Gear

The best urchin terminal tackle

With the rapid rise of urchin-style baits has come a wave of new terminal tackle designed to rig them. Here are some of the best options I've found so far!

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Written by
Shaye Baker
Photography by
Shaye Baker
It seems as though the urchin is the only bait out there now that will catch a fish, based on the overwhelming dominance of this bait in tournaments and the focus on it by social media influencers and outdoor media outlets. Whether they’ll still bite anything else or not, the urchin has certainly taken over the sport of bass fishing, and the industry has taken note. 
There are new pieces of terminal tackle being invented daily for this unique bait type. 
While tackle manufacturers are frantically hustling to capitalize on the urchin craze, they simply can’t keep up, and necessity has birthed ingenuity among DIYers who are coming up with hacks constantly for rigging these baits with materials already on hand. I’ve scoured the web and compiled a gallery of our favorite rigging methods and materials I’ve found so far, both homemade and mass-manufactured.
One of the more popular rigs we’ve seen is a weighted double frog hook. Jason Christie used a similar rig to win the 2026 Maxam Tire Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound in June. While Christie’s rig consisted of a dropshot weight on a split ring near the rear of his Trokar double frog hook, this one is rigged with MISSILE Baits new Hangtime Clip Weights. 
The MISSILE Baits Hangtime Clip Weights come in 6 sizes: 1/32, 1/16, 3/32, 1/8, 3/16, and 1/4 ounce. 
You can also make your own weighted double frog hook using heat shrink tubing, a hook from a hollow body frog, and a Neko weight. 
I’ve seen this rig from several social media influencers, but I believe Mikey Ballz was the first I saw to do this. 
Start by placing a Neko weight along the spine of the hook with the point towards the eye of the hook. 
Slide a section of ¼-inch heat shrink tubing over the hook eye and weight.
Use a lighter to heat the heat shrink tubing and, voila…
…you have a neat and clean weighted double fargo hook that can be slid through your urchin. 
One of my favorite pieces of new terminal tackle that I’ve found is The Warden, from Tornado Innovations. This double frog hook comes with a weight already molded onto it. But wait, there’s more. 
This weight has a cupped portion to it that functions as a saddle of sorts. 
Simply slip an urchin over the eye and pull it down until it comes to rest on the weight. The cupped weight of The Warden prevents the bait from sliding down into the gap of the hook. Keeping the hook points further back creates a better hookup ratio, and the weighted belly means the bait will fall with the hooks pointed up–this hook orientation increases the chance of hooking a bass in the roof of its mouth, which is preferable for a better hookup ratio and for protecting the fish. 
There are four choices in this hook: 2/0 in ⅛ ounce and 3/16 ounce, and 4/0 in ⅛ and 3/16 ounce. The 2/0 sizes are designed to carry 15- to 20-mm baits,s and the 4/0 can handle any urchin up to 25 mm. These come two to a pack and retail for $14.99.
There are several single-hook rigging methods as well. 
The Zappu x Ryugi RPZ weedless Talisman is a single hook that comes with a clip and swivel. Sizes 1, 1/0, 2/0, and 3/0 are available in packs of 3 to a pack for $8.50, and there’s also a two-pack, 4/0 version for $8.50. 
A weight, like this Zappu Pinfree Tungsten Drop Shot weight, can be paired with the RPZ Talisman hook. The resulting combination is a dynamic front-weighted system that drops straight down and creates a hinge between the weight and bait for increased action. 
This Zappu weight comes in four sizes ranging from ⅛ to ⅝ ounce, in various quantities, priced between $8.75 and $13.50. I’ve found this method particularly effective when forced to fish for smaller fish with smaller urchins, like this 17mm Gambler High Roller. 
The Treeshaker Tackle Austin Felix Halo Talisman hook is another innovative piece of terminal tackle. Using a small section of line, the manufacturer created a loop that can be used to add a drop shot weight to the hook. Simply run your line through the loop and then through the ring on the weight. Then tie your knot to the eye of the hook. 
The Halo hook comes in 2/0, 3/0, and 4/0 sizes and retails for $7.49 for a four-pack. 
Primal Tackle also makes a single hook with a molded weight for urchin fishing. 
This weight has a round bottom to it where the urchin can rest, and a ribbed section to keep it in place. 
Slide the eye of the hook through the urchin and snug the bait on the weight. 
The Primal Tackle OFO Jighead comes in a pack of three for $6.99. There are three weight options (3/32, ⅛, and 5/32 ounce), all in 4/0. 
Picasso has brought to market a lineup of rigging accessories for urchins as well–their Urchinator Series. The Cradlehead comes in a weedless and open-hook version. Both have a stretch of hook shaft between two molded weights. 
The cradle of the Cradlehead keeps the bait from sliding up the hook, while the conical lower weight keeps the bait from sliding down. 
The Cradlehead effectively locked in this 25mm Queen Tackle Porcupine Ball Dead Center Beast, with ample hook for the job. And the built-in weedguard allowed me to work this bait through water willow and standing timber, which has proven challenging with other open hook rigging methods. 
Core Tackle has two tailor-made offerings for urchins. The first is their Scamper Rig, with a ribbed weight molded on the hook. These hooks come three to a pack for $7.49 and are available in 2/0 and 4/0, with both hooks coming in 1/16 and 1/32 ounce. 
Core Tackle also offers the Dice Rig. 
This hook comes with a weight molded to the bend of the hook, with two metal wires protruding that serve as bait keepers. Push the weight down into your urchin,n and you will have one of the most secure rigs on the market for an urchin. But be prepared to marry the two for life, as removing an urchin from the Dice Rig will likely destroy it. 
Keeping the hook exposed above the bait creates a fantastic hook-up ratio. The Dice Rig comes in 8 hook size/weight options, all three to a pack for $8.99.
Rigging urchins on treble hooks and quad hooks with Neko weights is very popular. The Freak-O Rig from Jewel incorporates an eye into the weight, as well as a barbed baitkeeper and a cradle to secure the bait to the hook. Slide the weight up into the bait and then slip your hook point through the eye, skin-hooking the bait at the same time. The Freak-O Rig weight comes in three sizes (3/32, ⅛, and 3/16), all five to a pack for $3.99. 
Picasso offers a similar product in their Urchinator lineup–their Hanger Weights. These weights come molded on a wire that can be covered by the included rubber sleeve. 
Slip this setup through your urchin, and then you can run the hook point through the rubber-covered eye on the other side. 
There’s also a small ring on the bottom of these weights that can be used for a myriad of rigging applications. You can use the included split ring to add more weight, one of Picasso’s new blade rigs, or even an additional urchin. 
Two things are undeniable at this point: the urchin is legit, and this is just the beginning of the onslaught of rigging methods we’ll see for this bait, as anglers worldwide simultaneously learn how to fish urchins on the fly. 

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