Best Sea Fishing Rigs

Built for big fish from the beach, the Cox & Rawle Cod Rig is a double-hooked, clip-down rig with two Specimen hooks. It comes in 4/0 and 6/0 for cod, bass and other species.

Both baited hooks clip to the rig body near the lead for the cast, which streamlines the rig and cuts air drag, so it casts further. The hooks release when it hits the water. The rig clip attaches to your main line swivel, and it's hand tied in Wincanton. Two hooks improve your chances of a bite.

It suits beach anglers after cod and bass who want two large hooks and extra range. Next to the Cox & Rawle Cod/Bass Pulley Rig, which lifts the lead clear of rocky, snaggy ground, this is the one for casting range.

To be fair, 4/0 and 6/0 hooks are too big for small fish such as dabs. For cod and bass anglers wanting two Specimen hooks clipped down, though, I think it's a sound, well-made rig.

This ready-to-use pulley rig is made for cod and bass over rough ground, with big fish and substantial baits in mind. It comes in 1/0, 2/0, 3/0 and 5/0, one rig per pack.

Once a fish is hooked, the pulley lifts the lead off the seabed, cutting the risk of snagging over rocks during the fight. The construction is robust, the components are chosen for rocky, snaggy ground, and it's built to resist corrosive saltwater. It's hand tied in Wincanton.

It suits shore anglers putting big baits over rocky marks. Next to the Cox & Rawle Cod Rig, a clip-down rig for casting two Specimen hooks further, this one is about getting fish out of snags. The Cox & Rawle All Round Beach Distance Rig goes the other way, with one hook clipped down for range.

To be fair, each pack holds a single rig, so buy a few for rough ground. For cod and bass anglers fishing big baits among rocks, though, I think the pulley makes it a sensible rig to carry.

A single hook and a clip-down layout streamlined for distance casting sum up the Cox & Rawle All Round Beach Distance Rig. It comes in 1/0 and 3/0, for flatfish at distance and other species closer in.

Clipping the baited hook near the lead streamlines the rig and cuts air drag for a longer cast, and the hook releases as it hits the water. The clip-down is sprung, so it clips down easily with a plain or grip weight. It's hand tied in Wincanton.

It suits beach anglers who need range for flatfish but want one rig for closer species too. Next to the Cox & Rawle Cod/Bass Pulley Rig, built for big baits over snags, it swaps the pulley for a streamlined clip-down. The Cox & Rawle Wishbone Rig, after it, puts two baits out at medium range.

To be fair, one hook means one bait per cast. For flatfish anglers who need to reach fish at distance, though, I think it's a smart, simple rig to clip on.

Two baits on one rig is the idea behind the Cox & Rawle Wishbone Rig. It has an 80lb rig body and a 30lb snood, with 3/0 hooks and a 1/0 version too.

Both hooks sit on one long snood loop, so the baits lie close together. For the cast, they clip tight just above the lead to cut drag and add distance, then release when the rig hits the water. It's hand tied in England from fine components, for medium-range casting.

It suits beach anglers who want two baits out, or two different baits when bites are scarce. Next to the Cox & Rawle All Round Beach Distance Rig, which casts one hook for range, the Wishbone doubles the bait. The Leeda 2 Up 1 Down, after it, spreads three size 1 hooks for smaller fish.

To be fair, it's designed for medium range, not for reaching fish at distance. For anglers who want two baits side by side, though, I think it's a clever, well-tied rig.

Three size 1 hooks give the Leeda 2 Up 1 Down plenty of bait in the water. Built on a 60lb rig body with 20lb hooklengths, it's made for pollack, flatties and bass.

It works like a flapper, with hooks on snoods that hang off the rig body above the lead and move freely. Two sit up the body and one down near the lead. It uses high quality hooks and components and comes ready to fish.

Flappers are used at short to medium range for smaller fish, so it suits beach anglers after whiting, dabs and mixed bags. Next to the Cox & Rawle Wishbone Rig, which clips two 3/0 baits down, it spreads three smaller hooks, and Leeda's rigs cost less than the hand-tied Cox & Rawle range. The Leeda 2 Hook Flapper, after it, has two hooks on stronger 30lb hooklengths.

To be fair, it only comes with size 1 hooks and isn't a distance rig. For whiting, dabs and mixed bags, though, I think three ready-to-fish hooks make a lot of sense.

Leeda's 2 Hook Flapper keeps things simple, with two size 1 hooks on 30lb hooklengths and a 60lb rig body. It's made for pollack, flatties and whiting.

As a flapper, its hooks hang on snoods off the rig body above the lead and move freely. That makes it a short to medium range rig for smaller fish and mixed bags. It uses high quality hooks and components, and it's easy to use and ready to fish.

It suits shore anglers after whiting and flatties who want a simple two-hook rig. Next to the Leeda 2 Up 1 Down, with three hooks on 20lb hooklengths, it has a hook fewer but stronger 30lb hooklengths. The Cox & Rawle Bass Beach Rig, after it, uses a long flowing snood so the bait moves naturally in the surf.

To be fair, it only comes with size 1 hooks, and it puts out one bait fewer than the 2 Up 1 Down. For whiting and flatties closer in, though, I think it's a tidy, no-fuss rig.

Made for bass from the beach or an inshore boat, the Cox & Rawle Bass Beach Rig is a flowing trace rig. It has a 60lb mono rig body, a long 30lb mono snood and hook sizes 2/0, 3/0 or 4/0.

