How to Tie a Flapper Rig
By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026
Most guides treat the 2 hook and 3 hook versions as different rigs with different measurements. They are the same build with one extra snood.
A flapper rig is a length of heavy mono with a lead link at the bottom, a swivel at the top, and two or three snood swivels held between crimps and beads. The baited snoods flap free just above the seabed.
It is a short to mid range rig for shore and pier anglers after whiting, dabs, flounder, plaice, pouting and codling. The steps below run from hook count, through the build, to a flatfish setup and fixing tangles. For the wider picture, see our sea fishing rigs guide.
Step 1: Decide on 2 or 3 Hooks and the Rig Length
When does a third hook start costing you rigs instead of earning bites? On rough ground, where every extra hook is another snag. Settle hook count and body length before you cut any line.
| Hooks | Best for | Ground |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bigger fish | Rough |
| 2 | A compromise | Mixed |
| 3 | Small fish | Clear |
More hooks put out more bait and more scent, and give you the chance of more than one fish a cast. That is why match anglers favour the 3 hook flapper rig.
Length matters just as much:
- About 3ft for piers and high rock marks, so the baits sit nearer the seabed.
- 5ft or more for estuary and surf beaches.
- 6ft or more to spread the baits further apart on a surf beach.
Measurements for both versions follow in Steps 3 to 5. If you fish a high pier wall, start with a short 2 hook rig.
Step 2: Gather the Components and Pick Your Line Strengths
One simple sum tells you how heavy the rig body needs to be. A widely used rule of thumb from the angling press is 10lb of breaking strain for every 1oz of lead you cast, plus 10lb. Cast a 5oz lead and you need 60lb body line.
Snoods are lighter: 15lb to 25lb low-memory copolymer or fluorocarbon. Step up to 25lb in winter, because it stands up better to small fish teeth and tangles less.
For hooks, size 1 or 2 covers general fishing, 1/0 suits bigger species and size 4 suits smaller ones.
Your parts list:
- Body line (see the sum above)
- Crimps and beads (two of each per snood)
- Rolling swivels (one per snood, plus one at the top for the main line)
- A lead link or clip
- Snood line and hooks
- Silicone sleeving for bait stops (optional)
Ready-tied rigs save time. One retail 2 hook flattie rig uses a 60lb body and 30lb snoods. Tying your own lets you set every length to suit your mark.
Step 3: Thread the Rig Body and Tie On the Lead Link
Forget one crimp and you only find out after the bottom knot is tied. Thread in this order and you tie it once.
- Cut the body. About 1.5m suits a 2 hook build. Otherwise measure to the length you chose in Step 1, plus spare for knots.
- Tie the lead link or clip to the bottom end.
- Thread one set per snood: crimp, bead, swivel, bead, crimp. That is two sets for a 2 hook rig and three for a 3 hook rig.
- Tie the top swivel for your main line or shock leader.
The beads either side of each swivel cushion the crimps and let the swivel turn freely.
A Grinner knot, explained in Step 5, works for both end connections.
By now you should have a body with a lead link at one end, a swivel at the other and loose components in between.
Step 4: Space the Snood Swivels and Lock Them in Place
On a pier, the steep angle of the main line lifts the top of the rig, so your top hook can sit well off the bottom. Lengthen the top snood to get that bait down to the seabed.
One retailer’s 2 hook build sets the bottom swivel about 15cm above the lead clip and the top swivel about 70cm above that. For a 3 hook flapper rig, space the three swivels evenly along the body.
The clearance rule: each snood must be shorter than the gap to the swivel below, and no hook should reach the lead link, or the hooks catch on each other.
Crush the crimps lightly with pliers so they grip without cutting the line. Add a stop knot under the lower bead as backup and test each stop with a firm pull.
Lightly crimped stops can be slid and re-set when you change marks.
Step 5: Tie the Snoods and Hooks with a Grinner Knot
One knot does every connection on this rig: a three-turn Grinner joins snood to swivel and hook to snood.
- Pass the line through the eye and lay the tag back alongside the main line.
- Bend the tag round into a loop against both lines.
- Wrap the tag three times round both lines, through the loop.
- Wet, pull tight, slide the knot down to the eye and trim.
The same retail 2 hook build uses a 60cm bottom snood and a 50cm top snood. That bottom snood is longer than its 15cm gap to the clip, so it breaks the clearance rule from Step 4. If it fouls the lead, shorten it. Apply the rule to every snood on a 3 hook build.
For an optional bait stop, pass 1cm of silicone sleeving through itself twice on the snood and pull tight. It holds attractor beads above the hook.
Hang the finished rig up and check no hook reaches the swivel below or the lead link.
Step 6: Set Up a Flapper Rig for Flatfish
A flapper rig for flatfish uses the same body as the general build. What changes is the business end: snood length, line weight, hook size and attractors.
Treat these specs as ranges, not hard rules:
| Setup | Snood | Hook |
|---|---|---|
| Retail 2 hook flattie rig (130cm, 60lb body) | 50cm of 30lb | Size 1 |
| Anglers’ reports on one sea angling forum | 12in to 18in of 10lb to 15lb | Size 6 to 1, by bait |
The retail version is sold for dabs, sole, plaice and flounder. Add attractor beads above the hook, held by the bait stop from Step 5.
Afloat, one flounder rig fishes a spoon on a 10in sliding boom to keep the snood clear of the lead. The shore flapper is simpler to tie.
Worm baits are a common choice for flatfish. See our plaice fishing guide for where and when to fish them.
For small dabs, go to the smaller end of the hook range.
Step 7: Cast, Fix Tangles and Know When to Switch Rigs
Wind in to find every snood wrapped round the body, and the cast was probably too long for this rig. Loose snoods flap and tangle in flight, so the flapper suits short to mid range. For distance, clip the hooks down with a clipped-down rig.
If tangles persist at short range:
- Switch to stiffer 25lb snoods, which tangle less.
- Recheck the snood clearance from Step 4.
A wishbone rig tangles easily too, and is best clipped down in a strong tide.
On rough ground or for bigger fish, a single-hook pulley rig is the better choice.
A body of 60lb or more can be kept and refitted with fresh snoods and hooks. Take damaged rigs and waste line home with you.
| Situation | Rig |
|---|---|
| Short to mid range | Flapper |
| Distance | Clipped-down |
| Rough ground, bigger fish | Pulley |
Frequently asked questions
What is a flapper rig used for?
A flapper rig is used for short to mid range bottom fishing for smaller sea species, such as whiting, dabs, pouting and codling. Its loose snoods put two or three baits and a strong scent trail on the seabed.
Is a 2 hook or 3 hook flapper rig better?
A 2 hook flapper rig is the compromise for mixed ground. A 3 hook flapper rig suits small fish over clear ground, and one hook is better for big fish or rough ground. Step 1 covers hook count and rig length.
What size hooks for a flapper rig?
Size 1 or 2 hooks suit general fishing on a flapper. Go up to 1/0 for bigger species and down to size 4 for smaller ones. Step 6 gives the ranges for flatfish.
Is there a limit on how many hooks you can use sea fishing?
Check the rules for where you fish before you go. Rules can differ by area and venue, so read the byelaws of your local Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) and any pier, venue or competition rules that apply.