# The art of jigging



## heathhampton (Apr 14, 2008)

Ok guys, I have finally decided to do some speed jigging. I have the right equipment and all the butterflies I could ever need in the anticipation of catching some fish. I was thinking about trying the public spots in anywhere from 75-130 feet of water. My question is, what will I catch and do any of you have any tips and/or techniques I should follow that have helped you out? Thanks in advance and good to hear the fishing is going so well this summer.


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## bluffman2 (Nov 22, 2007)

you ask for it........some info you may know or not need.......

BLUEWATER <SPAN class=highlight>*JIGGING* 101 
By Capt. Michael Hill 



The following summary on blue water <SPAN class=highlight>*jigging* or butterfly <SPAN class=highlight>*jigging* as it is commonly called is based on my past three years experience I hope you enjoy reading and understanding the concept and utilize it to enhance your off shore experience. I am basically breaking it down to cover the most important details and provide you with the information to utilize it to your best advantage. By no means am I an expert as I still learn something every time I go and I urge you to give me any positive or negative feed back you learn from your blue water <SPAN class=highlight>*jigging* trips. 

WHY <SPAN class=highlight>*JIGGING* 

? The number one reason is it produces. Throw in the fact everyone on the boat can actively participate and your tackle is what I would consider blue water ultra light. None of my <SPAN class=highlight>*jigging* outfits exceed 32 ounces this includes rod, reel, line and jig and it just makes for a great off shore experience 

? Variety is the spice of life and I haven't met to many blue water fish that would pass up a jig. The following list is what I have had come over the gunnel's from <SPAN class=highlight>*jigging* .Amberjack, African pompano, barracuda, bluefish cobia, grouper, red snapper, trigger fish ,king macs, mahi, tilefish, blue fin tuna ,YFtuna. black fin tuna, lots and lots of false albacore, long fin tuna, Wahoo, sea bass, b liners, rosefish, blue runners, squid ,and numerous variety of sharks we did have a big eye tuna to the surface but ended up exploding the rod in three pieces on him. 

? It allows you to cover all water columns from the bottom to the top. This is the most important aspect of <SPAN class=highlight>*jigging* getting to them quickly and having the ability to keep it in the strike zone be it 400 feet deep or 20 feet deep even when the current is flowing 2.5knots plus. 

HOW TO JIG 

Depending on the species and the depth it is best to try different techniques but all fish don't react to the same motion this is a learning process that comes from putting in time and utilizing different jigs for different situations but from my experience I can give you these tips I will start with tuna as most people especially charter and a lot of private captains on the east coast still have reservations about <SPAN class=highlight>*jigging* for tuna [ you know who you are ] but it can be very productive all tuna like a side to side motion picture a squid darting for its life going from left to right and right to left and you should be reeling as you dart it side to side hands down we have caught most of our tuna from 20 to 250 feet deep on a 5 or 7 ounce shimano regular jig, abyss speed jig or a river2sea turkey slider accounting for its fair share and the largest .Always let the jig go an extra 50 to 100 feet below your marks WE have caught most of our Wahoo and king mackerel when we were bringing the jigs off the bottom from bottom fishing or from under weeds or around buoys you just need to have an erratic and fast retrieve and for bottom fish just get it close to them and give it constant action with out reeling in a lot. Dolphin are typically easy and prefer smaller jigs 2.5 to 3.5 oz. you just need to look down and get them excited and typically it is the larger ones that race in and pop the jig. 

It is very important to get a steady rhythm any time you are retrieving the jig this will help you from becoming tired after some practice you should find a motion you are comfortable with and you'll fall into your sweet spot and one very important point to mention is if you create a jerky motion you stand the chance of wrapping the line around the top of the rod I have witnessed this a lot with guys who just have to jerky of retrieve this can create a broken rod or lost fish or both. Just remember these are extremely light rods and they handle very fast so it takes a little practice to get the retrieve down experiment and you'll be fine. 

WHERE TO JIG 

Geographically speaking I have jigged from Indian River inlet Delaware to Cape look out NC If I had to pick one port as being exceptional it would be Hatteras and this is due to permanent structure in the form of rocks wrecks artificial reefs buoys and towers in every direction. But I can honestly say we have had good luck in all the northeast canyons Don't pass up those lobster pots. 

If you want to be productive when <SPAN class=highlight>*jigging* it is of utmost importance that you know how to use your electronics and if you can interface your fish finder/sonar to your gps you are golden 

? Charts are a valuable source of info but I never rely on them to put me exactly where I want to be. 

? Dive shops can be a great source of info if your tactful about the way you ask for info. 

? I mostly rely on my electronics and take very good notes and keep a good log. 

