jigfreak
01-31-2009, 04:54 PM
Use Jigs to Catch More Fish (http://www.fishingonly.com/fishing-tips/use-jigs-to-catch-more-fish.php)
Fishing only
Using Jigs Instead of Live Bait
http://www.fishingonly.com/images/stories/477625586.jpgMany anglers become so conditioned to saltwater fishing with live bait that they overlook perhaps the most potent fish-catching weapons available – jigs. While it’s hard to beat a bait that wiggles when it comes to tempting saltwater predators, jigs will often draw strikes when live bait fails to do the trick. This seems to especially hold true when it comes to the bigger pelagic species like tuna and yellowtail.
I’ll never forget the first time I found myself being severely outfished by an angler “working the iron” off the coast of Northern Baja. I was content landing a few 20-pound albacore on fly-lined sardines, until I watched the angler next to me drop down a Christy-2 jig, crank it up as fast as he could, and in the process, connect with a large bluefin – a fish in the 50-pound class. After landing that fish, he sent the jig back down, started to retrieve and hooked up again. I watched in awe as he landed another big tuna. Then, just for good measure, he proceeded to hook yet another oversized fish on that same chrome jig. For whatever reason, the larger bluefin were shunning the hook-baits in favor of the iron. At that moment, I swore that I would work to better develop my jig-fishing skills.
Reasons Fishing Jigs Work Well
While at times, it seems like an angler having success with a jig is doing something magical, the real reasons behind this success may not be that mysterious. After all, that angler is playing the percentages. First of all, consider how much more territory you can cover when fishing the iron. While the angler next to you is soaking a live bait, you can make multiple casts to cover a much larger area and different levels of the water column. When you fish with live bait you are limited to a much more confined area. Although fishing with a jig requires much more casting and cranking, you won’t have to waste time running back and forth to the bait tank all day. You also won’t have to worry about the quality or quantity of your bait supply, since you can simply re-cast and catch fish with the same jig all day long
Selecting the Proper Jig
But being a successful jig fisherman requires more than just blindly reaching into tackle box and grabbing a lure at random. To hook up consistently on the iron, you need to select a jig that is likely to trigger an aggressive response from the particular species you’re after, given the existing conditions. A lot of this is just plain common sense. Consider the colors and patterns of the natural live bait source in the area. Also think about how deep the fish are running. You’ll want to use a lighter jig for a surface retrieve than you would if you were yo-yoing for fish concentrated in deeper water. It’s also important to match the size and shape of your jig to the indigenous baitfish.
When it comes to selecting colors/patterns, many anglers make their jig choices based on past success or suggestions from local tackle shops, landings or other informed sources. Blue and white jigs have been consistent producers over the years, especially for pelagic species such tuna, yellowtail, bonito and barracuda. Other popular colors/patterns include “dorado” (green/yellow), “scrambled egg” (light brown, yellow and white), and plain chrome or chrome combined with blue. Exactly what makes a fish prefer one color or pattern over another at any given time is not known. It is theorized, however, that predators are more likely to strike at jigs that closely match the natural food source in the area. For example, most jigs made for use in Southern California are designed to mimic anchovies, sardines, mackerel or squid.
Although it stands to reason that big lures will attract big fish, this is not always the case when it comes to fishing the iron. Just as large tuna and yellows sometimes are sometimes caught on the tiniest pinhead anchovies (as opposed to larger mackerel, sardines or anchovies), small jigs will often entice the largest of fish. When this occurs, it’s likely that the local food source is composed of smaller baitfish, thereby making a smaller jig appear more natural to the predators at that spot. For this reason, anglers should focus more on the size of the baitfish in the area, rather than the size of the game fish, when it comes to selecting a jig.
