Jigging Tips & Tricks

Here are some tips on how to use your jigs for best results:

Overview

Jig fishing is one of the oldest fishing techniques that can be traced back hundreds of years ago from the early Polynesians, then to the Europeans and Asians. Jig fishing has seen a recent rise in popularity within the U.S.A and it is a start of a new challenge for fishermen. This is a new way to catch tuna, wahoo, grouper, amberjack, dolphin, tilefish, etc. It gives many of us a new way to catch different species of fish (year around) that we did not know were off our coast. In Virginia, as of 2 years ago, most of us did not know we could catch grouper, wreckfish, blackbelly rose fish, cod and also encounter sea bass, golden tile, and blueline tiles along the way while using a form of jigging called bottom bouncing or deep dropping.

In the following reference guide, I will try to share with you information that I have gotten from charter captains, the web, books, magazines, fishermen, and mine and your personal experience on jig fishing. (You can email your personal experience and photos to jerkthatjig@gmail.com). I hope this will help you become a better fisherman in this new and exciting sport of jigging. Check back from time to time as I will be adding to this reference guide and site with photos and videos in order to help us all become better fishermen and women.

Background

In the early 1990s, Yoichi Mogi of Japan reinvented jigging. He was the driving force behind many of the improved jigs, reels, and rods which have popularized this new style of fishing. Originally from Guam, he moved to Japan. In 1993, he reintroduced a new fishing fishing technique using heavy jigs to fish above water depths of 300 feet. He called this technique Super Deep Jigging. We now have jigs at JERK THAT JIG that go to depths of 1000 feet and soon to come jigs that will go to 2500 feet. If you want to see a big bluefin go to his site at www.uminchu-mogi.com ... The biggest bluefin that I have ever seen.

Traditionally big fish are landed by trolling with heavy rods, lines, & lures. Although very fun, there is nothing more exciting then catching a big fish on a smaller reel and graphite rod. The Japanese tackle companies have embraced a totaly new line of light powerful rods and reels and jigs. These combos puts excitment back into fishing and have produced an amazing list of angling accomplihments. Jig fishing gives us a new way to raise fish from them feeding on bait from way down below. Let's face it, if the fish have got bait down 300 feet down, they are not going to come up and feed on our trolling lures.

Jigging Techniques

There are numerous names for different jigging techniques.

• Long Stroke - working the rod from a gimbal plate. The rod is lifted in a wide arc or long stroke then dropped to allow the jig to flutter downwards. Simultaneously, quickly crank the reel 2-3 turns for each cycle. This style is best suited for a longer rod.
  
  
• Jerk crank and then drop - this technique is great for staying in at a certain part of the water collum move the jig 20 to 40 feet they drop and repeat.
  
  
• High pitch short jerk jigging - the rod is carried under the armpit and the rod is stroked in a small arc up and down and making one turn of the reel for every cycle.
  
  
• Mechanical jigging - same as high pitch short jerk but with no arc.
  
  
• Fast Pitch Short jerk - this technique is much like high speed except you stop after 5 to 8 turns and jerk that jig up and down and then repeat 5 to 8 turns of the reel
  
  
• YoYo jigging - cast your jig away from the boat to the called out depth where the fish are being marked, then raise your rod tip up and down fast or slow in long strokes.
  
  
• High speed vertical jigging - this technique requires the jig to be dropped to the bottom and then quickly wound to the surface. Use light weight jigs for this technique.
  
  
• Deep drop jigging - let the jig hit the bottom and move the rod up and down in a slow or fast pitch with cranking 1 or 2 turns and then let the jig back down to the bottom.
  
  
• Bottom bouncing jigging - always keep the jig from 0 to 3 feet from the bottom moving the tip of the rod very slowly up and down.
  
  
• Wreck jigging - bounce the jig from the wreck up 3 feet and then back down to the wreck in a slow motion.
  
  
• Squibbing jigging
  
  
• Japanese jigging
  
  
• ... and I'm sure as time goes on there will be many more names for jigging styles.

The above is a guide for jigging, but there are no set rules. You can mix up the different techniques and tackle to suit you and the water conditions that you are fishing in.

Finding the Fish

With all the different styles of jigging the most imporant aspect in order to be successful in fishing or jigging is for the skipper to put you over or onto the fish. In talking with charter captains this year (2008-2009 winter season out of Hatteras and Morehead city North Carolina), a very few of them have found a new way for them to keep their charter business going in the winter time and that is jigging blackfin and bluefin tuna and bottom bouncing or deep droping for tiles, grouper, sea bass and wreckfish. For tuna they will troll with their standard tuna rigs and at the same time they look at the fish finder as they are going. If they mark fish they will have a rod ready to drop a jig down to the depth of the fish. They will use multicolored braid line marked in most cases 32.5 feet or 10 meters. The main advantage to this method is that you are putting the jig precisely where the fish are located. If the fish are higher in the water they will use a 200 gram or 7 oz. jig. If the tuna are deeper or if the current is swift use a 300 gram 10 oz. jig and use the high speed vertical method and if that does not work use the fast or slow yoyo technique. Every day is different for tuna. Dont be afraid to use a 500 gram 18oz jig and do the slow yoyo method. If the tuna still will not bite and you know that they are there, cast a lighter jig ( 100 gram 3.5 oz. jig ) or a top water popper (I will be adding big game poppers to our line in 2009). Make sure that you have a tempered hook and take a file and sparpen the hook (I will go into hooks latter). This form of jigging has brought a new life into Hatteras and Morehead city for their winter blackfin and bluefin season. Jigging, deep dropping, and bottom bouncing will bring the ability to fish year around.

Why Glowing Lures Are So Good At Catching Fish

So why should you be fishing with glowing lures???? Well for one thing anybody who has fished them has learned that they just plain catch fish. That usually is a good enough reason for most of us, but curious minds want to know. To understand the catching power of JERK THAT JIG GLOWING LURES, we need a little more technical information about how light travels through water.

The first part of the glowing lure secret is light. Light travels through water very differently then it does through air. For one thing, different colors of light travel farther through water better than others do. Reds and oranges travel the least distance in the water before turning into shades of grey, with green and then blue traveling the greatest distance. With this being said, if your lure does not have a glow to it then the deeper your lure goes it will appear grey in color. Fish have eyes that are optimized for color selection.

COLOR DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Our high quality lures at JERK THAT JIG are available in an ever-increasing palette of violets, blues, greens. Yellows, oranges, silvers and reds need only a SLIGHT SHADOW OF GLOW to make the colors of the lures stand out at any depth. The glow and color greatly increases the contrast between the lure and its surroundings and allows for the predator fish to easy locate, track and attack the bait fish.

Donald Honeycutt
jerkthatjig@gmail.com