Structure is the key word here and structure can be any of the following, Temperature change, current line, feeding pods of whales rocks humps,towers,bouys ledges, large bottom shelves wrecks artificial reefs you get the message. I cant stress enough the importance of keeping a log and marking all permanent structure. 

If you come across a school of porpoise or a pod of feeding whales work the immediate area real thorough and stay with them my best tuna day ever on jigs was between the Washington canyon and the thirty fathom lumps following the whales for about an hour and a half until we limited out on 45 to 60 lb YFT these fish were keyed in on small bait and we had to change jigs to match the bait but once we found the right one we blistered them on 4inch 3.5oz Daiwa sacrifice jigs. 

If you mark pelagic fish typically tuna at say 60 to 80 feet but they wont come up for a trolling spread chances are you have to much current in the upper water column and they are not going to expend the energy if they are feeding on squid or any other forage down below if they don't have to. But if you mark them and set up a drift over them drop a jig down if it comes any where close to them and it is presented right you are going to connect. Keep this in mind also for surface temps and thermo clines some times the fish and or the bait prefer a temp lower in the water column a jig allows you to get to them quickly with out the current being a big factor. 



If you come up to a large patch of Sargasso weed. Looking for mahi and don't see any do not throw out a handful of cut bait before you drop a jig down multiple times I typically drop it 60 to 80 feet and rip it back at a high rate of speed don't worry you cant out reel MR WA HOO . if mahi come up as the 43 lb one in the picture did he slammed a jig 20 feet below the boat and came out of nowhere. Do not feed them before you bail as many as you can on jigs and eventually they do get wise to the jigs and we throw cut up squid. 





A nice catch of Gaffers, Sea Bass, and Wahoo 


Your heading out to the hot bite and your radar sees a bunch of boats all going in circles and your all pumped up you found the fleet your going to have your special spread out within ten minutes and visions are going through your head of tuna coming over the gunnels. You turn up the radio only to find out the bite has slowed up. Don't panic set up a drift get up current from the fleet and drift back down through the area with multiple weight and types of jigs as you feasibly can working the water column. Everyone dropping jigs should drop 10 seconds apart and separate as far as possible on the boat. I sometimes use a drift sock to slow me up always drop lighter jigs first and give them a few seconds to stretch out away from the boat add another element to it and send over a skirted bally hoo or two to ride the drift I usually only do this when I know I am going to have at least a half hour drift and I send it way out it stays up on top sub surface and does not interfere with the <SPAN class=highlight>*jigging*. This has accounted for a lot of meat especially Mahi. 

Bottom <SPAN class=highlight>*Jigging* 

If you are going after bottom fish and we do a lot of this as I really enjoy fish tacos ,or deep fried whole red snapper how about crab stuffed grouper with apricot chutney. it takes a little more to get the program down. 

first of all they will hit any jig its amazing how aggressive sea bass are they will hit a 14 inch jig with no problem. It is key you use the heaviest jig you can constantly work I prefer a 7 or 9 ounce jig any color with two top hooks and one center hook if I am using an abyss jig. I prefer not to put the bottom hook on as it snags a lot and they are not cheap if you find your self getting snagged a lot you probably have to light of a jig on for the current and your not paying attention to the belly in your line wait until you see your spool stop letting line out and reel in four or five cranks. To keep it off the bottom I fish the first 5 to 15 feet off the bottom. It takes a little time to get the feel of bottom fish snapper and sea bass can be very subtle but with a jig there is no bait so just keep working until you feel a solid hit. With grouper, African pompano and [ reef donkeys amberjacks ] there is no question especially African pompano they hit with wreck less abandon and are incredibly strong fighters pound for pound I have never fought any stronger fish. 

Wreck fishing, artificial reefs, buoys and towers 

Its no secret all of these hold fish and its especially true to deep water wrecks just keep in mind you have a small window of time to let the jig get in the strike zone again match the jig weight to the depth and current and over time you will put it right on target I like a turkey slider in 9oz. or shimano flat side jig in 7 to 9 oz. to get down really quick and if I am in shore on an AR I lighten up. The only time I fish artificial reefs is if it is convenient to make a quick stop on the way out or the way in. But don't count them out as they have accounted for a lot of fish for us typically on the way in from deep water at the end of the day. buoys and towers are great structure to jig around I always try to head by one first thing in the am as typically by afternoon during the offshore season they get a lot of pressure. If you're the early bird a lot of times you can score on Mahi, Wahoos, cobia, and reef donkeys. 