While many anglers are firm believers that color and pattern are major factors in the effectiveness of a particular jig, just as many fishermen feel that it’s the action of the lure that makes the makes the primary difference. Various type of jigs move differently as they are retrieved through the water. A heavier jig used for yo-yoing, (i.e. is made to be fished vertically), and therefore features less side-to side action than surface-type jigs. The weight, size, and shape of the jig has much to do with the type of action it delivers. Often, the fluttering motion of a jig as it descends in the water entices strikes from various game fish, probably because this resembles the desperate motions of an injured baitfish. This explains why game fish will hit a jig on the drop as well as on the retrieve.
Jig Fishing Techniques
Off Southern California, yo-yoing has become one of the most popular and effective angling techniques. A jig such as Salas 6X Jr. or Tady A1 is dropped to a depth of up to 200 feet, and is then cranked up at a very fast rate of retrieval. This process is then repeated over and over again until a hook-up occurs. Fished “yo-yo” style, a fast-moving jig appears like a frantically fleeing baitfish to hungry tuna and yellowtail, enticing these predators to make chase and strike. When employing this technique, it’s best to use a reel with a high gear ratio, such as a Penn 545GS or 555GS, matched with an 8-foot, medium or medium-heavy action jig stick.
If the fish happen to be near the top instead of down deep, a lighter surface jig would be a more appropriate choice. Jigs such as the Tady 45 and Salas 7X are lighter than the heavier iron used for yo-yoing. They also feature the exaggerated side-to-side action that surface-feeding fish seem to prefer.
The specific jig retrieval technique you should use will vary according to the type of jig you are using and the specific fishing situation. When the fish are near the top of the water column, a surface lure casted out, allowed to drop about 25 feet or so, and then cranked in at a moderate rate of retrieve will typically yield results. Some anglers like to use a steady retrieve, while others prefer varying speeds or even stopping the retrieve momentarily as they crank bank to the boat.
When yo-yoing for game fish like tuna or yellowtail, your retrieve should definitely be fast. Remember, these saltwater speedsters can chase down just about any free-swimming baitfish out there with ease, so don’t be afraid that you are cranking too fast. Just drop the jig down to the desired depth (wherever you are metering the fish) and crank as fast as you can back to the surface. Don’t worry about detecting a bite or setting the hook – when a hungry tuna or yellow decides to slam your jig on the way up, you’ll know it!
Fishing only
Using Jigs Instead of Live Bait
http://www.fishingonly.com/images/stories/477625586.jpgMany anglers become so conditioned to saltwater fishing with live bait that they overlook perhaps the most potent fish-catching weapons available – jigs. While it’s hard to beat a bait that wiggles when it comes to tempting saltwater predators, jigs will often draw strikes when live bait fails to do the trick. This seems to especially hold true when it comes to the bigger pelagic species like tuna and yellowtail.
I’ll never forget the first time I found myself being severely outfished by an angler “working the iron” off the coast of Northern Baja. I was content landing a few 20-pound albacore on fly-lined sardines, until I watched the angler next to me drop down a Christy-2 jig, crank it up as fast as he could, and in the process, connect with a large bluefin – a fish in the 50-pound class. After landing that fish, he sent the jig back down, started to retrieve and hooked up again. I watched in awe as he landed another big tuna. Then, just for good measure, he proceeded to hook yet another oversized fish on that same chrome jig. For whatever reason, the larger bluefin were shunning the hook-baits in favor of the iron. At that moment, I swore that I would work to better develop my jig-fishing skills.
Reasons Fishing Jigs Work Well
While at times, it seems like an angler having success with a jig is doing something magical, the real reasons behind this success may not be that mysterious. After all, that angler is playing the percentages. First of all, consider how much more territory you can cover when fishing the iron. While the angler next to you is soaking a live bait, you can make multiple casts to cover a much larger area and different levels of the water column. When you fish with live bait you are limited to a much more confined area. Although fishing with a jig requires much more casting and cranking, you won’t have to waste time running back and forth to the bait tank all day. You also won’t have to worry about the quality or quantity of your bait supply, since you can simply re-cast and catch fish with the same jig all day long
Selecting the Proper Jig
But being a successful jig fisherman requires more than just blindly reaching into tackle box and grabbing a lure at random. To hook up consistently on the iron, you need to select a jig that is likely to trigger an aggressive response from the particular species you’re after, given the existing conditions. A lot of this is just plain common sense. Consider the colors and patterns of the natural live bait source in the area. Also think about how deep the fish are running. You’ll want to use a lighter jig for a surface retrieve than you would if you were yo-yoing for fish concentrated in deeper water. It’s also important to match the size and shape of your jig to the indigenous baitfish.
