Cut Bait Fishing For Kings
When fishing for kings, whether it be early season on the Niagara Bar, mid July in 400+, or for Stagers in late August, there is nothing that beats cut bait. We tend to fish our cut bait behind large dodgers. Oki, dreamweaver, and stinger all make big paddles (10-12 inches) that work great. You can fish them off a rigger, though my personal preference is to fish them off dispey and copper rods.
I fish cut bait with 2 different presentations- a single head about 30-40 inches behind a flasher, or a “twinkie rig”. A twinkie rig essentially has 2-3 teasers between the flasher and the head, which mimmic a small school of fish. They are much longer- often 4-6 feet from the dodger to the hook. The teasers can be small flies or squid baits. When I tie them, I use the smaller squid baits, but everyone has their preference. Many companies such as Atommik or dreamweaver have pre-tied rigs- I like to make them myself personally… I have linked to a video I made about how to tie your own “Twinkie Rig” below!