I read an article that mentioned using a boom rig when drift-fishing in saltwater. Are there certain circumstances when this works better than others?

I have actually used the boom rig most successfully in shallow water when I’ve found myself in weather that produces strong wind and my drift is a little quicker than on a normal day.  In this type of a situation, you’ll often have trouble identifying whether or not your bait is actually on the bottom but if you add additional weight, you’re probably going to end up spending all day untangling snags.  Since the weight on a boom rig is actually hung off the bottom rather than off the line, detecting the bite won’t be as difficult as it would have been if I had just added more weight.  I’ve also found this technique works well when drift-fishing the reef edges and drop-offs in a strong wind and even when drift-fishing in areas with clear sandy bottoms.  I usually try to stick with whole bait when I’m using a boom while drift-fishing.  I prefer yellowtail and piper.  When placing the bait on the hook, I put the hook just in front of the head and make sure the point of the hook is towards the tail.  If I’m using cut bait, I prefer to use strips of baitfish as opposed to cutting it into cubes.  In my opinion, the strip looks a little more like an actual fish than just a chunk of meat.  In my experiments, the strips have resulted in more strikes on a regular basis.