NEXT LEVEL BASSING: The Chikubi Rig

The Japanese Chikubi Rig is essentially just another way to add weight to a ribbed style soft plastic paddletail swimbait, such as for example the Swing Impact Fat Swimbait of Keitech among many other such baits.  

Adding a nail weight to a soft plastic isn’t new, but placing two tungsten nail weights vertically in the center of a paddle tail certainly is.  The challenge with the Chikubi rig is to balance the bait and that’s why anglers in the U.S.A. insert two weights roughly 3mm apart in the center of the first third of the bait. A single weight will offset the action.  Interestingly this rigging method can be combined with a weighted hook to counteract the bait rising on the retrieve, which enables you to retrieve it much slower.

Fish the Chikubi Rig on a semi slack line to enable the bait to get down and stay in the zone; you can experiment with the weights but 1/32oz tungsten weights are the most versatile as they don’t protrude too far out of the back of the bait.

Tip:

When fishing with a conventional Extra Wide Gape (EWG) worm hook change up to a heavy duty version to add a bit more weight to the rig and get it down deeper.  This is a great way to present small solid body swimbaits horizontally in the column without dulling the action and rolling like a Texas rig would.

To make your own version all you will need is a swimbait, 2 nail weights and a EWG or swimbait hook.

Baits to check out:

Powerbait Rib Shad, Keitech Fat Impact Swimbait, Gambler EZ Swimmer, Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper, Reaction Strike Chunky Shad.

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