The long snood lets the bait drift naturally over the surf, and a snap link swivel greatly reduces the risk of tangles. It takes worm, sandeel, mackerel or soft plastic baits.

It suits bass anglers working the surf. Next to the Leeda 2 Hook Flapper, which hangs two hooks off the rig body for smaller fish at short to medium range, it is built around a natural, drifting bait. Against the Cox & Rawle Plaice Beach Rig, with its beads and sequins for flatfish, it relies on bait movement.

To be fair, it's made for bass over surf, not for rough, snaggy ground, where the Cox & Rawle Cod/Bass Pulley Rig lifts the lead clear. For bass in the surf, though, I think it's a sensible rig to carry.

Built on a 60lb rig body with a 30lb snood, the Cox & Rawle Plaice Beach Rig is a simple one-hook dropper rig for flatfish. It carries a single size 1 Aberdeen hook and comes ready to fish.

Tied in Amnesia mono, it uses a longer dropper so the bait moves more naturally on the bottom, while attractor beads and sequins draw flatfish in. Components include two size 6 swivels, a cascade swivel and two clipped lead links, all hand tied in Wincanton, England.

It suits beach anglers after plaice, flounders, dabs and other flatfish. Next to the Cox & Rawle Bass Beach Rig, a flowing trace for surf bass, it drops to a small size 1 hook and adds attractors. Against the Cox & Rawle Bream Beach Rig, a size 2 clip-down for black bream, it stays focused on flatfish.

To be fair, it carries one size 1 hook only, so there's no choice of size and just one bait in the water. For plaice, flounders and dabs, though, I think it's a neatly equipped, simple rig.

With a fine-wire size 2 Big Mouth Aberdeen hook, the Cox & Rawle Bream Beach Rig is built for bream, and black bream are the main UK target. It's a one-hook clip-down distance design with a 60lb/40lb breaking strain.

As a clip-down, the baited hook clips to the rig body near the lead, which streamlines the rig and cuts air drag for a longer cast, then releases when it hits the water. The wide-gape hook has a very sharp point, and luminous beads and sequins catch a fish's eye. It is hand tied in England.

It suits black bream anglers fishing uneven ground from the beach. Next to the Cox & Rawle Plaice Beach Rig, with its size 1 hook and longer dropper for flatfish, it goes smaller and finer. Against the Leeda 6 Hook Mackerel Feathers, it is a bait rig, not a lure string.

To be fair, there's one size 2 hook only, with no other sizes. For black bream over uneven ground, though, I think it's a sharp, well-specified rig.

Six feathered size 3/0 hooks on a 50lb mono trace make up the Leeda 6 Hook Mackerel Feathers, a lure string for mackerel from piers, jetties and the shoreline. The feathers are white, red, blue, yellow and orange, though the colour mix can vary.

Unlike the bait rigs earlier in this guide, feathers are jigged up and down so they give the lifelike action of small baitfish. It comes ready to fish and is tied to a high specification with quality components.

Pier, jetty and shore anglers after mackerel are who it's for. Next to the Cox & Rawle Bream Beach Rig, a single-hook bait rig, it fishes lures instead of bait. Against the Dennett Saltwater Pro 3 Hook Jumbo Hokkai Rig, with three 7/0 hooks for pollack and codling, it carries six lures on smaller 3/0 hooks.

To be fair, the colour mix can vary, so you can't choose the exact colours you get. For mackerel from piers, jetties and the shore, though, I think it's a simple, well-tied string of feathers.

Pollack and codling are the target for the Dennett Saltwater Pro 3 Hook Jumbo Hokkai Rig, a string of three natural jumbo Hokkai lures, all on size 7/0 hooks.

A Hokkai rig works like a set of feathers. The trace is jigged up and down so the flashy lures imitate small baitfish, and the jumbo lures on 7/0 hooks scale that idea up for pollack and codling. It sits in Dennett's Saltwater Pro range.

It suits anglers who jig for pollack and codling. Next to the Leeda 6 Hook Mackerel Feathers, it swaps six feathers on 3/0 hooks for three jumbo lures on 7/0 hooks. Against the Cox & Rawle Pennel Boat Rig, which holds a big squid or crab bait on two hooks, the Dennett Jumbo Hokkai Rig fishes lures instead.

To be fair, the 7/0 hooks are sized for pollack and codling, so it won't double as a mackerel rig. For pollack and codling on the jig, though, I think it's a straightforward, well-matched rig.

Two hooks on one snood make the Cox & Rawle Pennel Boat Rig a two-hook pennel, set up as a fixed boom ledger rig for boat fishing. It comes pre-made with 3/0 hooks, from a range hand tied in England.

Putting both hooks on the same snood holds a big bait, such as squid or crab, better than a single hook can, and squid and crab are the suggested baits. The longer snood gives a more natural presentation and reduces the risk of tangles, and fine components are used throughout.

On the boat, it suits anglers fishing big squid or crab baits. Next to the Dennett Saltwater Pro 3 Hook Jumbo Hokkai Rig, a string of jigged lures for pollack and codling, it is the bait rig for the boat, presenting one large, natural bait.

To be fair, it's made for boat fishing, so it isn't the rig for casting from the beach. For boat anglers using squid or crab, though, I think it's a tidy, hand-tied pennel to carry.