The Earl Brinn Surf Rig

The following rig I discovered on the Florida Surf Fishing Forum. It was posted by Earl Brinn in response to a fisherman that was breaking rigs during his cast. I like Earl’s Rig, it works well for me, and I want to share it here in the Tips section.

Most Pompano rigs found in stores are tied with 20 or 25 lb line, with a sinker of 4 - 6 ounces it is possible to break these rigs and send the sinker in any direction. Breaking a rig is both dangerous and expensive considering the cost of lead nowadays. The idea behind an Earl Brinn Surf Rig is to use a stronger main line and a lighter line for the droppers attaching the hooks.

The Surf Rig is constructed as follows:

1) Determine the strength of the main line by considering the weight of the sinker you will be casting. Use a line that will give you 10 lbs. of line breaking strength for each ounce of your sinker weight. (As an example if you use a 6 oz sinker then use 60 lb line for the main line of the rig. If you use 4 oz sinkers use 40 lb line.)

2) Use a 4 ft length of line to create the main line and tie a swivel at the top and a snap at the bottom.

3) For the droppers you can use a line strength and length of your choice. It is common for the droppers to end up 4 – 7 inches in length. So be sure to cut pieces long enough work with and tie the knots.

Note: The most recent rigs I tied I used 20 lb fluorocarbon for the droppers.

4) To attach the droppers to the main line tie an Overhand Knot in the main line 12 inches below the swivel. Do not completely tighten the Overhand Knot. Now from the swivel side of the Overhand Knot pass the dropper line through the loop formed by the Overhand Knot. On the snap side of the Overhand Knot tie a Uni Knot around the main line. Leave the Uni Knot loose enough so you will be able to slide it. Tighten the Overhand Knot by pulling both ends of the main line, then pull the dropper line from the swivel side of the Overhand Knot and slide the Uni Knot up against the tightened Overhand Knot. Tighten the Uni Knot, trim the tag end and the first dropper is done.

5) To attach the next dropper just repeat the process 12 inches below the first.

6) Finally add colored beads, if desired, and tie on the hooks to complete the rig.

Earl’s diagram of the rig is below. In the diagram, “Top” refers to the swivel end of the rig.

Good luck and let me know how it works for you!