This skirt-and-ballyhoo combo makes a deadly offshore rig.
Ric Burnley
The Squid Witch is a popular twist on the old standby skirt-and-ballyhoo rig. This rig is easy to make, and has become a mainstay on the charter boats fishing out of North Carolina. Experiment with colors, materials and designs to find the combination that turns on your favorite target species.
Start with a spool of rigging floss, a pinch of 1/8-inch nylon hair, a lead head jig and a small rubber squid.
Cut an 18-inch length of rigging floss and set it aside. Place the lead head inside the rubber squid.
Lay the floss on the table, arrange the hair on the floss and set the lead head on the hair.
Bring the floss around and make a single overhand knot.
Flip the Squid Witch over and make another overhand knot.
Spread the hair around one side of the Squid Witch head. Be sure to keep the knots tight so the hair doesn't fall out or shift.
Lay a pinch of hair using a different color on top of the Squid Witch and make an overhand knot.
Flip the Squid Witch over and make another overhand knot.
Tighten the knots and spread the hair around the head.
Tie a couple more overhand knots on each side of the lure to tighten the hair down then finish with a half hitch.
Trim the tag ends of the floss.
Trim the inside hair close to the floss.
The final product. The squid witch is deadly on marlin, tuna, dolphin, wahoo and king mackerel. Rig up with a fresh ballyhoo and you're ready to go after billfish, mahimahi, tuna and wahoo. Special thanks to Captain Brandon Bartlett first-mate on the Capt. Cheryl