Rocks, drops and natural structure 

These I would have to say are my favorite places to jig fish and the reason is this is where variety can really come into play. A grouper on the first drop a black fin tuna on the second drop a king mac on the third drop. Some areas hold more species but for the most part when I am on large natural rocks or shelves with abrupt drops I can count on catching bottom fish and pelagic in the same area. A lot of times I will visit the same rock twice in the same day and find new fish that have moved in on the area 

Rods reels and line 

? <SPAN class=highlight>*Jigging* rods come in all makes and models so I am going to give you the set up I use by all means experiment and support your local tackle stores. 

? I use shimano trevala spinning series they are 99.00 or the up graded F series is 199.00 they are also available in conventional series I use to use some conventional but I found my self getting more spools untangled than spending time fishing most any one can pick up a spinning reel and get the hang of it. The reason I like shimano besides being incredibly light and strong is you break it they replace it no questions ask I did explode one in three pieces this past year on a big eye tuna at the point off NC and it was replaced the minute I walked through the tackle store door. 

? I typically carry 5 or 6 outfits and they cover MH to XXH any of these will subdue a school tuna but when you get on big blue fins and drop deep for big eye I would highly suggest the XH and XXH I actually just added the XXH to my arsenal after getting spooled at the Tuna hole this past fall on Blue fins I used it on school Blue fins up to 45lbs in early Jan 2008 and it mow hawked em in about 5 minutes flat. 

? These rods are very light and incredibly strong and the recovery rate is excellent even on heavy fish this is what allows these rods to subdue and wear down strong and heavy fish and the rear of the rod extends to go under your arm pit this enables you to work the jig in a manner that creates less fatigue and lots of action. If fatigue is an issue I suggest you start with heavier jigs 7 to 9 oz. and relax back to 3.5 to 5 oz when you need to take a break it makes an incredible difference other wise pace yourself. 

? Always let the rod do the work on the jig and the fish. I get these guys on my boat that do the Billy bad ass big game jerk and before you know it they are sitting in the bean bag chair tuckered out Once you learn the technique it gets to be second nature and once you learn to use the leverage of the rod to subdue big fish you will understand its capabilities. 

Reels 

My suggestion is to use the lightest reel with at least 18 pounds of drag minimum a 4.1 gear ratio minimum and a capacity of no less than 200 yds of 80 lb. braid and 15 feet of top shot. I use shimano Stella and Okuma v80 series. I prefer the okuma at 17 ounces for every day <SPAN class=highlight>*jigging* and tuna up to 75lbs because it is a lot cheaper it holds plenty of line and the drag red lines at 24 lbs and has held up surprisingly well they provide you with an extra spool which you should have loaded up and ready and a five year warranty no questions ask. I should make you aware if you are going to go play with real big tuna the Stella reels can stop them due to a whopping 44 lbs of drag the okumas cant trust me I know this first hand. A few other reels to consider is the Shimano sustain, Daiwa Saltiga. Van stahl and Penn 750ss 



Line 

[Braid or synthetic only] 

? Using Braid or synthetic line is an absolute necessity to get the maximum performance from your <SPAN class=highlight>*jigging* outfit. When you are in 450 feet of water and you drop down to grouper you can literally feel the initial hit immediately. I use power pro 80 lb in green with a bimini twist at the end and a 15 foot top shot of 50 or 60 lb flouro I prefer Seaguar brand as it has less memory than many other types. 

? One important note we did have two reels lined with yellow braid and we have since gone to all green as the yellow did not get tuna hits as consistent as the dark green line. 

? There are numerous other synthetic lines on the market and using synthetic line is an important factor in <SPAN class=highlight>*jigging*. Don't even consider all mono line as you won't detect nearly as many bites and the mono has way to much stretch. 

? I have a reel spooled with the new suffix performance braid for 2008 I will let you know if this line is any better once I get to try it out. 

KNOTS 

Learn these braid to mono knots and you are set for basically any blue water <SPAN class=highlight>*jigging*. 

Bimini to double uni this is what I use and it has not failed me yet I like it due to the smooth transition from braid to mono and excellent strength. 

I also use a knot called the slim beauty, this knot is a little hard to learn but has a very slim profile and it has yet to fail me. 

Spider Hitch. I like this knot and its very easy to tie in bumpy seas its also very strong learn it once and I am sure it will come in handy for you. 

Stren knot. This is an excellent knot and was developed just for braid to mono. 

Surgeons knot. If you have to learn a quick braid to mono knot this will suffice but I wouldn't rely on it for my first choice it is extremely strong but it makes a rather large knot on the spool. You have to remember when you are reeling in large tuna or a big grouper its an extreme amount of pressure on your reel and you don't want the knot to imbed in other layers of the line. 

To see great illustrations of the above knots and many more go to www.proknot.com
The following web...me I am not out there doing a research paper.


