Tandem Rigs in Saltwater texas saltwater fishing, texas fishing, wadefishing, wading, bay fishing, speckled trout, redfish, snook, tarpon, texas redfish, texas speckled trout During the 1970s and 80s, when artificial lures were surging in popularity along the Texas coast, it became fashionable for inshore anglers to use tandem rigs. Most often, two light jigs, `Puzzler' worm jigs being the most common, were tethered to a single strand of 30-pound mono with a loop knot providing a single terminal to attach to the main line. This setup, which was commonly referred to as a `Speck Rig,' was popular and effective, but primarily used at night under the lights. Although Speck Rigs never entirely went away, their use did wane. For many years, outside of a dedicated group of nighttime dock fishermen, few Texas saltwater anglers have tossed a tandem rig. But, there is an entirely new breed of creations leading a resurgence of this once popular rigging style. Not only do the newer innovations look different, they are rigged different (in-line as opposed to drop style) and are more adept at catching fish in typical (daytime) flats fishing conditions. One of the more recent entries into the marketplace is a weedless tandem rig known as the Texas Twister. The `Twister' portion of the moniker refers to the barrel swivel attached to the weedless worm hook, which combine with a brass bead and worm weight to form the rig. The addition of the swivel allows the bait to swing as if tied on a loop knot, according to Capt. Allen Salinas, a Port Isabel fishing guide and co-inventor of the Texas Twister. “The bait doesn't spin, it just swings from side to side,” said Salinas. “The barrel swivel gives all of the motion of a loop knot, without having to tie a loop knot. That allows us to tie them in tandem, in a straight line, without fouling or getting tangled.” The other key to the Texas Twister tandem rig is the weighting, says Salinas. “The front bait is unweighted, while the rear bait has a brass bead and 1/16 ounce worm weight,” said Salinas. “That allows the rear bait to ride a little lower in the water than the front bait. Then, if you pause it, the rear bait drops, then pulls the front bait with it. But, when you start reeling again, the front bait rises first, then pulls up the rear bait. It makes it look like a pair of baitfish following each other.” Another bait which has become popular as a tandem rig actually isn't sold as a joined pair, but was designed with that style of rigging in mind. “Our bait has one treble hook, but it has a rear eyelet so you can tie a short leader and second bait to make it tandem,” said Steve Walko, creator of the Texas Rattlin' Rig Chatter Tube. “It's a slow-sinking bait and has a natural side-to-side motion. When you tie them in tandem, you can actually `walk-the-dog' with one on the surface and one slightly below the surface.” One believer of the tandem Chatter Tube rig is big trout guide Capt. Jim Onderdonk, who regularly employs the rig on Baffin Bay. “A lot of times, especially in cooler weather, I'll use tandem rigged Chatter Tubes for big trout,” said Onderdonk. “It's like throwing a pair of Corkys out there. You can `walk-the-dog,' allow the bait to suspend over rock piles - all kinds of stuff. And, if you rig them tandem, you can use two different colors to help determine what the fish want.” Regardless of which rig they choose, it is clear that more and more Texas anglers are once again believing two baits are better than one. texas saltwater fishing, texas fishing, wadefishing, wading, bay fishing, speckled trout, redfish, snook, tarpon, texas redfish, texas speckled trout