The knocker rig looked like a joke to Capt. Vlad Moldoveanu the first time he saw it. Now his first-timers fish it. Here are the four bottom fishing rigs he runs on Alabama’s artificial reefs, which bait goes on which, and the bite mark on a squid that tells him to switch to a triggerfish rig.
Bottom Fishing Rigs for Red Snapper, Amberjack and Triggerfish
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Instructor:
Capt. Vlad Moldoveanu
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Bottom fishing rigs for red snapper, amberjack and triggerfish decide whether a fish on the screen ends up in the box. Capt. Vlad Moldoveanu runs charters out of Fort Morgan, Alabama, on artificial reefs in 100 to 135 feet of the Gulf of Mexico, often with clients who pick up a rod once a year. Every rig on his boat is built to survive them.
Which bottom fishing rig works for live bait versus dead bait?
The bait decides. A live hardtail goes on a Carolina rig with at least 6 feet of leader so it can swim. Dead bait goes on a knocker rig, which Vlad also hands to first-timers because they feel the bite right away. Pin a live bait to a knocker and it has nowhere to go.
How do you rig a live bait for big amberjack?
The three-way rig carries Vlad’s biggest baits for amberjack and big snapper: a Penn International 70, 80 pound braid, a mono top shot, a heavy bell weight, a long 100 pound leader, and an 8/0 to 9/0 offset circle hook. On the video he shows:
- which eye of the three-way swivel the main line belongs on, and the mistake most anglers make
- why his bead is clear after kings and Spanish mackerel hit a green one
- how much drag he sets at strike, and why he never runs full drag
Why tie fluorocarbon on a knocker rig for red snapper?
Vlad thought the knocker rig was a joke the first time he saw it. He lost snapper tying straight to main line, because 80 pound mono is not abrasion resistant and the reef nicks it. He covers the fluorocarbon length, the knot that joins it to mono, and why lighter is better on fish that have seen everything.
What makes a triggerfish rig different?
A chunk bitten clean out of the bait tells Vlad the triggerfish are working the reef. He switches to a two-hook chicken rig with smaller offset hooks and cut squid, measuring every loop off his own arm. The reason shows up when the boat runs home in a chop.
He also covers when to add lead for full moon tides. More structure and depth tactics are in the bottom fishing video collection.
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Captain Vlad Moldoveanu runs offshore out of Fort Morgan, Alabama, where he has built a reputation for reading electronics better than almost anyone in the fishery. He came to saltwater fishing after moving to the United States from Romania, sharpened his instincts as a tournament kayak angler, and now owns and runs MSC Fishing out of Fort Morgan, fishing a Freeman 37 for red snapper, amberjack, grouper and tilefish on the reefs and wahoo, swordfish, and yellowfin tuna in the deep. His In The Spread courses break down how he uses his sounder to find and read structure before a single bait ever goes down.
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