Heavy metal should feature in every angler’s bag of tricks, but there’s a huge variety of jigs and jigging techniques. By Mark Kitteridge.
One only has to walk into a well-stocked fishing tackle shop to see a plethora of jigs available. And because most are designed for specific circumstances and techniques, they come in a huge variety of shapes, weights and colours. Such a variety, in fact, that we will restrict ourselves to types weighing up to 200g – basically ‘snapper-type’ jigs.
So which ones might suit your needs and how should they be used? First though, we need to acknowledge the huge impact braided line has had on our ability to fish jigs effectively.
A third the diameter of monofilament nylon and possessing very little stretch, there’s less surface area and therefore less water resistance to hold up the line, and anglers can feel every little touch or bite and also more efficiently set hooks home, even in very deep water. So yes, you can use nylon with jigs, but you will be severely handicapped!
Jig types
Bottom-weighted ’flutter’-type jigs (for want of a better term!) – if you’re over 50 years old, these are the type you grew up with – are essentially relatively slim in profile and shaped like a fish. They are weighted more heavily at the base, and are wide enough to flutter on the drop – but not too much, as they also need to descend quickly enough to reach deep water and remain there for a while.
The only thing that’s changed over the years is that the treble hook attached to tail of the jig has been replaced by an assist rig armed with one or two single hooks hung from the wire loop at the top of the lure.
The technique: These lures are particularly well suited to yo-yo jigging, a method that usually involves dropping the lure to the bottom and using the rod to repeatedly lift and drop the lure again, causing it to flutter and flash on the fall. To predatory fish it looks like a mortally wounded baitfish. The deeper the water and the stronger the current, the heavier and slimmer the flutter-type lure should be.
Water depth and approximate lure weights: 10-100m and 30-150g.
Tips: As tends to be the case with most jigs, these work better when worked vertically, rather than on a more horizontal angle. So once the line assumes a 40o angle, it’s best to wind up and start again. It can pay to lob the lure up ahead of the boat in the direction of the drift so the lure works in a more vertical plane for longer.
Be sure to watch the line like a hawk, especially during the descent. If it inexplicably stays slack, it’s probably a bite – lift the rod firmly to set the hook.
Slow-pitch jigs are a development of flutter-type jigs, with the main difference being that they are designed and weighted to flutter horizontally on the drop. Slow-pitch jigs tend therefore to be armed with assist rigs at both ends.
The technique: Slow-pitch jigs are best used with specialised rods that bend on the lift, springing the lure upwards and then allowing it to flip over for the descent. The angler then follows the lure downwards with the rod, allowing just enough slackness in the line to ensure a free-falling action, but maintaining close enough contact to react quickly to any unusual behaviour of the line.
Water depths suited and approximate weights: 5-60m-plus, 10-200g.
Tips: To get down faster, slow the descent slightly so the jig remains in a reasonably vertical position. Lobbing the jig ahead of the boat’s drift for longer periods near the seafloor applies here, too.
Knife-type jigs are at the opposite end of the spectrum, being long and slender to get down to the bottom quickly and stay there longer.
The technique: Knife jigs are brought to life using a mechanical-jigging motion – that’s successive lifts and drops with the rod, whilst simultaneously turning the reel handle one rotation at a time to mirror that action. The result is a lure that moves up slowly, but constantly and erratically, through the water column for much longer than if were simply wound upwards.
Water depths suited and approximate weights: 20 to 100m-plus, from 30-150g.
Tips: If targeting snapper, it pays to use slow to very slow mechanical-jigging motions, and only wind up 5-10 rotations of the handle from the seafloor. If kingfish show up on the fish-finder, speed up the motion substantially and maintain the retrieve for at least 15-20m, water depth allowing.
Micro-jigs, while very small, can be very effective on a wide range of popular fish species. Making these small jigs from tungsten was the game-changer. Tungsten is a metal that’s 1.7 times heavier than lead, so lures are a third the size lures made in lead composite that weigh the same. Because they’re smaller, tungsten jigs have less surface area and so get down deeper and stay there. They are a lot more versatile.
Water depths suited and approximate weights: 5-50m (in calm conditions), 14-28g.
The techniques: As already mentioned, these small lures are very adaptable. They can be yo-yoed using small, stuttering lifts and drops, slowly mechanically jigged; allowed to bounce along the bottom behind a drifting boat; or cast out, allowed to sink and then jigged back like a soft-bait!
Tips: Use a very light-actioned rod, thin braid and a fluoro-carbon trace no heavier than 20lb to get the best from these lures. The small hook might be strong for its size, but they can still be ripped out, bent or broken.
Avoid making big movements with these lures, as they are easily jerked out of the sight of hungry predators. Instead, use small stuttering movements, to imitate small injured fish.
Kabura, madai and inchuku type slow-jigs originated in Japan and revolutionised the way we use lures to catch snapper. I laughed when I first saw them with their bulbous heads and dangling tendrils. But not for long – they have proved to be lethal!
There isn’t much difference between kaburas (also known as sliders) and madai-type slow-jigs; basically the slider is designed to separate from the assist rig, whereas madai jigs have the assist rig attached to the body/head. Inchiku lures are much more streamlined, but also have the assist rig attached, too.
Water depths suited and approximate weights: 15-100m- plus, 60-200g.
The techniques: These three lure types might belong to different lure families, but I basically fish them the same way. While it is possible to drop down to the bottom, then simply wind up slowly for a few metres to get bites. I far prefer a very slow to moderate speed mechanical jigging motion, as this lifts and drops the lure, bringing the tendrils to life and keeping the lure in the bite zone for longer.
The main thing to remember is not to strike hard at bites; instead, either smoothly lift the rod a bit faster or wind more quickly. Striking tends to result in the dangling rubber tendrils getting ripped off in short order.
Tips: These jigging styles are also suited to very light-actioned rods, as they moderate and smooth out any sudden rod movements, which allows the lure skirts to undulate more enticingly. After a hook-up, light action rods also absorb the sudden bumps and bangs that can see such small hooks rip out, bend or break.
The bulk of snapper caught on slow jigs are close to the seafloor. They can’t swim up too high in the water column without suffering the effects of reduced water pressure, which expands the gas in their swim bladder and bloodstream. So unless your fish-finder says otherwise, only wind up off the bottom for between three and 10 full rotations of the reel handle.
Finally, if in doubt, uses a heavier jig rather than a lighter one; you want these lures to get down to where the fish are and stay there.
Easy, huh? Well yes, but the circumstances and the ways fish behave both change constantly, so you’ll still need to figure out the right buttons to push on the day!
