You don’t need to get a board this long, but I was making several of these boards to give to friends.
Next thing you will need is a 3/8 in wooden dowel, try to find the smoothest one possible. That way, you don’t have to prep as much later.
The last thing you will need to buy is some 7/8 in 1-1/4 in Cup Hooks, you will need 3 hooks per rig board. So, if you are making more than one rig board, be aware that these come in packs of 4 or 50.
I do want to say, things you will need, but I didn’t buy them because I already had them was an electric drill and bits, a saw to cut the board down, and wood glue. If you don’t have these already, you will need to get them while you are grabbing other supplies. But also, if you are doing DIY projects, you should already have these tools.
Now, the first step of making your rig board is to cut a 36-inch piece of board. If you also bought a reject bin piece of lumber, now you should give it a good sanding to smooth out the surface and clean it up. You want a smooth surface with no splinters or sharp edges to snag your hands or line when you are making your rigs later.
Once you have the baseboard sanded and smooth, it is time to drill the holes for your cup hooks. You want to drill three holes at the midline of the board. One at 2 inches, one at 11 inches, and one at 27 inches. I used a 1/16 in drill bit, and only drilled down a quarter inch, using tape on the bit.
Next, it was time to drill in the peg holes, using a 3/8 in drill bit; you need to drill 4 holes. 2 on the bottom edge of the board edge of the board 1/2 inch up from the edge at 16 in and 22 in. 1 on the top edge of the board a 1/2 in from the edge at 19 in. And the final hole is at the midline of the board at 33 inches. Smooth out any wood tearout that might have happened while drilling, and then its time to move on to cutting the pegs.
Take your wooden dowel and cut 4 pieces of 4-inch lengths. Once you have them all cut up, I recommend taking some sandpaper and sanding down the corners and smoothing the surface out. You’re going to be running your line over these dowels, so a smoother surface is better.
Once you prep all the wooden dowels, it is time to install all the pieces. Take some wood glue and put a bit of it on one end of each dowel piece. Then place each dowel into each hole. If they’re a bit of a snug fit, just tap them into place with a hammer. Then take your cup hooks, and screw them into place. You want the two hooks at 11 and 27 inches to be facing the same direction, while the last cup hook faces out of the board. You don’t need to glue these hooks in place. Let the rig board sit for at least 30 minutes to let the glue set and dry.
With everything in place, you now have a completed dropper loop (pompano) rig board that is very easy to use and will give you super consistent rigs each time. If you want to use it for pompano rigs, I say stick to 15-20lb monofilament or fluorocarbon line. If you want to use it for this summer’s snapper season, I recommend anywhere from 40 to 60lb monofilament or fluorocarbon line, depending on which species of snapper you are targeting. For beeliners and other smaller snapper species, a 40lb leader would be a better choice, while for red snapper, the 60lb leader material would be what you want.
The post Do-It-Yourself Project (DIY) – Dropper Loop (Pompano) Rig Board appeared first on AllOutdoor.com.
