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SEVEN CASTS
Coastal Companionby Seven Casts · Coastal Virginia
Sheet 24 of 28

intermediate rig

Bottom presentation

Big drum rig

A scaled-up version of the general Surf Rig, purpose-built around big bait and a big single circle hook for genuinely large red or black drum, rather than the mixed-species high-low approach

Water
surfinletbay
Big drum rig schematicTop to bottom: main line, sinker slide, sinker, bead, swivel, leader, hook, bait.

Schematic, not to scale. Hover, tap, or tab through the parts; the drawing isolates each one.

Terms usedMain lineFish-finder rigSinkerBeadSwivelLeaderHook sizesCircle hook

Components

As listed in the rig record, top to bottom.

  1. Heavy main line to a fish-finder sinker slide
  2. Heavy pyramid or bank sinker
  3. Heavy leader to a single large circle hook
  4. A large chunk of cut bait or a whole small baitfish

Setup

Hook
A large (7/0–10/0+) non-offset circle hook, sized specifically for big bait and big fish — undersized hooks are a real, common mistake targeting trophy-class drum.
Weight
Heavy enough to hold bottom with a large bait in real current — often 4–6 oz+ in the surf specifically for this application.
Leader
Heavy mono or fluorocarbon (60–100 lb) given the size and mouth of a trophy-class red or black drum.

How to fish it

A scaled-up version of the general Surf Rig, purpose-built around big bait and a big single circle hook for genuinely large red or black drum, rather than the mixed-species high-low approach.

When to use it

  • The spring bull black drum run at the Bay mouth and Bay-side shoals
  • Late-summer and fall bull reds in the surf and the lower Bay
  • Big bait held still in real current — heavy lead, big circle hook

Common mistakes

  • Virginia's red drum recreational limit includes an 18–26 inch slot with a separate, more restrictive allowance for one over-slot fish per person per day — always confirm the current limit before deciding whether to keep a drum this rig is built to target.

Variations

Sliding-sinker rigs: the same idea, adjusted

Rigs drawn from the same schematic family — heavier, lighter, or with one part changed for a different fish or water.

All bottom rigs

Where to use it

Water this rig is documented for

Spots marked “species match” document a fish this rig is for and the way it is fished — a place to try it, not a report that it has been fished there.

All fishing spots