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## lobsterman (Sep 30, 2007)

If you will watch the video on shimanos website you will be a pro after alittle practice. I haven't used bait but once this year and have caught some real nice fish every trip.


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## Tuna Man (Oct 2, 2007)

> *heathhampton (6/24/2008)*and all the butterflies I could ever need.










Where have I heard that before:doh

A lot of good information...:clap:clap

Now go out and go get'm.


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## bluffman2 (Nov 22, 2007)

> *Tuna Man (6/24/2008)*
> 
> 
> > *heathhampton (6/24/2008)*and all the butterflies I could ever need.
> ...




tell me about it..last trip out we lost i bet 20.......


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## heathhampton (Apr 14, 2008)

Thanks so much! And I hope I don't feed the fish too many of these jigs, they are pricey!


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## true-king (Oct 2, 2007)

> *heathhampton (6/25/2008)*Thanks so much! And I hope I don't feed the fish too many of these jigs, they are pricey!


You got that right. It will happen eventually though.


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## heathhampton (Apr 14, 2008)

What fish can I expect to catch in the 75-90 area and what fish will be in the 120-130 area? I know as the water warms up the grouper move to deeper water, but what will be in these depths next week?


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## bellafishing (Oct 1, 2007)

Be warned: Jigging is the debil!!! Once you start, it infects your blood and you will find yourself constantly contemplating dropping a jig at random times. At dinner, while taking a leak, during that "special time" with the wife. Suddenly jigging takes over and it's all you can think about!! That being said, in the 90' range you're going to find snapper mostly and the occasional king or barracuda. The mingos like the Lucanis jig I've found. The reds seem to prefer the flat-sided jigs. Grouper tend to lean towards the longer speed jigs like the benthos or just a good ol' fashion bucktail. Bounce it off the bottom repeatedly, reel up a few cranks, jig, freespool again, repeat. The deeper water is where you're more likely to run into AJ's and grouper as well as scamp. Live bottomor structure are key. The better relief, the better chances for AJ's. Tighten down that drag and take some tylenol before you even drop. You will have no doubt when you hook a reef donkey! Good luck and let us know how you do!!

Bob


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## lobsterman (Sep 30, 2007)

[*quote]heathhampton (6/25/2008)Thanks so much! And I hope I don't feed the fish too many of these jigs, they are pricey![/quote]*



Good luck on that. I lost 5 shimano jigs in a couple of hours a few trips back.


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## Daydreamin (Jun 20, 2008)

Bella...That's too funny :letsdrink :clap


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## lobsterman (Sep 30, 2007)

Hey bella, last Wed. I caught a 24+ gag on jig. The strange thing was he didn't hit it when I was bouncing it for grouper, he hit it 15 cranks up when I was jigging like a scalded dog on a hot asphalt road. He did how ever let me know he was there immediately.


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## sc23 (Jun 17, 2008)

It depends on where you're fishing, and how deep. Lots of snapper and AJs out there now.



I rarely fish a jig, but those fish are biting bait.



Good luck



Edit: Use your fish finder before you drop.


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## lobsterman (Sep 30, 2007)

they are inhaling jigs also. I caught 10 to 1 against 3 others using live bait.Not just one trip but three. I whipped them so bad one guy is going out and buying a jigging combo and 6 shimano butterfly jigs before we go again next Wed.


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## sc23 (Jun 17, 2008)

Hey lobsterman,



I'd be worn out just cranking them in. It's all I can do to put two 15+ snapper in the boat.


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## bellafishing (Oct 1, 2007)

It's amazing that just when you think you figure the fish out, they throw a curve ball at you! You reel up 15 ft and get bit and assume it's a snapper and BAM! grouper! My buddy was bouncing a jig off the bottom one day at the Chevron and got nailed. He's fighting the fish and I notice a huge barracuda circling the boat. I tell him that I'm going to start feeding the cuda when he gets the fish near the surface. We see color and I keep the cuda distracted with some bonita chunks. Get the fish up thinking it's a monster grouper....GIANT CUDA!! What the [email protected]*$!!!! Off the bottom? Oh well! That's why I love jigging, it catches everything!!

Bob


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## foreverfishing (Nov 30, 2012)

bellafishing said:


> Be warned: Jigging is the debil!!! Once you start, it infects your blood and you will find yourself constantly contemplating dropping a jig at random times. At dinner, while taking a leak, during that "special time" with the wife. Suddenly jigging takes over and it's all you can think about!!


 
in my experience( not too much) this is true with ALL types of fishing:yes:


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## Fishermon (Oct 19, 2007)

Old post. interesting reading. Looking for a couple Trevalas if anybody has some for sale lmk. Thanks.


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