Advice on jigging - just moved to Panama!

[DonJose]

So I just moved to Panama, the tuna coast as they call it, to an area called Pedasi. Went out the Saturday before last & got skunked while there were fish stacked up under the boat. We're not talking a few fish, I mean it was stacked 30' + deep with fish. Captain says they're red snappers, african pompanos, amberjacks, etc. I'm obviously doing something wrong. I went out with a local fisherman that only fishes with hand lines & bait.

The frustrating part was seeing the local fish market with YFT, huge amberjacks, etc piled up.

Came back up here for business for a week. Need some tips as I'm going back determined. Any advice on which jigs, tackle, etc is MUCH appreciated. The drop & reel technique wasn't working.

While you're at it, any advice for popping is also appreciated.

[bulletbob]

Jigging is pretty easy, but there are a few things you must keep in mind...

1- you must vary the retrieve,,
sometimes slow lift and drop, sometimes a fast retrieve with a long fast drop.. Sometimes ripping it at warp speed straight up from bottom to surface..

You must try varying retrieves and speeds until you find out what works..

2-color, style and size.. if those fish were keying on fish the size and shape of lets say Spot or small Porgies , and you were using an Ava jig, you might never get a touch..

3- Depth.. you mention the fish were stacked up.. if the active game fish were 20 feet up, with just reef dwellers below that aren't aggressive, and you were jigging close to bottom.. again, might never get a touch.

4- biting fish...sometimes you need to move and find some fish willing to eat.. if you are parked on big school of fish that just wiped out a big pod of bait, again, no hits,,,

5- sometimes you need a sweetener.. next time bring some fresh local baitfish or some shrimp, and try tipping the jig hooks with it , using a natural looking presentation.. hang on..

6-sometimes, in some places, for some fish, jigging sucks, but you'll clean up with bait, especially local bait that the fish are used to eating...

7.. don't get disgusted, next time doing the same exact thing, you might hammer them.... bob

[tautog]

Should hit a hammered diamond jig. You can try squidding it at various speeds reeling up 20 cranks or so and then letting it back down. If the fish respond to one speed then replicate it. For snapper pounding the bottom might work better which is just bouncing it on the bottom. Again vary from slight lifts to high lifts to see what is working better. You can also try a soft plastic on the jig hook and a soft plastic or fly as teaser 2 to 3 feet up from the jig on a dropper loop. You should at least get hits that way. However if these are large amberjack and pompano, use extra strong hooks and at least 80lbs leader.

[tombanjo]

I don't know....if the locals use bait......But if you must, try one of those Tsunami split tail minnows that the bonita & albies love. Light rod with some action. Get it down as far as you can and work it back up with a slow buck tail type retrieve.

[DonJose]

Bulletbob - thanks for the advice. I was retrieving way too fast & using the wrong jig for the fast retrieve technique. I was using a fluttering jig. From my internet search looks like I was doing it all wrong. Fortunately it was a short exploratory trip.

We had one other guy with us that was a total fishing newbie & he hooked up twice. I realize now he was reeling a lot slower than me & using a my only diamond jig.

Anyways we'll be sure to not forget the bait like we did last time. Still I want to learn how to jig them up. Nothing more fun that I hard hit on a jig! Got a few more fast retrieve jigs & will be putting them to work.

I'll be sure to let you know how I make out.

[DonJose]

I don't know....if the locals use bait......But if you must, try one of those Tsunami split tail minnows that the bonita & albies love. Light rod with some action. Get it down as far as you can and work it back up with a slow buck tail type retrieve.

tombanjo - agreed 100%. We were rushing to get out the door before the tide went down & we couldn't get out of the inlet (if you can call it that). Anyways the bait stayed at home. We would have absolutely cleaned house on huge red snappers with cuttlefish or sardines. That's what they're feeding on right now. Yeah well. We'll work it out next time.

[bulletbob]

tombanjo - agreed 100%. We were rushing to get out the door before the tide went down & we couldn't get out of the inlet (if you can call it that). Anyways the bait stayed at home. We would have absolutely cleaned house on huge red snappers with cuttlefish or sardines. That's what they're feeding on right now. Yeah well. We'll work it out next time.

Bring some sardines next time and try putting one on the jig.. It makes a huge difference at times... bob

[rvr2c]

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Check this site out, it's all about jigging