When it comes to selecting colors/patterns, many anglers make their jig choices based on past success or suggestions from local tackle shops, landings or other informed sources. Blue and white jigs have been consistent producers over the years, especially for pelagic species such tuna, yellowtail, bonito and barracuda. Other popular colors/patterns include “dorado” (green/yellow), “scrambled egg” (light brown, yellow and white), and plain chrome or chrome combined with blue. Exactly what makes a fish prefer one color or pattern over another at any given time is not known. It is theorized, however, that predators are more likely to strike at jigs that closely match the natural food source in the area. For example, most jigs made for use in Southern California are designed to mimic anchovies, sardines, mackerel or squid.
Although it stands to reason that big lures will attract big fish, this is not always the case when it comes to fishing the iron. Just as large tuna and yellows sometimes are sometimes caught on the tiniest pinhead anchovies (as opposed to larger mackerel, sardines or anchovies), small jigs will often entice the largest of fish. When this occurs, it’s likely that the local food source is composed of smaller baitfish, thereby making a smaller jig appear more natural to the predators at that spot. For this reason, anglers should focus more on the size of the baitfish in the area, rather than the size of the game fish, when it comes to selecting a jig.
While many anglers are firm believers that color and pattern are major factors in the effectiveness of a particular jig, just as many fishermen feel that it’s the action of the lure that makes the makes the primary difference. Various type of jigs move differently as they are retrieved through the water. A heavier jig used for yo-yoing, (i.e. is made to be fished vertically), and therefore features less side-to side action than surface-type jigs. The weight, size, and shape of the jig has much to do with the type of action it delivers. Often, the fluttering motion of a jig as it descends in the water entices strikes from various game fish, probably because this resembles the desperate motions of an injured baitfish. This explains why game fish will hit a jig on the drop as well as on the retrieve.
Jig Fishing Techniques
Off Southern California, yo-yoing has become one of the most popular and effective angling techniques. A jig such as Salas 6X Jr. or Tady A1 is dropped to a depth of up to 200 feet, and is then cranked up at a very fast rate of retrieval. This process is then repeated over and over again until a hook-up occurs. Fished “yo-yo” style, a fast-moving jig appears like a frantically fleeing baitfish to hungry tuna and yellowtail, enticing these predators to make chase and strike. When employing this technique, it’s best to use a reel with a high gear ratio, such as a Penn 545GS or 555GS, matched with an 8-foot, medium or medium-heavy action jig stick.
If the fish happen to be near the top instead of down deep, a lighter surface jig would be a more appropriate choice. Jigs such as the Tady 45 and Salas 7X are lighter than the heavier iron used for yo-yoing. They also feature the exaggerated side-to-side action that surface-feeding fish seem to prefer.
The specific jig retrieval technique you should use will vary according to the type of jig you are using and the specific fishing situation. When the fish are near the top of the water column, a surface lure casted out, allowed to drop about 25 feet or so, and then cranked in at a moderate rate of retrieve will typically yield results. Some anglers like to use a steady retrieve, while others prefer varying speeds or even stopping the retrieve momentarily as they crank bank to the boat.
When yo-yoing for game fish like tuna or yellowtail, your retrieve should definitely be fast. Remember, these saltwater speedsters can chase down just about any free-swimming baitfish out there with ease, so don’t be afraid that you are cranking too fast. Just drop the jig down to the desired depth (wherever you are metering the fish) and crank as fast as you can back to the surface. Don’t worry about detecting a bite or setting the hook – when a hungry tuna or yellow decides to slam your jig on the way up, you’ll know it!